Leadership Program

No. Candidates need not live in their home country to apply to USJLP. We regularly accept candidates who are either permanently or temporarily living abroad, outside of their home country.

No. Candidates must still be 42 years old at the time that they start their first conference. Persons who are 42 at the time of application, but who will turn 43 years old on or before the first day of their first conference (i.e. July 25, 2026 for 2026-2027 cohort applicants) are not eligible. The Foundation makes no exceptions to the age policy.

No. The Foundation strives to bring together a mix of different backgrounds and specialties in each USJLP class. USJLP provides a unique opportunity to witness, learn about, and discuss facets of the two countries’ societies, cultures, histories, and relations first-hand. Expertise on Japan or the U.S. is not a requirement. 

While “demonstrated leadership” can take many forms, USJLP members are often already recognized as emerging thought leaders—whether through public speaking, publications, board service, entrepreneurial ventures, or previous fellowships and awards. At a minimum, successful candidates have at least five years of post-graduate professional experience and a track record of notable accomplishments early in their careers.

Fluency is not required. However, because USJLP conferences are conducted in English—and communication, collaboration, and relationships between Americans and Japanese are at the heart of our mission—all candidates must feel comfortable speaking and sharing ideas in English. All portions of the USJLP application must also be submitted in English.

No, self-referrals are allowed, and candidates do not need to be nominated before applying. Persons who would like to support an active applicant or provide an introductory nomination for a prospective candidate can learn more about each process here.

We understand that predicting availability two years in advance can be challenging. However, upon acceptance into USJLP, Delegates are guaranteed a spot only at the next two conferences. For example, if a 2026-2027 Delegate attends the 2026 U.S. Conference, but needs to defer the 2027 Japan Conference, the opportunity to fulfill their second year at a future Japan Conference (e.g., in 2029 or later) will be subject to review and availability.

Yes. We always have many more qualified candidates apply than we can accommodate each year. There have been numerous cases where we accept a candidate who applied more than once before getting selected. There are no restrictions on the number of times an eligible candidate can apply.

We understand that life holds surprises. However, the Foundation is unable to grant deferrals to first year Delegate-selects. Delegate-selects (newly selected Delegates) who become unable to participate in the upcoming conference due to a work or personal conflict, must forfeit their provisional membership in USJLP and reapply to the Program for the following, or future, year.

The Foundation recommends that your Personal Referral come from someone who knows you well and can speak directly to your character and leadership—ideally through firsthand professional or personal experience. We encourage you to preview the USJLP Candidate Referral Form to understand the questions asked, which may help you choose the most suitable person to complete it. Referrals may be submitted by anyone, including USJLP Fellows. Foundation staff or review committee members may follow up with referrers during the evaluation process.

The Foundation will accept up to two (2) Personal Referrals to support your application. When submitting your application, please list the name, title/affiliation, and email address of your Primary (and, if applicable, Secondary) Referrer in the designated section of the application form. Only referrals that match the names you provide will be included in your candidate folio for committee review. Please note that any additional referrals beyond these two will not be forwarded to the committee.

No. All application materials—including the Primary Referral and, if applicable, the Secondary Referral—must be submitted by the deadline (11:59 PM in your local time zone) to be considered for that cycle. You will be notified by email once a referral has been received on your behalf. If a referral cannot be obtained in time, we encourage you to stay connected and consider applying in the next cycle.

To be considered, applications must be electronically submitted with a time stamp indicating they were submitted by the deadline (e.g., January 6, 2025, for the most recent cycle). Candidates may submit their applications until 11:59pm in their local time zone (e.g., 11:59pm JST for Japan, 11:59pm EST/CST/MST/PST for the U.S., or 11:59pm in the relevant time zone for candidates outside the U.S. and Japan).

Applications submitted past the deadline will not be considered. If you found out about the Program after the deadline and remain interested in applying in the future, please sign up for USJLP email announcements to be among the first to be notified about the start of the next application cycle, which typically opens in early fall each year.

To begin, please review the entire online application form to familiarize yourself with the instructions and the required informational questions. Note that the form is responsive, with some questions tailored to your nationality. Be sure to select your nationality at the start of the form to view the complete set of questions.

Before completing the form, have your CV/Resume (2-page max, PDF format) and Self-Intro Video (3-minute max, 1GB max file size) ready for upload. Accepted video file types include MP4, MPG, MOV, WMV, AVI, MKV, OGV, and 3GP. Please rename these files in the following format (using dashes, not spaces): “LastName-FirstName-2025-CV” // “LastName-FirstName-2025-Video”

Additionally, draft your Personal Statement (5000-character limit, approx. 800-1000 words) in advance, as you will copy and paste it into the application form. Lastly, gather the names, titles/affiliations, and email addresses of those providing your Primary (and Secondary, if applicable) Personal Referral, as this information will need to be entered into the form and matched with referrals sent through the USJLP Candidate Referral Form to support your application.

Yes. You should receive an automatic confirmation email within 30 minutes after your application form and personal referrals have been successfully logged in our system. Within two (2) business days of your submission, Foundation staff will follow up to confirm whether your application is complete or if any additional information is needed. If you do not receive either the automatic or follow-up confirmation emails within these timeframes, please contact us at applications@usjlp.org.

If you experience any issues with the online submission form, please contact us at applications@usjlp.org and we will be happy to provide further assistance.

The USJLP Candidate Review Committee—made up of alumni from the Program—reviews all applications and recommends candidates to the Foundation. Along with evaluating leadership criteria, the committee looks for diversity across many areas, including profession, gender, race, ethnicity, age, political views, region, and education. Final decisions on Delegate selections are made by the Foundation.

We aim to host approximately 40 Delegate participants at each conference, evenly split between first- and second-year Delegates. This typically means there are around 10 openings for American and 10 for Japanese first-year Delegates each year. However, the exact number of available spots can vary and is usually confirmed after the application deadline.

No. Membership in USJLP is a lifetime commitment. Upon completing both the Japan and U.S. conferences, Delegates graduate to the status of USJLP Fellow (alumni), a lifelong distinction. Both Delegates and Fellows are expected to stay connected, contribute to the Program by organizing informal gatherings and special opportunities, and find ways to collaborate while supporting the Foundation's mission. Members are also encouraged to keep their profile and contact information up to date and inform the Foundation of significant personal or professional milestones.

After completing both conferences and becoming a USJLP Fellow, members are invited to help identify and nominate new candidates for the Program. Fellows are also encouraged to return each summer for Fellows Weekend, a two-day event to reconnect across class years and meet new Delegates.