Fully Funded Fujitsu Scholarship (GLIK Program): Your Gateway to Japan-Led Innovation Leadership

Choosing the right scholarship can be the decisive step that turns an international study dream into a concrete career plan. If you are a mid-career professional eager to sharpen your leadership vision in Japan while building a pan-Asian network, the Fujitsu Scholarship—delivered through the famed Japan-America Institute of Management Science (JAIMS)—is an opportunity few rivals can match. Fully funded and firmly rooted in Fujitsu’s corporate history of technological innovation, the award blends classroom theory, field immersion and cross-cultural networking. In the following guide we unpack the scholarship’s origin, mission, eligibility, benefits and post-program impact so that you can decide whether it aligns with your own road map toward a Japanese university, graduate school or corporate career.

From Vision to Reality: The Birth of the Fujitsu Scholarship

A 1972 Idea Takes Shape

JAIMS sprang to life in 1972 when Fujitsu Ltd. recognized that technology alone would not bridge East and West; it needed culturally fluent managers as well. The Honolulu campus was deliberately positioned at the crossroads of Asia and America, offering a safe “third space” in which Japanese executives could learn Anglo-American practices and vice-versa. Over five decades the institute welcomed 23,000 participants from 55 countries, becoming a quiet powerhouse in leadership development. In October 2024 that legacy was cemented through a ¥70 million endowment to the University of Hawai‘i’s College of Social Sciences (UH News, 2024).

From this fertile ground emerged the Fujitsu Asia Pacific Scholarship in 1985, initially designed to send promising professionals from 18 Asia-Pacific economies to Honolulu for an MBA-style experience. The program has since evolved—most notably in 2013—into the Global Leaders for Innovation and Knowledge (GLIK) course, a 3.5-month sprint through Japan, Hawai‘i, Singapore and Thailand. Its mission statement—“practical wisdom for the common good”—signals a fusion of rikkyo (ethical duty) and cutting-edge management science. Participants are challenged not only to master innovation frameworks but also to articulate how their ideas will improve society back home. For Fujitsu, the scholarship serves as both corporate social responsibility and a talent radar; many alumni later collaborate with the company on joint ventures or digital-transformation projects.

Most importantly for prospective Isami Dojo students, the scholarship demonstrates that global corporations have long recognised the strategic value of a Japan-anchored, yet outward-looking, education ecosystem—the very ecosystem our counselling services aim to help you navigate.

Who Can Apply: Eligibility, Deadlines & Selection

Academic & Professional Benchmarks

The award targets mid-career professionals who can already show a track record of impact. According to the official eligibility page, applicants must possess a four-year bachelor’s degree plus at least three years of full-time work experience (five years preferred). English proficiency is verified by TOEFL iBT 90, TOEIC 750 or IELTS 6.5. Japanese ability is tidak required—indeed roughly 70 % of recent cohorts report little or no prior Japanese study, making the scholarship attractive to first-time applicants to Japan.

• Four-year bachelor’s degree
• Minimum three years full-time work experience
• English proficiency (TOEFL iBT 90, TOEIC 750, IELTS 6.5)
• Citizenship in eligible Asia-Pacific economy or Hawai‘i residency

Timeline & Evaluation

Fujitsu typically runs two application windows per year. The April window feeds into an autumn cohort starting in late August, while the October window selects for a spring cohort beginning in late February. Short-listed candidates advance to an online interview panel featuring JAIMS faculty and Fujitsu executives. Interview questions revolve around leadership philosophy, cross-cultural readiness and the viability of the proposed capstone project. Final decisions are released 6–8 weeks after the deadline, leaving scholars three months to organise visas and hand-over duties at work.

Selection ratios hover around 10 %, so compelling storytelling is essential. Successful applicants frequently cite grassroots initiatives—running a rural micro-finance program in Vietnam, growing a green-tech start-up in India, or leading a diversity task force in Singapore—as evidence that their ideas can move from PowerPoint to reality.

What the Award Covers: Full Financial Support

Breakdown of Benefits

Kategori	Cakupan
Tuition & Academic Fees	100 % coverage of GLIK program fees (source)
Airfare	Round-trip ticket to Japan plus inter-campus flights (Japan ⇄ Hawai‘i ⇄ Singapore ⇄ Thailand)
Housing	Accommodation arranged and paid for in Japan, Thailand & Singapore; JAIMS assists with Honolulu housing
Living Stipend	Monthly allowance toward meals and local transport (≈ ¥100,000, adjusted by cost-of-living index)
Visa Support	Guidance on securing U.S. M-1 and Japanese short-stay visas; most fees reimbursed
Health Insurance	Basic accident & sickness coverage for the full duration of the program

A quick back-of-the-envelope calculation shows why the coverage is so generous: GLIK tuition alone is valued at roughly ¥1,500,000; add four international flights, and the total package comfortably exceeds ¥2,500,000—all of which Fujitsu absorbs. Scholars therefore enter the classroom focused on learning, not budgeting. Note that living stipends are intended to supplement, not fully replace, personal funds; bringing an additional ¥200,000-¥300,000 for leisure and weekend travel is advisable.

In return for this investment Fujitsu expects professionalism: scholars must complete every module, submit all assignments on time and participate in alumni activities for at least one year. Any serious misconduct can trigger scholarship termination—an important point for Isami Dojo mentees to keep in mind when planning workload balance.

Inside the Program: Four-Country Learning Journey

The full GLIK programme runs for approximately 14–15 weeks (≈ 3.5 months), beginning with orientation in Japan and ending with final presentations in Thailand. Because each module flows directly into the next, scholars must commit full-time; most working professionals negotiate a paid or unpaid sabbatical, while graduate students register the course as a study-abroad semester. The schedule does tidak align with typical university summer or winter vacations, so be sure to secure leave well in advance. See the official program overview for details.

Multi-Campus Modules

GLIK’s pedagogy is experiential. By physically relocating every few weeks, scholars witness how context shapes innovation strategies, regulation and consumer behaviour—a priceless lesson for anyone entering Japan’s regional markets.

1. Japan (Nagoya & Tokyo) – Two-week immersion in design thinking, Lean Startup and stakeholder mapping, capped by company visits to Fujitsu R&D labs.
2. Hawai‘i, U.S. – Six-week Honolulu module focusing on cross-cultural leadership, service innovation and indigenous sustainability practice, co-taught with University of Hawai‘i faculty.
3. Singapore – Ten-day intensive on digital transformation and government-tech collaboration, including policy round-tables at Singapore Management University.
4. Thailand – Field study in Chiang Mai and Bangkok on social-impact entrepreneurship, where teams shadow local SMEs tackling agriculture and healthcare challenges.

Capstone & Assessment

Across all four sites, faculty facilitate iterative design sprints using Stanford d.school frameworks. Each scholar refines a Capstone Project—essentially a social-innovation prototype—to be presented to a jury of industry mentors. Evaluation weights are 40 % project viability, 30 % teamwork and 30 % reflection essays. Winners receive the Best Project Award and an invitation to pitch at Fujitsu’s Tokyo headquarters—a springboard for post-program funding opportunities (Program Overview).

Faculty & Learning Style

The teaching roster features professors from Waseda, University of Hawai‘i, SMU and Chiang Mai University, alongside Fujitsu engineers who translate cutting-edge R&D into classroom case studies. Expect Socratic dialogue instead of rote lectures; one afternoon might involve prototyping IoT devices with cardboard sensors, while the next morning sees you debating stakeholder capitalism with peers from ten different time zones.

Life after JAIMS: Global Network & Career Impact

Join 23,000 + Alumni

Graduation is less a finale and more a passport into the Fujitsu-JAIMS Alumni Association. Members gain lifetime access to quarterly webinars, country chapters and an internal job board that lists roles at Fujitsu and its 400-plus partner firms. Data from recent cohorts indicate that 88 % of scholars accept new leadership posts within 12 months, with average salary bumps of 25 %.

Case in point: Ayu, an Indonesian industrial engineer, leveraged her capstone on circular-economy recycling into a ¥100 million grant from an Osaka venture fund. Raj, a software architect from India, now heads Fujitsu’s AI ethics office in Bangalore. These trajectories illustrate the scholarship’s multiplier effect: skills acquired in Japan reverberate across the Asia-Pacific, creating a ripple of innovation leadership.

Whether your ambition is to enter a Japanese graduate program, lead corporate transformation or launch a multinational start-up, the Fujitsu Scholarship delivers the cross-cultural fluency, design tool-kit and high-trust network required to turn bold ideas into reality.