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Terms & Conditions

table of contents
Only the Terms & Conditions in English are legally binding and accurately phrased; translations are for reference only.

Introduction

The following agreement applies to all students taking part in any program or service offered by Meiji Academy and its affiliated partners on or after 1st January 2014. Meiji Academy is an Amniscor Co., Ltd. subsidiary, located in Watanabedori 5-1-26, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City 810-0004, Japan. We have addressed all points concerning your rights and obligations under this agreement. Please make sure to read it and feel free to contact us, if you have any questions.

Definitions in this contract

“You” or “Your” refers to the applicant. “We”, “Us”, “Our”, “School” or “Campus” refers to Meiji Academy or in short “Meiji”. ”Student” means an applicant accepted to enroll in any of our courses, for both Japanese Online Lessons or In-Person Studies at our schools. ”Study Courses” means any intensive Japanese language study of at least 10 hours or more per week, e.g., Standard Course, Seasonal Course, Student Visa Course, or any other Long-Term Japanese studies. It does not mean, nor include Japanese Private Lessons and Japanese Online Lessons. ”Modules” refer to separate Add-Ons that can be combined with Study Courses, e.g., Japanese Business Manners, Traditional Culture, Pop Culture, Conversational Japanese, and Private Lessons. ”Lesson” or ”Class” refers to any type of teaching in-person or online. All in-person lessons are 45 minutes long, except for Private Lessons, Japanese Online Lessons, Japanese Business Manners, and Conversational Japanese which are 50 minutes long. ”Term” or ”Study Term” means 12 weeks and applies for Long-Term Study Courses only. ”Accommodation Arrangement Fee” means all expenses related to our service to arrange, book, and communicate with accommodation providers on your behalf. We will speak on your behalf if trouble arises between you and the accommodation provider. Yet, we won’t be responsible for any damages nor can we act as a guarantor.

Formation and completion of contract

To enable the formation of a contract between the applicant and the school, a request needs to be placed by the prospective student in written form first, which is performed by filling out the study estimate.

  1. Applications are completed by the applicant sending an estimate request form to the school.
  2. For 1-year, 18-month, and 2-year courses, applicants must apply and pay the application fee by the application deadline.
  3. The school assumes that all applicants complete their applications after having read and understood the terms and conditions.
  4. The contract is concluded when the school sends the invoice to the applicant.

Application conditions

All application conditions below need to be met so that the applicant is eligible to enroll in the courses offered by Meiji Academy.

  1. The minimum age for the study courses is 14 years for individual students. Minors (below 18 years by Japanese Law) require permission for their studies by a parent or legal guardian.
  2. The requested course has to still be available and not fully booked at the respective date.
  3. The remaining time before the start of the course has to be sufficient to ensure the course can take place. A minimum time of one month before the course starts is required.
  4. The school judges the applicant’s medical, physical, and mental condition. In case the school feels that the applicant may not be prepared for the pressures of studying and living in Japan, an application can be refused.

Please note that the school has the exclusive right to refuse any application without reason at the sole discretion of the school at any time.

Fees

The fees listed below are not included in the invoice and will be charged separately depending on request and/or requirement.

Lodging Fee

If the student arrives earlier than the date that accommodation starts, or leaves after the date that accommodation ends, where possible the school will arrange for the period of accommodation to be extended. The applicant must pay the additional costs in this case. However, when this is not possible, the applicant will be required to arrange accommodation for the extra nights, at the applicant’s own expense.

Meal Fees

In the absence of any agreement to the contrary, breakfast only is provided at the homestay destination. If dinner or any additional meals are requested, the applicant shall directly pay the Host Family. No meals are provided at other accommodation types. The applicant is responsible for the cost of other meals.

Travel fees

The applicant is responsible for costs incurred in traveling from the accommodation to the School.

Alteration Fee

If the student requests a change to the study period, the following change fee will apply:

  • Extension of Study Period: No Fee.
  • Shortening of Study Period: ¥2,000

Bank Charges/Transfer Fees

All related bank transfers, money exchange and other commissions that might arise during any money transaction have to be paid by the student. If the school receives any amount that does not match the initial invoice amount, the difference has to be paid by the student before the course starts.

Airport Pickup

In most cases, airport pickups are non-refundable due to advanced bookings and payments to rental car companies or limousine service providers. If your flight does not arrive on time due to flight changes or delays, additional charges may apply to reschedule your transfer. There is a possibility that airport pickups cannot be rescheduled during peak seasons. In this case, the school cannot be held legally responsible for any financial damages arising. For further information, please check our Airport Pickup Page or contact us directly.

International Travel Insurance

All students must purchase international travel insurance either individually or through us. Most international visitors are not eligible for publicly funded medical services while in Japan. If you receive medical treatment while in Japan, you may need to cover the entire cost of that treatment. In case of cancellation, the insurance provider reserves the right to reject any refunds based on the cancellation date, reason, and prior actions in connection with the insurance usage. If a refund is granted by the insurance provider, a cancellation fee will be charged by them and the school for the administrative procedure involved.

Payment of Fees

All fees specified in this agreement must be paid in full by the agreed method to the school and received by the specified date (usually one month before the course begins). The school might be unable to reserve any courses or accommodations with outstanding payments and reserves the right to cancel the student’s enrollment. We have the exclusive right to refuse any application without reason at the sole discretion of the school.


A mandatory, fully refundable deposit of ¥30,000 is required for all accommodations, except for homestay. Please note that the refund amount may differ slightly from the original payment due to currency fluctuations in the value of the Japanese yen between the time of deposit and refund. Additionally, any currency conversion fees incurred during the refund process will be the responsibility of the applicant.

Termination Policy

You may withdraw from any of our programs and services offered at any given time, yet it has to be done via a written request. An alteration fee and cancellation fee will be imposed depending on which program you are enrolled in and at what date the cancellation takes place. Any fees related to wire transfers and foreign exchange rates have to be covered by the student and can vary based on the transaction method.

Short-Term Courses (1-11 weeks)

Seasonal Courses are treated as short-term courses, even if the desired study period is 12 weeks.

Date of CancellationRefund Amount
More than 28 days before the course starts 100% of Study Courses, Modules, Accommodation and Accommodation Arrangement Fee
Between 7 and 28 days before the course starts 80% of Study Courses, Modules, and Accommodation
Less than one week before the course starts 50% of Study Courses, Modules and Accommodation
After Course Start For all canceled weeks of the Study Courses that are more than two weeks in advance after the cancellation request is received: ¥2,000 per day for group classes and ¥3,000 per module only.

The Course Application Fee is excluded from refunds at any given time. No refunds will be given for any classes that already took place.

Long-Term Courses

Any course that is longer than 11 weeks is considered a Long-Term Course with a separate refund policy.

  • 3-Month Course (1 Term)
  • 3-Month Extension (1 Terms) or 6-Month Course (2 Terms)
  • 1-Year (40 weeks), 18-Month (60 weeks) & 2-Year Student Visa Course (80 weeks)
Date of CancellationRefund Amount
More than 28 days before the course starts 100% of Study Courses, Modules, Accommodation and Accommodation Arrangement Fee
Between 7 and 28 days before the course starts 80% of Study Courses, Modules, and Accommodation of the first 12-week term only
Less than one week before the course starts 50% of Study Courses, Modules, and Accommodation of the first 12-week term only
After Course Start For all canceled weeks of the current term that are more than two weeks in advance after the cancellation request is received: ¥2,000 per day for group classes and ¥3,000 per module only. 100% of Study Courses and 70% of Accommodation for all following terms that have been canceled more than 2 weeks before their start date.

The Course Application Fee is excluded from refunds at any given time. No refunds will be given for any classes that already took place.

For Japanese Online Lessons

You can reschedule your private online lessons free of charge up to 24 hours before your scheduled class is supposed to begin. If you miss the deadline, you won’t be able to reschedule the class and it will count as a taken class. Group Online Lessons cannot be rescheduled due to following a preset study timeline and will count towards your missed lessons if you don’t participate in them.

Online Lesson TypeRefund Amount
Private Online Lessons & Group Online Lessons 100% of all canceled online lessons that are more than two weeks in advance after the cancellation request is received.
Japanese Language Study Certificate Course (150 Hours) 80% of all canceled online lessons that are more than two weeks in advance after the cancellation request is received
Special Discount Packages (Bulk Online Lessons) 70% of all canceled online lessons that are more than two weeks in advance after the cancellation request is received.

No refund will be given for Private Online Lessons or Special Discount Packages that have expired, meaning the lessons were not taken within three months from the date of purchase.

Changes after application and National Holidays

  1. Students can request to change the course of study after an application has been completed. The school reserves the right to refuse this change, yet will try to accommodate all requests where it is possible.
  2. Requests to change the study courses and Japanese levels must be made in writing at least one week in advance of the requested date of the change. Changes are only accepted to take effect from Monday of each week. Therefore, a change request made on a Tuesday, for example, will take effect on the following Monday.
  3. There is an additional ¥5,000 administrative fee to change the accommodation type after accommodation has been arranged. Accommodation changes are subject to availability for the requested period as they are organized by external housing providers. As stated in 5. TERMINATION POLICY, no refunds can be issued. Further, you cannot use the previously paid accommodation fees to offset or pay any newly arranged accommodation booking.
  4. The school operates in the same way as a university; on a “floating schedule” system. Classes will take place either in the morning or afternoon depending on several factors, e.g. your Japanese level, certain teachers’ availability, classroom availability, and periodic student numbers per class. Class schedules can change weekly and will be announced to the student in the prior week before.
  5. In the unlikely event that a class only has one or two students, the student will receive an adjusted timetable of 15 private or semi-private lessons per week (3 classes per day).
  6. The school is closed for students on national holidays and other specified days as listed on our Holidays page. A free event will be held in exchange for the missed classes. Event participation is optional, however, the student cannot be refunded if they choose not to attend the scheduled event. (In the very unlikely case that no event will take place, students will be refunded 2,000 JPY per day for group lessons, or 1000 JPY per private lesson.). This does not apply to any type of Force Majeure or "unforeseen circumstances" as stated in 8. DISCLAIMER.

Website & Promotional Material

The content displayed on our website and other promotional material is believed to be valid and correct. However, we cannot be held liable nor responsible for any misinformation or ambiguities stated in the content. Prices are subject to change without any further notice and the applicant will be liable for any purchase of these courses unless his initial deposit and/or courses have been already paid. Meiji Academy reserves the right to use your photography and video footage of your person for reproduction in our promotional material, such as posters, advertisements, printed publications, our website, and other social media. We do not make any payments to individuals in respect of these media usages and the copyright of the photographs and video material will belong to Meiji Academy. By agreeing to these terms and conditions, you consent for your photography and video data to be used for our promotional purposes.

Disclaimer

Meiji Academy will do its best to accommodate its prospective students, yet we cannot take any responsibility for the following matters.

  • You cannot obtain a passport and/or visa or be refused entry into Japan by the Japanese Immigration Bureau.
  • You cannot obtain your visa in time or extend it after arrival.
  • Classes will be canceled and no replacement classes will be scheduled in case of a natural disaster (e.g. Typhoon, Tsunami, Earthquake, Volcano, etc.), a war, a strike, terrorist activity, a pandemic, or any other equally grave unforeseen circumstance.
  • The school accepts no responsibility for accidents or trouble during a student’s stay in Japan.
  • The student fails to enroll in overseas travel insurance and refuses to use our travel insurance service as an alternative.
  • The school cannot accept responsibility for any physical, mental, or economic damages suffered by the student from causes beyond the school’s control.
  • If a student causes any damage to his or her place of accommodation, the student is responsible for the cost of the damage.
  • If the school’s reputation or facilities are damaged because of the student’s actions, we will claim damages against the student.
  • During your time in Japan, you are responsible for your actions and personally liable for any damages arising from a breach of law, regulations, customs, or the rules of the school. In any of these cases, the school cannot accept responsibility.
  • The student is responsible for any accidents occurring during activities such as sports and is responsible for purchasing additional insurance for any sports requiring coverage.
  • Under no circumstances listed above will the school return any tuition fees and might consider legal actions if the matter cannot be resolved peacefully for all parties involved.

Governing Law

This agreement shall be governed by and construed under Japanese law.

Jurisdiction

Any litigation and legal dispute is exclusively dealt with under the jurisdiction of the Fukuoka Prefectural Court.

Amendment of this agreement

This agreement may be amended at any time without notice to the applicant. It is the responsibility of the student to follow up on any changes that might apply to his or her application.

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