The Asia Kakehashi Project is a Japanese government sponsored high school exchange administered by AFS Japan. It brings students aged 15 to 18 from 26 partner countries and regions to Japan for a semester at a public high school, generally from August to December.
The programme covers international and domestic round-trip airfare, dormitory or host family accommodation, school expenses, and health insurance in Japan. Vaccinations, visa travel costs, personal spending money, and excess baggage are the student's responsibility.
Applicants need some Japanese language ability and are selected on academic achievement, financial need, interest in Japanese language and culture, and leadership potential, with priority given to students from lower-income families. National AFS offices run the application and selection process in each eligible country.