Overview

We primarily handled PR for “Tobitate! Study Abroad JAPAN,” MEXT’s first public-private collaborative study-abroad promotion campaign, launched with the goal of doubling the number of students studying abroad by 2020. The “Japan Representative Program,” a core initiative of “Tobitate! Study Abroad JAPAN,” is a study-abroad support scheme funded entirely by private donations. More than ¥11.6 billion has been raised from approximately 230 private-sector companies, providing support through non-repayable scholarships. Participants can freely set the duration and theme of their study abroad, with seven diverse courses available across more than 100 destination countries. Through a wide range of study-abroad experiences beyond classroom learning, the program aims to develop talent needed by society—particularly industry—and capable of thriving globally. To date, more than 6,000 students have been selected and have studied abroad in approximately 100 countries.

URL: https://www.tobitate.mext.go.jp/index.html

Activities

In addition to PR activities, we worked with various specialist partners to oversee overall communications, including production of the website and printed materials such as flyers and posters, advertising deployment, and the planning and operation of briefing sessions and events. We also launched the social club activity “#Sekaibu” as an initiative to encourage inward-looking high school students to look outward by sharing overseas information from a peer perspective on social media. In addition, we produced documentary videos closely following high school students before and after their study abroad to capture their growth. Through these and other approaches, we contributed to deepening understanding of studying abroad and building momentum.