Japan Foundation translation support for 2027-28 closes 1 December

Publishers outside Japan can seek part-funding to translate and print books first written in Japanese, for release between April 2027 and February 2028.

The Japan Foundation is taking applications for its translation and publication support program for the 2027 financial year. Submissions close at 1pm Japan Standard Time on 1 December 2026.

Publishers based outside Japan can apply for partial funding to translate and publish fiction and non-fiction in the humanities and social sciences that was originally written in Japanese and is already published in Japan. Translated editions must appear between 1 April 2027 and 29 February 2028. E-books are eligible, and direct translation from Japanese is preferred.

Grants can cover part of the translator's fee and part of the printer's costs, such as paper, typesetting, printing and binding. Editing, rights, proofreading and other in-house costs are not covered, and reprints, periodicals, catalogues, dictionaries and projects funded elsewhere are excluded. Applicants need a signed rights contract and translator contract, plus a draft translation of about 30 pages of the original.

There is no fixed grant amount. In the 2026 round, 77 of 125 applications were funded, with an average grant of about ¥618,000. Priority goes to titles on the foundation's Worth Sharing list, books with broad appeal beyond academic readers, and authors not yet translated in the applicant's country.

Applications are made through the foundation's online portal, and results will be announced in late April 2027. Grants are paid after translation or publication is complete, once receipts are supplied.