DAAD Regional Office Tokyo
Please find information on our current office hours as well as on our consulting service here.
The DAAD in Japan
Japanese-German academic exchange has a long history in Japan as has the work of the DAAD in Japan. The first Japanese scholarship holder was the famous artist Kaii Higashiyama, who studied in Berlin between 1933 and 1935.
The DAAD Regional Office in Tokyo was founded in 1978. Since then, our work is to provide information about study and research in Germany. Every year we support numerous Japanese exchange students and researchers in Germany with scholarships. The funding reaches from individual scholarships to the financial support of scientific projects, university cooperations and conferences.
We offer free consultation about studying in Germany for study beginners, graduates, doctoral students and for experienced academics. Whether you want to know about admission to German universities, the German scientific landscape or about university cooperation – we always try to provide you the information you need. Please use our contact form, if you have any questions!
DAAD Tokyo
Akasaka 7-5-56, Minato-ku
107-0052 Tokyo
Telephone: +81 (3) 3582-5962
Fax: +81 (3) 3582-5554
E-mail: daad-tokyodaadjp.com
Staff
Director of the DAAD Tokyo / DWIH Tokyo
E-Mail
Scan QR Code
… is the director of the Tokyo office of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the German Centre for Research and Innovation Tokyo (DWIH Tokyo). Previously, he worked at the DAAD Head Office in Bonn in the Strategy Department, where he led the development of the online data portal HSI-Monitor – Profile Data on University Internationality and conducted studies and analyses on student mobility and innovation performance of countries in the Asia Pacific, among other things. Axel Karpenstein is a political scientist and economist (MA, MPhil Columbia University) and has spent more than 20 years in Japan, including as an exchange student at Minami-Tama High School in Hachioji, as a MEXT/DAAD-funded exchange student at Kumamoto University, and as Associate Professor of Politics and Economics at Saitama University. There, his responsibilities also included managing the overseas internship program of the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences and co-managing the university’s internationalization project.
Head of Programs of the DWIH Tokyo / Deputy Director of the DAAD Tokyo
E-Mail
… is Deputy Director of the DAAD Office Tokyo and Head of Programs at the DWIH Tokyo (German Centre for Research and Innovation in Tokyo). She manages the centre’s day-to-day operations, closely stays in touch with the Advisory Board members and Japanese partners at place and develops the DWIHs event concepts.
She received her PhD at Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg and her thesis on the Japanese concept of “self-responsibility” was published in 2021 by the German Institute for Japanese Studies (DIJ). She completed a double degree program and holds an M.A. in Japanese Studies from Keio University Tokyo and Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg. She has extensive journalistic experience and worked at several broadcasting stations before joining the DAAD Tokyo in 2015 as Marketing Officer.
… advises Japanese students about studying in Germany by phone and in person during office hours. She is also in charge of compiling information material including flyers and brochures, that are distributed at the DAAD Regional Office Tokyo. If you have questions about studying or researching in Germany, please refer to the page Contact.
… is responsible for logistical tasks at the German Centre for Research and Innovation Tokyo (DWIH Tokyo).
… supervises the associations of former scholarship holders in Japan: DAAD Tomo no Kai and the Association of Humboldtians in East Japan.
… is responsible for online communications and public relations of DAAD Tokyo and DWIH Tokyo. She looks after the website, newsletter and social media.
… is the assistant at DAAD Japan, mainly in charge of scholarships for the Japanese university graduates as well as programs for VIP and researchers. She is pursuing her PhD in German literature at the University of Tokyo.
… administers the scholarship programme “Language and Practical Experience in Japan” for German graduate students and takes care of the Japanese DAAD alumni. He works closely with the alumni associations and organizes networking events.
…supports the scholarship programmes for undergraduates, graduates and young researchers from Germany. In addition, she assists in reporting and creating knowledge products on the Japanese higher education and research landscape, as well as with networking activities with Japanese partner organisations. She has a background in Japanese Studies and was previously a DAAD and MEXT scholarship recipient herself.
…is responsible for managing the funds of the DAAD and DWIH offices in Tokyo as well as for the general administration of both institutions starting in July 2025. He manages the accounts and ensures the smooth processing of payment transactions. He supports his colleagues in various projects for students, researchers and scientists.
… informs about the scholarships of DAAD Japan as well as programmes for VIP and researchers.
