EJU Japan and the World: Syllabus & Study Tips

2026/11/12

If you plan to study law, economics, business, literature or another humanities or social science subject at a Japanese university, there is a good chance your target faculty will ask for the EJU subject called Japan and the World (総合科目, sōgō kamoku). It is an 80-minute, multiple-choice test scored from 0 to 200 that covers politics, economics, society, geography and modern history.

Many students search for this subject and find only scattered information: an old syllabus, a few sample questions, and forum posts that contradict each other. JASSO also revised the syllabus from the June 2026 session, so some study guides online are already out of date.

This guide walks you through the questions most applicants ask, in the order they usually ask them. First, do you actually need this subject? Second, what exactly is tested? Third, should you take it in English or Japanese? Fourth, which materials are reliable? And finally, how do you build a realistic study plan alongside your Japanese and mathematics preparation? All exam facts below are based on JASSO’s official information as of November 2026.

What Is EJU Japan and the World? Which Universities and Faculties Require It

Japan and the World is the EJU’s liberal-arts subject for international students applying to undergraduate programs. According to JASSO, it measures the basic knowledge of contemporary Japan and the world needed for university study, along with the ability to think logically about issues in modern international society.

Japan and the World at a Glance

Item	Details
Official name	Japan and the World / 総合科目 Sōgō Kamoku
Administered by	Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO) / 日本学生支援機構 Nihon Gakusei Shien Kikō
Test time	80 minutes
Score range	0–200 (scaled score, not raw points)
Format	Multiple choice (mark sheet)
Test language	Japanese or English, chosen when you apply
Sessions	Twice a year, June (1st session) and November (2nd session)
Current syllabus	Revised syllabus applied from the 2026 1st session (June 2026)

How Japan and the World Fits Into the EJU

The EJU is not one fixed exam. You choose the subject tests your target universities require. The table below shows the four subjects and which language each can be taken in.

Subject	Time	Score	Language options
Japanese as a Foreign Language / 日本語 Nihongo	125 min	0–400 (reading, listening) + 0–50 (writing)	Japanese only
Science / 理科 Rika (choose 2 of physics, chemistry, biology)	80 min	0–200	Japanese or English
Japan and the World / 総合科目 Sōgō Kamoku	80 min	0–200	Japanese or English
Mathematics / 数学 Sūgaku (Course 1 or Course 2)	80 min	0–200	Japanese or English

Two rules matter most for humanities applicants. First, the Japanese as a Foreign Language test is always in Japanese, even if you take every other subject in English. Second, you cannot take Science and Japan and the World in the same session, so you need to decide which track you are on before you apply.

Is the EJU Required for Every University in Japan?

No. The EJU is widely used, but it is not a universal requirement. As of October 2026, JASSO lists 508 universities (77 national, 61 public and 370 private) that use EJU scores in admissions, plus junior colleges, professional training colleges and other schools. Some universities and programs, especially English-taught degree programs and some private universities, do not require the EJU at all and assess applicants with their own exams, documents, interviews, or English test scores.

In other words, whether you need the EJU, and which subjects, depends entirely on the university and faculty you apply to.

Which Faculties Usually Require Japan and the World?

Japan and the World is typically required or accepted by humanities and social science faculties. Science and engineering faculties usually ask for Science instead. The combinations below are common patterns, not fixed rules.

Target field	Common EJU subject combination
Law / 法学部 Hōgakubu	Japanese + Japan and the World (+ Mathematics Course 1 at some schools)
Economics, Business / 経済学部 Keizai Gakubu, 経営学部 Keiei Gakubu	Japanese + Japan and the World + Mathematics Course 1
Literature, Humanities / 文学部 Bungakubu	Japanese + Japan and the World (math often not required)
Education, Sociology, International Studies	Japanese + Japan and the World (math varies)
Science, Engineering, Medicine / 理工系 Rikōkei	Japanese + Science + Mathematics Course 2 (Japan and the World not used)

Real requirements can differ even inside one university. For example, Tokyo Metropolitan University’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences has listed Japanese, Japan and the World and Mathematics, taken in Japanese. Hokkaido University’s School of Humanities and Human Sciences has listed a minimum combined score for Japan and the World plus Mathematics, and accepts either English or Japanese as the test language.

Always Check Each University’s Admission Guidelines

Every university sets its own rules, and they change from year to year. Before you register for the EJU, confirm the following in the official admission guidelines (募集要項 boshū yōkō) of each school on your list:

• which EJU subjects are required, and whether Japan and the World is required, optional or not used
• whether you must take the subjects in Japanese, or whether English is accepted
• which EJU sessions are accepted (for example, only the June and November sessions of a specific year)
• whether there is a separate entrance exam, essay, interview, or English test (TOEFL, IELTS) in addition to the EJU

Many national universities combine EJU scores with their own second-stage screening, so a strong EJU score is often necessary but not sufficient. For a full overview of the EJU itself, see our [internal link: EJU complete guide].

Syllabus: Politics, Economy, Society, Geography and History

The official syllabus is the single most important study document for this subject. JASSO states that there are no official textbooks for the EJU and recommends using the syllabus as your reference, so treat it as a checklist rather than a reading list.

How the 2026 Syllabus Is Structured

From the June 2026 session, questions are organized into three main categories:

Category	Japanese name	Sub-areas
I. Politics, Economy, Society	政治・経済・社会 Seiji・Keizai・Shakai	Contemporary Politics, The Modern Economy, Contemporary Society
II. Geography	地理 Chiri	Geographic thinking and contemporary issues, Regions of the modern world
III. History	歴史 Rekishi	Modernization, the two world wars, the post-Cold War world

JASSO does not publish an official percentage for each category. In practice, Politics, Economy and Society is the broadest of the three, so most students give it the largest share of their study time, while still covering geography and history thoroughly.

What Changed in the 2026 Revision?

JASSO revised the syllabus to reflect Japan’s new high school curriculum guidelines, and the new version applies to questions from the 2026 1st session onward. The overall shape is familiar (politics, economics, geography and history), but the revised syllabus explicitly lists several modern topics, such as geographic information systems (GIS), disaster prevention, media literacy, consumer protection and achieving a sustainable society.

The practical takeaway: if you use older textbooks or question collections, check every chapter against the 2026 syllabus. Older material is still useful for core knowledge, but it may skip topics that are now named explicitly.

Contemporary Politics

This area tests how democratic government works, with a strong focus on Japan’s own political system and Japan’s place in international politics.

Sub-area	What to study	Key terms (Japanese)
Democratic government	Principles of democracy, political systems around the world	民主政治 minshu seiji, 三権分立 sanken bunritsu
Japan’s system of government	The Diet, the Cabinet, the courts	国会 Kokkai, 内閣 Naikaku, 裁判所 saibansho
The Constitution of Japan	Constitutional principles, fundamental and new human rights	日本国憲法 Nihonkoku Kenpō, 基本的人権 kihonteki jinken
Political participation	Elections, political parties, local autonomy	選挙 senkyo, 政党 seitō, 地方自治 chihō jichi
International politics	The UN, regional conflicts, territorial issues, refugees, nuclear disarmament, Japan’s foreign and security policy, international law	国際連合 Kokusai Rengō, 難民 nanmin, 核軍縮 kaku gunshuku

The Modern Economy

Economics is the largest single block of the syllabus, and it often appears with graphs and statistics. You do not need advanced mathematics, but you must understand concepts precisely.

Sub-area	What to study	Key terms (Japanese)
Economic systems and theory	How economic activity is coordinated, development of capitalism	資本主義 shihon shugi
Market economy	Supply and demand, market efficiency, market failure	市場の失敗 shijō no shippai
Economic agents	Households, firms, government	家計 kakei, 企業 kigyō, 政府 seifu
National economy	National accounts (SNA), growth, price level, nominal vs real, stock vs flow	国内総生産 kokunai sōseisan, 名目 meimoku, 実質 jisshitsu
Finance	Role of finance, central banking, monetary policy	中央銀行 chūō ginkō, 金融政策 kin’yū seisaku
Public finance	Fiscal policy, government revenue and spending	財政政策 zaisei seisaku, 歳入 sainyū, 歳出 saishutsu
Social security	Aging and low birth rates, social security systems	少子高齢化 shōshi kōreika, 社会保障 shakai hoshō
Japan’s economic history	Postwar reforms, rapid growth era, today’s economy	高度経済成長 kōdo keizai seichō
Japan’s industries	Industrial structure, food and agriculture, small and medium-sized firms	中小企業 chūshō kigyō
International economy	Exchange rates, trade, balance of payments, regional integration, North-South problem, globalization	為替 kawase, 国際収支 kokusai shūshi, 南北問題 nanboku mondai

Contemporary Society

This area covers cross-disciplinary social issues. Questions here often connect to current events, so reading reliable news about Japan and the world pays off.

Sub-area	What to study	Key terms (Japanese)
Environment and resources	Pollution, global environmental issues, energy	公害 kōgai, 地球環境問題 chikyū kankyō mondai
Private law and contracts	Consumer issues, consumer protection	契約 keiyaku, 消費者保護 shōhisha hogo
Employment and labor	Labor rights, working conditions	労働基本権 rōdō kihonken
Science and information technology	ICT, media literacy, biotechnology	情報通信技術 jōhō tsūshin gijutsu
International society and peace	Human rights, ethnic issues, poverty, sustainable society, international cooperation	持続可能な社会 jizoku kanō na shakai

Geography

Geography questions combine knowledge with skills. You will be asked to read maps, climate graphs and statistical tables, not just recall facts.

Sub-area	What to study	Key terms (Japanese)
Geographic skills	Globes and maps, distance and direction, time zones and time differences, GIS	時差 jisa, 地理情報システム chiri jōhō shisutemu
Physical geography	Climate, landforms, vegetation and soil	気候 kikō, 地形 chikei
Human geography	Lifestyles, cultures, religions, resources, industry, population, cities, transport	人口 jinkō, 都市 toshi
Japan and global issues	Japan’s land and environment, disaster prevention, global issues	防災 bōsai
Regional geography	Basic features of the world’s regions	地誌 chishi

History

History focuses on the modern and contemporary world, roughly from the Industrial Revolution to today. Ancient and medieval history is not the focus.

Period	What to study	Key terms (Japanese)
Modernization and its impact	Industrial Revolution, American Independence, French Revolution, Congress of Vienna, imperialism, Japan in a changing Asia	産業革命 sangyō kakumei, 帝国主義 teikoku shugi
The two world wars	World War I, Russian Revolution, Versailles system, Great Depression, World War II, postwar order, decolonization, Cold War, oil crises	世界恐慌 sekai kyōkō, 冷戦 reisen, 石油危機 sekiyu kiki
The post-Cold War world	Globalization and its effects, ethnic and regional conflicts	グローバル化 gurōbaru-ka

Skills Tested Across All Areas

Japan and the World is not a pure memorization test. JASSO describes it as measuring thinking and logical abilities, and many questions ask you to interpret a chart, a map, a short passage or a set of statistics, then choose the statement that is correct. Three skills appear again and again:

• reading graphs and tables accurately (trends, ratios, nominal vs real figures)
• linking cause and effect across areas (for example, how an oil crisis affects trade, prices and industrial structure)
• applying concepts to Japan specifically (Japan’s constitution, economy, population and industries are central throughout)

Key Points for Taking Japan and the World in English

Yes, you can take Japan and the World in English. JASSO offers the Science, Japan and the World and Mathematics tests in either Japanese or English. The Japanese as a Foreign Language test is the exception: it is only offered in Japanese.

How the Language Choice Works

You choose your test language on the application form, not on the exam day. JASSO prints separate Japanese and English question booklets, so you cannot switch languages in the exam room or mix languages within a booklet. Decide based on your target universities’ requirements before you apply.

Check Whether Your Target University Accepts English

This is the step many students skip. Some faculties accept Japan and the World scores in either language, while others require you to take the basic academic subjects in Japanese. As noted earlier, two humanities faculties at different public and national universities can have opposite rules. If even one school on your list requires Japanese, you may need to take the test in Japanese for that session.

English or Japanese: Which Should You Choose?

Factor	Taking it in English	Taking it in Japanese
Reading speed	Faster for most students with strong English	Slower unless your Japanese is advanced (around JLPT N1 level)
University acceptance	Accepted by some faculties only	Accepted by all faculties that use the subject
Study materials	Fewer EJU-specific materials in English	Most question collections and prep books are in Japanese
University readiness	Little practice with academic Japanese terms	Builds the vocabulary you will use in Japanese-taught classes
Best for	Students applying to schools that accept English, or with limited time	Students aiming for Japanese-taught programs at competitive schools

JASSO reports scores on a common scale rather than as raw points, so base your choice on two things: which language lets you show your real knowledge, and which language your universities accept.

Learn the Key Japanese Terms Even If You Test in English

If you enter a Japanese-taught humanities program, your lectures on law, economics or history will be in Japanese. Learning terms such as 国会 Kokkai (the Diet), 財政政策 zaisei seisaku (fiscal policy) or 少子高齢化 shōshi kōreika (aging society with fewer children) now saves you a lot of work later. A simple approach is to keep a three-column notebook: English term, Japanese term, and reading in romaji or hiragana.

Expect Japan-Centered Content in Either Language

The English version still asks about Japan’s constitution, Japan’s political institutions, Japan’s postwar economy and Japan’s geography. General world-history or economics knowledge from your home country helps, but it does not replace Japan-specific study. Many students lose points not on difficult concepts but on Japanese institutions they never studied.

Do Not Underestimate the Japanese Language Test

Even if you take Japan and the World in English, almost every humanities faculty that uses the EJU also requires Japanese as a Foreign Language, and many weigh it heavily. Reading long academic passages and understanding lectures in Japanese is usually the biggest hurdle for humanities applicants. For a detailed breakdown, see our [internal link: EJU Japanese as a Foreign Language guide].

If Japanese is your weak point, Nihongo Online School offers online Japanese lessons that you can use to build reading, listening and academic vocabulary for the EJU. Please note that our lessons focus on the Japanese language; we do not currently offer dedicated lessons for Japan and the World, Mathematics or Science.

Official Past Papers and Study Materials

The most reliable materials are the ones JASSO publishes itself: the syllabus, the free sample past questions on its website, and the official question booklets. Build your preparation on these first, then add textbooks and question collections.

Free Past Questions on the JASSO Website

JASSO posts selected past exam questions online. For Japan and the World, full sets are available for sessions up to the 2018 1st session; for several later sessions, JASSO lists the Japanese and Japan and the World sections as still in preparation. These questions are a free and accurate way to see the real question style, the length of passages and the kinds of charts used. Note that they are JASSO’s copyrighted works, so use them for personal study only.

Official EJU Question Booklets

JASSO’s official past-exam booklets are published by Bonjinsha. Since the 2024 EJU, a booklet is published once a year covering that year’s exams.

Edition	Price (tax incl.)	Where to get it
2025 EJU (with listening CD) / 2025年度 日本留学試験 試験問題 2025-nendo Nihon Ryūgaku Shiken Shiken Mondai	¥2,420	Major bookstores in Japan; publisher: Bonjinsha
2024 EJU (with listening CD) / 2024年度 日本留学試験 試験問題 2024-nendo Nihon Ryūgaku Shiken Shiken Mondai	¥2,420	Major bookstores in Japan; publisher: Bonjinsha
2023 and earlier (one booklet per session)	¥1,980	Check stock with the publisher; many pre-2016 editions are out of print

If you live outside Japan, JASSO says you can browse the booklets at Study in Japan Resource Facilities, at EJU Overseas Representatives, and at JASSO’s overseas offices in Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia.

Using Past Papers With the 2026 Syllabus

Every past booklet available today was written under the syllabus used before the 2026 revision. That does not make them useless: the core of politics, economics, geography and modern history has not changed. But when a question touches a topic, compare it with the 2026 syllabus, and add extra study for topics the new syllabus names explicitly, such as GIS, disaster prevention, media literacy and consumer protection.

Other Useful Study Materials

Because there is no official textbook, most successful students combine a few material types. The table below shows what each one is good for.

Material	Use it for	Tip
Japanese high school textbooks: 公共 Kōkyō (public affairs), 政治・経済 Seiji Keizai, 地理総合 Chiri Sōgō, 歴史総合 Rekishi Sōgō	Core knowledge that matches the new curriculum the 2026 syllabus is based on	Read the chapters listed in the syllabus, not the whole book
Atlas / 地図帳 chizuchō	Locations, climate zones, regional geography	Look up every country or region that appears in practice questions
Statistics data book / 統計資料集 tōkei shiryōshū	Graph and table questions on population, industry, trade and energy	Focus on Japan’s figures and long-term trends, not exact numbers
EJU question collections from Japanese language schools and publishers	Extra practice in the real format	Check the publication date and whether it reflects the 2026 syllabus
Reliable news about Japan (for example NHK WORLD-JAPAN)	Current issues in politics, the economy and society	Connect each news story to a syllabus topic in your notes

For English-language test takers, the English version of the JASSO syllabus is the best starting point. Pair it with an English-language economics or world history overview, and add Japanese institutions from Japan-focused sources.

Preparing for Mathematics Course 1 as well? See our [internal link: EJU Mathematics guide] for the syllabus and study tips.

Study Plan for Humanities and Social Science Applicants

A realistic plan for most humanities applicants is about six months of steady work on Japan and the World, run in parallel with Japanese and, if required, Mathematics Course 1. The steps below assume you study part-time alongside school, work or a language course.

Step 1: Confirm Your Requirements and Target Session

Start from your university list, not from the textbook. For each school, write down the required EJU subjects, the accepted test language, the accepted sessions, and any separate exams. Then pick your target session. JASSO holds the EJU in June and November; for 2026, applications for the June session ran from February 16 to March 12, and for the November session from July 6 to July 30. Check the official schedule for the next year’s dates, because the application window closes about three months before the exam.

Step 2: Diagnose Your Starting Point

Take one JASSO past paper under real conditions: 80 minutes, no notes, in the language you plan to use. Score it and sort your mistakes into three groups: knowledge gaps (you did not know the fact), reading problems (you misunderstood the question or ran out of time), and data problems (you misread a chart or table). This tells you where your study hours will pay off most.

Step 3: Balance Japanese, Japan and the World and Mathematics

For most humanities applicants, Japanese as a Foreign Language has the largest score range and the biggest effect on both the EJU and university life. A common split of weekly study time looks like this:

Phase	Japanese / 日本語 Nihongo	Japan and the World / 総合科目 Sōgō Kamoku	Mathematics / 数学 Sūgaku (if required)
Months 1–2 (foundation)	About 50%	About 30%	About 20%
Months 3–4 (building)	About 40%	About 35%	About 25%
Months 5–6 (exam practice)	About 40%	About 35%	About 25%

Adjust the ratio to your diagnosis. A student who already reads Japanese at an advanced level can shift more time to Japan and the World; a student testing in English but with weak Japanese should do the opposite.

A 6-Month Study Plan for Japan and the World

Period	Focus	Main tasks
Month 1	Map the syllabus	Turn the 2026 syllabus into a checklist; read overviews of Japan’s political system and the Constitution of Japan
Month 2	Economics foundations	Markets, national accounts, money and finance, public finance; practice reading economic graphs
Month 3	Geography	Maps, time differences, climate and landforms, population and industry; learn to read statistical tables
Month 4	Modern history	Industrial Revolution to the post-Cold War world; build one timeline linking world events and Japan
Month 5	Contemporary society and review	Environment, labor, consumer issues, ICT, international cooperation; first full review of weak topics
Month 6	Exam practice	One timed past paper per week; review every wrong answer against the syllabus; follow current news

If You Have Only Three Months

Compress the plan by studying two areas in parallel, for example economics with geography in month one, and politics with history in month two. Use month three entirely for timed past papers and weak-point review. Prioritize Japan-specific topics (government, constitution, postwar economy, population and social security), because they appear across many questions.

Study Techniques That Work for This Subject

Three habits make the biggest difference. First, study with charts open: whenever you learn a concept, look at a real graph of it, such as Japan’s population pyramid or a supply and demand curve. Second, connect topics across areas, for instance linking the oil crises (history) with energy policy (society) and Japan’s industrial shift (economy). Third, explain each syllabus item aloud in two or three sentences; if you cannot, you have not learned it yet.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

The most common mistake is studying from an old guide without checking it against the 2026 syllabus. The second is spending all your time on world history and ignoring Japan’s institutions and economy. The third is assuming the English version is easier; it is easier to read, but it tests the same content. Finally, many students register for the EJU before confirming each university’s language and session rules, then discover that a score cannot be used.

Exam-Day Time Management

You have 80 minutes for the whole test. Do a first pass and answer every question you can solve quickly, flagging longer chart or passage questions. Then return to the flagged ones. Before time runs out, make sure every question has an answer marked, choosing your best guess where you are unsure. Keep five minutes at the end to check that your answers match the right question numbers on the sheet.

Build Your Japanese Foundation for University With Nihongo Online School

Whichever language you choose for Japan and the World, your path to a Japanese university runs through Japanese. The Japanese as a Foreign Language test, university interviews that are often held in Japanese, and the lectures you will attend after admission all depend on it. Nihongo Online School helps you build that foundation step by step, from wherever you live.

Private 1-on-1 Lessons Planned Around Your Goal

All lessons are private 60-minute sessions with a qualified Japanese teacher over Zoom, scheduled around your timetable. Instead of a fixed textbook route, your teacher customizes each lesson to your level and goals and gives you as much speaking time as possible. One dedicated teacher stays with you from your first lesson to your last, so your progress and weak points are never lost between classes.

Structured Homework and Measurable Progress

Every lesson comes with about two hours of guided homework, so grammar and vocabulary are reviewed between sessions. Your progress is checked regularly with our 10-step conversation level test and a JLPT online mock test, which makes it easier to see whether you are on track for your target EJU session.

Courses for Your Stage

Beginners can start with our 150-hour program (50 hours of lessons plus 100 hours of self-study), which builds a foundation toward JLPT N5 and includes a certificate of completion. Learners with some experience can choose 3-month or 6-month lesson packages. Since 2019, more than 1,000 students have studied Japanese with us.

Please note that our lessons focus on the Japanese language. We do not currently offer dedicated lessons for Japan and the World, Mathematics or Science.

Not sure where to start? Book a free trial lesson and level check and talk with a teacher about a study plan that fits your EJU schedule.

Summary: Your Next Steps

Japan and the World is an 80-minute, 0–200 point EJU subject used mainly by humanities and social science faculties. It can be taken in Japanese or English, but the Japanese as a Foreign Language test is always in Japanese. The EJU is not required by every university, and each university decides which subjects, languages, sessions and additional exams it requires, so your preparation should start from each school’s admission guidelines.

From there, the path is clear: use the 2026 syllabus as your checklist, practice with JASSO’s official past questions, prioritize Japan-specific topics, and train yourself to read charts and data quickly. Most importantly, give Japanese enough time, because it shapes both your EJU results and your success in a Japanese-taught program.

If you want to strengthen your Japanese reading and listening for the EJU, take a look at the online Japanese lessons at Nihongo Online School.