About the UCL-Japan Youth Challenge

UCL-Japan Youth Challenge at a glance

Since 2015, we welcomed hundreds of participants from the UK and Japan

What is the UCL-Japan Youth Challenge?

The UCL-Japan Youth Challenge is an annual summer school programme for pre-university students from UK sixth form colleges and Japanese high schools for cultural interaction through various educational activities and events held at UCL (University College London) and the University of Cambridge.

Since 2015, we have welcomed hundreds of participants from the UK and Japan. We celebrated our 10th anniversary in 2025.

Locations

The UCL-Japan Youth Challenge prides itself on the uniqueness of the programme being held in three locations in England.

On campus summer school programme in the UK

UK-based participants

If you go to school or college located in the UK, you will be a ‘UK-based participant’.

All UK-based participants participate in the UCL-Japan Youth Challenge individually.

All participants must attend Day 1 at Rikkyo School in England and Days 4–8 at UCL.

Accommodation is optional throughout the programme.

We offer our accommodation options at Rikkyo School in England (1 night) and the University of Cambridge (2 nights) (3 nights in total), UCL (University of London) only (5 nights), and all locations (8 nights in total).

Participants from Japanese high schools

Participants from Japanese high schools participate in the UCL-Japan Youth Challenge with their school teacher/leader, forming school groups.

Each school group has approximately three participants plus one teacher/leader.

All participants and teachers/leaders from Japanese high schools arrive prior to the first day (Day 1) and stay at our accommodation throughout the programme.

Long-lasting relations between UCL & Japan

Over 160 years ago, two groups of Japanese students came to UCL: the Choshu Five from Choshu (Chōshū-han, the Choshu Domain, current Yamaguchi Prefecture) in 1863 and the Satsuma 19 from Satsuma (Satsuma-han, the Satsuma Domain, current Kagoshima Prefecture and part of the southwest Miyazaki Prefecture) in 1865.

Upon return, they played leading roles in modernising Japan.

Satsuma 19

Logo created by Mr Kamari Maeda

The logo of the UCL-Japan Youth Challenge was created by Japanese calligraphy artist Mr Kamari Maeda, as part of the UCL-Japan Youth Challenge 2018.

Name order

The UCL-Japan Youth Challenge adopts the order First name(s), Surname, commonly known as the Western name order.

On the Japanese webpages, we use the order Surname, First name(s), commonly known as the Eastern name order, for Japanese names where we think appropriate. Otherwise the Western name order is used to avoid any confusion.

Dr Anawat Suppasri, Arisa Shimada, Ayato Yamazaki, Prof Daisuke Kawata, Emiko Asagoshi, Prof Hidekazu Kurebayashi, Hideyuki Miyahara, Kaito Mizukoshi, Kentaro Kimura, Kyokuyo Takemoto, Makoto Yoshida, Manaka Abe, Dr Masako Shimato, Masao Asai, Dr Masashi Matsunaga, Dr Masazumi Tada, Dr Miwako Kitamura, Dr Moe Kishima, Moeno Sugiyama, Nanako Takaba, Dr Nozomi Sakata, Risa Hanai, Seitaro Taketani, Sumire Kaimori, Wataru Tage, Dr Yasu Takeuchi, Dr Yoshiyuki Yamamoto, Yu Hosomi, Yuta Nagano

In collaboration with Shimizu Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric Building Solutions Corporation, The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, Japan Association in the UK, Biospire, Fukushima Prefecture, Fukushima-15 Project, Kagoshima Prefecture, NH Foods UK, Wagashi Limited, UCC Europe Limited, the rice factory LONDON, Mitoco Kawachi Corporation, The Japanese Women’s Association in Great Britain, Clearspring, Yamaguchi University, Educational Research Foundation, the Embassy of Japan in the UK, the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) London & UCL Grand Challenges (in 2026)

In collaboration with Shimizu Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric Building Solutions Corporation, The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, Japan Association in the UK, Biospire, Fukushima Prefecture, Fukushima-15 Project, Kagoshima Prefecture, Mitoco Kawachi Corporation, The Japanese Women’s Association in Great Britain, Clearspring, Educational Research Foundation, the Embassy of Japan in the UK, the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) London & UCL Grand Challenges (in 2025)