The UP Asian Center is now accepting paper submissions for Japanese Studies in the Philippines: The 8th Japanese Studies Research Development Competition. Undergraduate and graduate students currently enrolled in Philippine Universities may submit any topic related to Japanese Studies (except topics that focus solely on natural sciences, medical sciences, and engineering). The deadline for submissions is 21 December 2025, 5:00 PM, PHT.
ELIGIBILITY:
• Must be currently enrolled in a BA/BS or an MA/MS/Ph.D. program in a Philippine university.
• Must be between 18 and 30 years old as of January 2026.
• Must be able to participate in an oral presentation at a public forum at the UP Asian Center in March 2026.
FORMAT GUIDELINES:
• Must use size 12, Times New Roman font, 1.5-spacing, on A4-sized paper.
• Must use the latest APA citation style.
• Must be unpublished, and solo-authored.
• Must include an abstract (maximum of 300 words) with five (5) keywords.
• Must include the following sections: background of the study, research problem, review of related literature, methodology, findings and discussion, and conclusion.
• The length of the paper should be between 6,000 – 8,000 words, including references.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
1. Fill out the SUBMISSION FORM.
2. Follow the instructions for filenaming:
• The first PDF copy must be labelled as "Actual Copy" and include the title of the paper, your name and school. (e.g. Actual Copy - Japanese Soft Power and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics_Juan Cruz_UP Diliman)
• The second PDF copy must be labelled as "Review Copy" and include the short title of the paper, your name and school. [Review Copy - Title of Paper], e.g. “Review Copy - Japanese Soft Power and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics."
• To ensure a fair, blind review, the Review Copy must NOT indicate your name, school, program, etc.
3. Attach a Turnitin similarity report with your submission
4. Please follow the instructions to help ease the collecting/collating process. The organizers reserve the right to disqualify late, incomplete or improperly formatted applications.
5. The deadline for the submission of papers is 21 December 2025, 5:00 PM, PHT.
6. Participants will be notified of the results of the screening in January 2026.
COMPETITION PRIZES AND PUBLICATION OPPORTUNITY
• The most well-developed research papers will be judged as winners of the competition.
• The competition prizes will be announced soon.
• All finalists will have a chance to publish in the Asian Studies: Journal of Critical Perspectives on Asia.
ABOUT THE COMPETITION
The research competition is organized by the UP Asian Center and the Japan Foundation, Manila. It aims to encourage Japan-related research among Filipino students, disseminate knowledge, and exchange perspectives on Japanese Studies.
For inquiries, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 8 981 8500 local 3586.