Activities in an academic or cultural field have been presented by the Japan Foundation annually since 1973.
[1] In 1985, Eleanor Harz Jorden was the first woman to receive a Japan Foundation Award.
[2] In 2020, the award selection that continued for forty seven years was canceled for the first time due to COVID-19 pandemic.
But these awards are integrated into “The Japan Foundation Awards” in three categories: "Arts and Culture", "Japanese Language", and "Japanese Studies and Intellectual Exchange" from 2008.
From 1974 to 2007, Special Prizes have been conferred, supplementing the list of those recognized by the Foundation.