METI Government of Japan Internship Program for Foreigners—Fully Funded 2024

The Japanese Government has announced applications are now being accepted from highly skilled foreigners from developing countries who wish to work in Japan for its Ministry of Energy, Trade and Investment (METI) Internship Program. The internship will be conducted in two ways: face-to-face courses in Japan and online courses. The face-to-face course will run for six weeks, while the online course will run for four weeks.

Japanese companies believe that employing highly skilled foreign professionals can enhance their competitiveness and promote overseas business expansion and innovation from a fresh perspective.

Despite an increase in the number of Japanese companies aiming to recruit global talent in recent years, especially among Small and Medium-Sized enterprises, they still face challenges due to a lack of experience in working with international talent and limited networks.

To address this, the “METI Japan Internship Program” aims to strengthen the framework for supporting Japanese companies, particularly Small and Medium-Sized ones, in their overseas development efforts by welcoming global talent.

Through these internships, we offer opportunities for global talent interested in working for Japanese companies to gain an understanding of job roles in Japan. Moreover, this year’s internship program intends to provide ongoing support for interns even after the internship ends, including assistance in securing employment and offering Japanese language training for interns who receive job offers from host companies.

Study Programme: Internship Program

Eligible Countries: All Developing Countries on the OECD/DAC list

Country Host: Japan

Scholarship Reward: Fully Funded, stipend

Eligibility Criteria for the Internship

Applicants must meet all the following:

• Foreign professionals with advanced skills who are nationals of developing countries (countries on the OECD/DAC list, excluding the People’s Republic of China)
• The applicants must agree with the purpose of this project and be able to cooperate with the promotion of globalization of Japanese companies, the expansion of overseas business of companies and the building networks with overseas universities through internships.
• Holding citizenship of the applicable countries or regions.
• Proficiency in Japanese language (JLPT level N3 or higher) or proficiency in English.
• In principle, those who are 18 to 40 years old as of August 1, 2024.
• Students must be able to submit a certificate of enrollment from their university or other institution and a letter of recommendation from their university or university faculty, etc.
• Graduates must be able to submit a certificate of graduation from their previous university and a letter of recommendation from their university faculty or institution, etc.
• Those who can submit certificates of various qualifications (IELTS, TOEIC, TOEFL, CEFR, JLPT, etc.)
• Those who can dedicate themselves exclusively to the training and internship at the company; and who can participate in the internship according to the timetable specified by the program office (JIP office).
• The applicant must meet other specific conditions required by each company.
• Those who have not participated in this program between FY2016 and FY2023.

Benefits of the Internship

• Pre-training for interns (Training will cover explanations of the business overview, the process of participating in the internship, precautions and key points regarding the internship, as well as information about work eligibility in Japan.)
• Assistance in obtaining a visa to enter Japan
• Arrangement of round-trip airline tickets
• Arrangement of accommodation
• Provision of necessary personal computers for the internship (for in-person internships, provided by the host company; for online internships, generally provided by the program office upon separate consultation).
• Activity support funds based on the internship duration (In-person internships, 3,000 yen per day; online internships, the equivalent of 1,000 yen per day in local currency).
• Internship insurance

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Expectations and Responsibilities

1. Develop an internship plan (intern’s role, goal, etc.) through discussions with the internship manager
2. Participate in pre-training, follow-up training, and a wrap-up presentation
3. Ensure personal safety and health management by taking responsibility for tasks such as regularly contacting, reporting to, and consulting with the program office and host company
4. Submit various documents, notifications, reports, etc., before, during, and after the internship
5. Participate in Japanese language classes whenever possible if offered a permanent position at the internship host company
6. Exhibit appropriate behaviour as a participant in a project funded by public funds from the Japanese government

Application Process

For further information about the internship and to apply, please CLICK HERE to visit the official website

Application Status: Closed