AOTS Japan

The Association for Overseas Technical Scholarship (AOTS) was established in 1959 with the support of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (which is the present Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry: METI) as the first technical cooperation organization on a private basis in Japan. Its main purpose is to promote international economic cooperation and enhance mutual economic development and friendly relations between those countries and Japan. The main activities of AOTS are as follows:

(1)    Training of engineers and managers from developing countries in Japan.

(2)     Training of engineers and managers in overseas countries.

At present, AOTS programs receive more than 5,000 trainees in Japan. For the overseas training programs as well as distance training programs, AOTS offers training to more than 14,000 people annually. The total number of returned trainees amounts to almost 122,000. These people are actively engaged in the industrial development of their respective nations. The returned trainees have voluntarily formed Alumni Societies in many countries. These Alumni Societies have organized the World Network of Friendship, through which trainee exchange programs are being undertaken.

For accommodation in Japan, AOTS has four Kenshu Centers, located in Tokyo, Yokohama, Kansai (in Osaka), and Chubu (in Aichi) which can accommodate up to 1,000 trainees in total so as to be able to deal with the further expansion of AOTS activities.