Hitomi is standing outside the park entrance to the UWL building. She is wearing a cream silk shirt over a pink t-shirt and is holding a rucksack.
Hitomi is standing outside the park entrance to the UWL building. She is wearing a cream silk shirt over a pink t-shirt and is holding a rucksack.

PhD student, Hitomi Imamura, awarded prestigious Japanese Studentship

Hitomi Imamura, who is studying for a PhD in Education at the University of West London’s School of Human and Social Sciences, has been awarded a prestigious Sasakawa Japanese Studies Postgraduate Studentship in support of her work on “Do the financial disadvantages experienced by single-mother households in Japan negatively affect their children’s educational outcomes? An exploratory qualitative study”.  

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The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation promotes understanding and cooperation between the UK and Japan through financial support for activities in areas such as the arts, education, technology, and health. Its Japanese Studies Postgraduate Studentship programme supports the development of Japanese Studies and provides up to 30 postgraduate studentships annually, each worth £10,000. Awards are made to students attending Japanese Studies courses at some of the UK’s top universities.  

Hitomi, who previously studied the same research area for an MSc in Education, Power and Social Change at Birkbeck University says that the scholarship is not only a great honour, it also allows her to concentrate more on her research, without having to worry about her course fees.   

For a more mature student like me, this kind of opportunity would be rare in Japan,” she explains. “I am delighted that my age is not seen as a barrier to continuing professional development and this studentship is really inspiring for other Japanese people too.”  

Hitomi spent over 25 years working in Japanese state schools and believes that poverty has long been a problem, despite the perception that Japan is a rich and successful economy, with a high standard of living. The reality is that many people are forced to work long hours for low salaries and struggle to pay the bills.  

Everyone thinks that being a single mother is rare in Japan, but it is not unusual,” she says. “Since the pandemic, many single mothers have lost their jobs or seen their salaries reduced, and there is not enough government assistance. It is a very serious problem.”  

It is an important issue for the country going forward, she adds:

“Research is needed on how this is affecting children’s educational outcomes.”  

Hitomi is the first UWL student to be awarded a Sasakawa Studentship, and one of her supervisors, Dr Manzoorul Abedin, Associate Professor in Education says that she was very serious about taking up the challenge.

She demonstrated exemplary motivation,” he says.” Hitomi was up against Japanese students from bigger universities, but her proposal is very strong, and I am delighted to see her succeed.” 

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