His Majesty, The Emperor's Birthday Reception 2017

Silkscreen Printing & Paper Sculpting Workshops for DAS

JCC Advisory Meeting

52nd JCS Graduation Ceremony

Ikebana Christmas Workshop

On 6 December 2017, Mrs Yuko Shinoda, wife of H.E. Ambassador Kenji Shinoda, attended the Ikebana International Christmas Party at the Shangri-La Hotel Singapore. President of Ikebana International Singapore chapter 135 (I.I.) Ms Angela Kek, and one of the founding members of I.I. Ms Pamela Lee gave their welcoming remarks to the members who attended the party. The members of Ikebana International celebrated the occasion over...(Click here to read more)

Nanyang Polytechnic held the “Foreign Language & Culture Day 2017” on 8 December 2017, and Ms Chihiro Ono, Third Secretary of Embassy of Japan in Singapore, enjoyed the diverse performances by the students. These ranged from German songs and violin performance, Japanese skit and dance, French songs and Korean songs and dance. The audience was also entertained by the quiz on foreign languages and cultures. During...(Click here to read more)

Mrs Yuko Shinoda, wife of H.E. Ambassador Kenji Shinoda, attended the International Choral Celebration for Peace in celebration of the Festival of Christmas at the Catholic Cathedral of the Good Shepherd on 10 December 2017. The Cathedral Choir of the Risen Christ gave a wonderful and mesmerising performance. The choir performed Christmas songs of different countries in their native languages, including a Christmas song from Japan...(Click here to read more)

Mr Koji Inoue, Director & President and Chief Executive Officer of NSK ASEAN and OCEANIA Pte Ltd, and his delegation officially presented a NSK Fidget Spinner to Japan Creative Centre (JCC), Embassy of Japan in Singapore on 11th December 2017. The NSK Fidget Spinner, which is displayed together with an explainer video and brochures, is capable of spinning on its own for at least 12 minutes, and is an example of Japan’s...(Click here to read more)

The Ikebana International Johor Bahru Chapter 235 was awarded the Foreign Minister's Commendations by H. E. Dr. Makio Miyagawa, Ambassador of Japan to Malaysia in Amari Hotel, Johor Bahru on 21 December 2017. Datin Ong Kid Ching, Immediate Past President of the Ikebana International JB, received the Certificate from the Ambassador. Ms Akiko Sugita, Director...(Click here to read more)

Professors of Tohoku University Global Learning Center visited JCC (Japan Creative Centre) and our exhibition on The Circle of Life on Saturday, 9 December. Led by Dr Yumiko Watanabe, JCC Deputy Director Mr Kazunori Matsunaga and Event Team Manager Mdm Keiko Soeda welcomed them and the professors learnt more about the functions and activities of JCC. They...(Click here to view more)

H.E. Ambassador Kenji Shinoda and Madam visited the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve yesterday (11 December), and learnt more about the site which serves as one of the wintering and resting points for migratory birds along the East Asia-Australasian Flyway stretching from Siberia, all the way to Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia. The Reserve was internationally recognised as an important site and plays an important...(Click here to read more)

Partaking of Decorative Mochi

Astronaut Kanai began his long-term stay at ISS

The Soyuz Spacecraft with Astronaut Norishige Kanai onboard lifted off at 10:36 a.m. on December 17 (Sun., Japan Standard Time,) and docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on December 19 (Tue.). After the hatch to the ISS opened at 7:54 p.m., His first long-term stay there has started. He will stay at the ISS for about six months as a crewmember of the Expedition 54/55, and will return to Earth in June on the Soyuz spacecraft (53S/MS-07)...(Click to read more)

Successful Launch, H-IIA Launch Vehicle No. 37 Encapsulating SHIKISAI and TSUBAME

The H-IIA Launch Vehicle No. 37 with the Global Changing Observation Mission - Climate "SHIKISAI" (GCOM-C) and the Super Low Altitude Test Satellite "TSUBAME" (SLATS) onboard lifted off at 10:26:22 a.m. on December 23, 2017 (Japan Standard Time) from the Tanegashima Space Center. The launch and flight of H-IIA F37 proceeded as planned. So did the separation of SHIKISAI and TSUBAME, which was confirmed respectively at approximately 16 minutes and 13 seconds and 1 hour and 47 minutes 59 seconds after liftoff...(Click to read more)

SHIKISAI and TSUBAME critical operation phase successfully completed! Initial function verification starts!

JAXA received telemetry data from SHIKISAI and TSUBAME, confirming that their satellite attitude control system had transitioned to the steady state. Current status of both satellites is stable. Subsequently, the following procedure occurred - power generation that supports the satellites’ operation by the deployed solar array wings, ground communications and sound attitude control that maintains those operations. Combined by the completion of the series of other operations, such as powering up of the bus and mission equipment, the satellites have entered the state...(Click to read more)

K computer is still at the top in Graph500 ranking

For the sixth consecutive time, Japan’s K computer has taken the top ranking on the Graph500 ranking, a relatively new benchmark, first issued in 2010, which seeks to gauge the ability of supercomputers on data-intensive loads rather than simple speed, with the goal of improving computing involving complex data problems in “big data” areas such as cybersecurity, medical informatics, data enrichment, social networks, symbolic networks, and modeling neuronal circuits in the brain. The top rank this time was won by a collaboration involving RIKEN, Kyushu University, Tokyo Institute...(Click to read more)

Monopole current offers way to control magnets

In work published in Physical Review Letters, scientists from RIKEN in Japan have discovered interesting new magnetic properties of a type of materials known as “quantum spin ice.” These materials demonstrate interesting properties as they behave as “frustrated magnets”—systems that can settle into various magnetic states because of their special geometry. One important property of these materials is that they have virtual monopoles—particles that are either north or south but not like typical magnets, which invariably have both a north and south pole confined together...(Click to read more)

What’s that smell? The advantage of sniffing

Breathe in through your nose, and chances are you will feel the air coming in and also smell something nearby. Researchers led by Takeshi Imai at the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology (CDB) have discovered how these sensations are kept separate and why sniffing can help identify odors, two problems that have puzzled scientists for years. Published in Neuron on December 6th, the study used a system in mice that systematically controls airflow and odor delivery to show that odors are coded by precise differences in the timing—or phase—of brain activity during each...(Click to read more)

Superradiance of an ensemble of nuclei excited by a free electron laser

A collaboration of scientists from five of the world’s most advanced x-ray sources in Europe, Japan and the US, has succeeded in verifying a basic prediction of the quantum-mechanical behavior of resonant systems. In the study published in Nature Physics, they were able to carefully follow, one x-ray at a time, the decay of nuclei in a perfect crystal after excitation with a flash of x-rays from the world’s strongest pulsed source, the SACLA x-ray free electron laser in Harima, Japan. They observed a dramatic reduction of the...(Click here to read more)

SAKURA Exchange Program in Science (SSP) by JST

Asia is undergoing a period of dramatic progress. Promoting science and technology is a key engine to materialize a bright future of Asia and it is vitally important to enhance the exchange of Japanese and Asian youths who will play a crucial role in the field of science and technology. Based on this concept, “Japan-Asia Youth Exchange Program in Science” (SAKURA Exchange Program in Science) is the program for enhancing exchanges between Asia and Japan of the youths who will play a crucial role in the future field of science and technology through the close collaboration of industry-academia-government by facilitating short-term visits of competent Asian youths to Japan. (Click here to read more: Website | High School Student Special Course Videos | Pamphlet)

Miraikan is a place where we can understand the things happening in our world today from a scientific point of view, and have discussions while considering the future that awaits us. In addition to exhibitions that provide people with a chance to enjoy hands-on contact with science and technology, Miraikan's colorful line-up of offerings includes experienced based classes, and talks. Visitors can experience the technological progress of today, from simple day-to-day questions, to the latest technologies, the global environment, space exploration and...(Click here to read more: Website | Video)

Since FY2015, Kyoto University has launched “Japan-ASEAN Science, Technology and Innovation Platform (JASTIP): Promotion of Sustainable Development Research” within the framework of the Collaboration Hubs for International Research Program (CHIRP) 2015 funded by the Strategic International Collaborative Research Program (SICORP) of Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST). This project promotes research that can be...(Click to read more)

Representatives of the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (IRDiRC) member institutions discussed their new 10-year goals on 10–11 November 2017, as the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) hosted the 6th IRDiRC Consortium Assembly meeting in Tokyo, Japan, for the first time in Asia...(Click to read more)

Naoki Morimoto, an associate professor of the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Kansai Medical University, and his colleagues have revealed the mechanism of regress of pigmented nevi. This study demonstrated that when the nevus cells are destroyed, melanins are degraded and nevi regress spontaneously. The findings of this study were published in “PLOS ONE” (a peer-reviewed open access scientific journal) at 4:00pm (EDT) on November 1st 2017. (Click to read more: English | Japanese)

Singapore A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research) with whom AMED signed the Memorandum of Cooperation is offering various scholarships such as:

"Student Guide to Japan" is an essential book for international students planning to study in Japan.

(Click to read more: English | Mandarin)

"Scholarships for International Students in Japan 2017-2018" contains details about scholarships provided by various organisations that have responded to a questionnaire survey carried out by JASSO. (Click here to read more)

Our new Student Advisor Ms Regina provides free student counselling for people interested in studying in Japan. The counselling will be held at the Embassy of Japan, 16 Nassim Road, Singapore 258390. No appointment is necessary. Please call 62358855 if you have any queries. There will be no counselling sessions on Embassy holidays. (Click here to read more)

Job Hunting Guide for International Students 2018 was released by Japan Student Service Organisation (JASSO). (Click here to read more)

Japan Student Service Organisation (JASSO) publishes Japan Alumni eNews every month. The contents are as follows:

1. Life in Japan by Photo
2. Alumni News
3. Academic News
4. Business News (Job Hunting)
5. Visit Japan
6. NIPPON Information
7. JASSO News
8. From the Editor

The Examination for Japanese University Admission for International Students (EJU) is used to evaluate whether international students who wish to study at the undergraduate level at universities or other such higher educational institutions in Japan possess the Japanese language skills and the basic academic abilities needed to study at those institutions. (Guidelines for the 2017 EJU | (Click here to read more))

JASSO holds Study in Japan Fairs outside Japan with participation of Japanese universities to provide information on study in Japan to high school students, university students and educators.

Target: High school students, university students and graduate students.
Exhibitors: Japanese universities
(Click here to read more)

Information related to application qualifications, major field of studies, medium of instruction and on-campus scholarships of Japanese graduate schools, universities and junior colleges is available for searching through Excel files posted online. (Click here to read more)

EDU-Port Japan is a public-private, nationwide initiative to proactively disseminate Japanese-style education overseas by providing a platform from which the public and private sectors collaborate in achieving this objective. The platform is supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and many other organizations including NGOs and private businesses.
(Click here to read more)