How to Write a Research Plan (Kenkyū Keikakusho) for a Japanese Graduate School

A research plan (研究計画書, kenkyū keikakusho) is the document most Japanese graduate schools ask for to judge whether your project fits their lab. It usually sets out your research question, background, method, schedule and why you chose that professor, in a length the school specifies, often a few pages or a few thousand Japanese characters. Write it in clear, formal Japanese (である style), follow the school’s format exactly, and have a native speaker check it before you send it to a professor or submit it.

When you need one

• Applying to a master’s or doctoral programme taught in Japanese.
• Applying as a research student (研究生) before entering a degree programme.
• Applying for scholarships such as MEXT, which ask for a research plan alongside your application. See the MEXT scholarship interview.
• First contact with a prospective supervisor, who often wants to see a plan before agreeing to accept you.

English-taught programmes may accept a plan in English, but a Japanese version can still help if your supervisor or lab works mainly in Japanese.

A typical structure

1. 研究題目: the title of your research.
2. 研究背景: background and what previous research has found.
3. 研究目的: your research question and what you want to find out.
4. 研究方法: data, methods and resources you’ll use.
5. 研究計画・スケジュール: what you’ll do each semester or year.
6. 期待される成果: what the research will contribute.
7. 参考文献: references.

Some schools use their own form with set headings and a character limit. Always use theirs if they provide one.

Writing style

• Use plain formal style (である調), not です・ます, unless the school says otherwise.
• Keep sentences short and logical. Long, winding sentences are a common problem in translated plans.
• Use the standard Japanese terms in your field, not your own translations of English terms.
• Show you know the professor’s work and explain clearly why their lab is the right place.
• Count characters, not words. Japanese limits are usually given in characters (字).

For formal Japanese writing more generally, see writing reports in Japanese.

Contacting a professor first

At many Japanese universities, you’re expected to email a prospective supervisor before applying, introduce yourself, and attach your research plan and CV. Keep the email short and polite, and don’t send the same message to many professors in the same department. If you are accepted, a thank-you note is appreciated; see writing to a Japanese professor.

Common mistakes

• A topic too broad for two years of a master’s degree.
• No clear link between the plan and the professor’s research.
• Machine-translated text that reads unnaturally to an academic.
• Going over the character limit or ignoring the required headings.

How Hanabuddies can help

Send us your research plan in English or in your own Japanese draft. A native Japanese speaker will translate or proofread it into clear, natural academic Japanese, keeping your ideas and your field’s terms, and we can help with the email to your prospective professor. If you have an interview coming up, a tutor can practise it with you. See also studying abroad in Japan.