Applicant FAQs

Listed below are common inquiries that we receive from potential USJLP candidates. Please email us if we can assist you with any additional information.

Eligibility

Q: Who is eligible to apply to USJLP?
A: Any American or Japanese citizen between the ages of 28 and 42 on the first day of the first conference they are applying for (e.g. July 27, 2025, for prospective candidates to the USJLP Class of 2025-2026) is eligible for USJLP. Citizens of other countries holding residency status in the U.S./Japan (e.g. green card, permanent resident) do not meet the Program's eligibility requirement. Successful candidates are required to provide a copy of their passport photo page to the Foundation as part of the Delegate intake process.

Q: Is country of residence a factor?
A: 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.

Q: Does one need to be in the field of US-Japan relations to apply?
A: No. The Foundation strives to bring together a diverse set of 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.

Q: What does the Foundation mean by "demonstrated leadership"?
A: While “demonstrated leadership” is a difficult trait to define, please know that at the time of their acceptance into the Program, many USJLP members are already recognized as thought leaders through public speaking and publications, serve on corporate and nonprofit boards, have started their own companies or nonprofits, or have won previous fellowships or awards. At minimum, successful candidates for USJLP typically demonstrate notable achievements while still in the early stages of their careers and have at least 5 years of post-graduate career experience.   

Q: As a Japanese candidate, do I need to be fluent in English to be accepted?
A: Fluency is not required, however since USJLP conferences are officially conducted in English and because communication, collaboration, and relationships between Americans and Japanese are at the heart of our mission, it is important that all candidates applying to USJLP feel comfortable conversing and expressing their ideas in English. All parts of the USJLP application completed by the candidate must be submitted in English.

Q: Do I need to have someone nominate me before I can apply?
A: No. The Foundation permits self-referrals and does not require that candidates also be nominated in advance of applying. Persons who wish to support a candidate actively applying to USJLP, or who wish to provide an introductory nomination on a prospective candidate are invited to learn more about the process for each here.

Acceptance and Deferrals

Q: I have a conflict with the timing of the next conference. May I still apply and defer my start until the following year?
A: No. Please apply to USJLP only if you do not have any known conflicts with the upcoming conference dates. USJLP does not grant deferrals to first year participants. Newly selected Delegates who become unable to attend their first conference must forfeit their membership and reapply to the Program for the following, or future, year.

Q: I know I can attend the upcoming conference, but I am not sure if I will be available the following summer for the dates of my second conference. May I still apply?
A: We understand that it is difficult to predict two years in advance. However, upon acceptance into USJLP, Delegates are only guaranteed seats at the next two upcoming conferences. For example, should a 2025-2026 Delegate successfully join the 2025 Japan Conference but need to defer participation in the 2026 U.S. Conference for any reason, the opportunity to fulfill their second participation year at a future (i.e. 2028 or later) U.S. Conference will be subject to review and granted on a space-available basis.

Q: If I am not accepted this year, am I allowed to apply again the following year?
A: Yes. We always have many more qualified candidates apply than we can accommodate each year and there have been many cases where we accept a candidate who applied more than once. There are no restrictions on the number of times that an eligible candidate can apply.

Q: What happens if I am selected and then unexpectedly cannot participate due to a work or personal schedule conflict?
A: 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.

Personal Referrals

Q: What is the format for the Personal Referral?
A: Candidates should direct the person they wish to have support their application to the online USJLP Candidate Referral Form. Referring persons are asked to provide the requested insights in English and submit this form prior to the application deadline. Instructions for completing this form are available in both English and Japanese at the outset of the referral form. 

Q: Who should I ask to submit a Personal Referral on my behalf?
A: It is the Foundation’s preference that your Personal Referral be submitted by someone who has been able to directly observe your personality and leadership qualities at close-range in a professional or other capacity. Please preview the USJLP Candidate Referral Form to gain a sense of the questions it asks which may assist you in considering who to invite to fill this out on your behalf. Personal Referrals can be provided by anyone, including USJLP Fellows. Please bear in mind that during the evaluation stage Foundation staff and/or members of the review committee may be in touch with personal references to confirm or discuss information provided on a candidate.

At least one (1) Personal Referral (your “Primary Referral”) must be received by the application deadline to complete your application for the current cycle. You will receive an email alert when a referral has been received on your behalf.

Q: How many people can I ask to submit a Personal Referral on my behalf?
A: The Foundation will accept up to two (2) Personal Referrals to support your application. When completing your online application submission form, please specify the name, title/affiliation, and email address of the two persons providing your Primary and Secondary (if applicable) Referral in the designated section for this on the application form. Only referrals that match the names specified on your application form will be included in your candidate folio for the committee’s consideration. Please be aware that additional references (beyond the Primary and Secondary) received will not be passed along to the committee.

Q: Is there a grace period to receive Personal Referrals?
A: No. All application components, including the Primary Referral as well as Secondary Referral (if applicable), must be received by the deadline (11:59pm in the applicant’s local time zone) to be accepted for that cycle. In the event that a personal referral cannot be obtained by the deadline, we hope you will remain in touch and consider applying in the next cycle instead. 

Application Deadline

Q: When is the application deadline?
A: The deadline to apply for the 2025-2026 conferences is Monday, January 6, 2025. Application materials must be received by 11:59pm in the applicant’s local time zone to be considered received on time.

Q: Will my application be accepted even if it arrives after the deadline?
A: To qualify for consideration, electronically submitted applications must have a time stamp showing that submission was made no later than the deadline (i.e. January 6, 2025 for the current cycle). Candidates may submit up until 11:59pm in their local time zone (i.e. 11:59pm JST for candidates in Japan; 11:59pm EST/CST/MST/PST for candidates based in different regions of the United States; likewise, 11:59pm in any third country’s time zone for candidates located outside the US/Japan).

Q: I found out about the Program after the deadline. May I still send in my application?
A: Click here to access the 2025-2026 USJLP Application Submission Form. 

Application Submission

Q: How do I access the online application form?
A: During each application cycle, a link to the online application form will be provided here and within the “Application Procedures” information. Please check back in the fall of 2024 for a link to the 2025-2026 online application form.  

Q: What should I have prepared prior to starting the online application submission form?
A: First, please access and review the entire contents of the online application form to familiarize yourself with the instructions and the additional informational questions that are required of candidates to answer upon submission. (Please note that this form is responsive, and some of the questions are tailored to nationality; please be sure to select your nationality at the outset of the application form to view the questions in full.)

Second, prior to completing the form, please have your CV/Resume (maximum length: 2 pages) prepared as a PDF and your Self-Intro Video (maximum length: 3 minutes; maximum file size: 1GB) prepared in one of the following video file types: MP4, MPG, MOV, WMV, AVI, MKV, OGV, 3GP. Both files will be uploaded to the form. When preparing these files for submission, please be sure to include your full name and identify each application section in each file title, as follows (please be certain to use dashes between words, not blank spaces):

  • “LastName-FirstName-2025-CV”
  • “LastName-FirstName-2025-Video”

Additionally, please consider drafting your Personal Statement in advance and ensure that it will meet the length requirements set by the form (7000 characters, including spaces and punctuation, which is the equivalent of approximately 1000 English words). Your personal statement response will be copied and pasted into the designated response field in the application form.

Last but not least, please be sure to have collected / confirmed the names, titles/affiliations, and email addresses of the person(s) providing your Primary (and Secondary, if applicable) Personal Referral. This information will also need to be inputted into the online application form. The Foundation will match this information with the corresponding Referrals received through the USJLP Candidate Referral Form to support your application.

Q: Will I receive a confirmation that my application has been received?
A: Yes, upon submission an auto-response indicating that your application and personal referral(s) have been successfully logged in our system should reach you at the email address provided for you in these forms. After receiving your online application submission, secretariats will follow up within two (2) business days to confirm that your application has either been received in full or requires additional attention. Should you fail to receive one/both confirmation emails within this time frame, please send a follow-up inquiry to applications@usjlp.org.

Q: What should I do if I am having trouble with the online submission form?
A: If you experience any issues with the online submission form, please contact us at applications@usjlp.org and the secretariats will be happy to provide further assistance.

Selection Process

Q: What is the selection process and decision timeline?
A: Applications for the 2025-2026 cycle will be reviewed over January and February 2025. The Foundation intends to notify all 2025-2026 candidates of the results in March 2025. Successful candidates selected for the Program are notified by email; unsuccessful candidates may be notified by postal mail instead of email.

Q: Who reviews my application?
A: The USJLP Candidate Review Committee comprised of Fellows (alumni) of the Program is asked to present recommendations to the Foundation from among the pool of applicants. In addition to striving for wide sector representation, due consideration is also given to diversity of gender, race, ethnicity, age, political, regional, social, and educational background representation in each USJLP class. Final decisions on Delegates are made by the Foundation.

Q: How many people are accepted each year?
A: We aim to have an even number of first and second year Delegates for a total of approximately 40 Delegate participants at each conference. Therefore, each year there are approximately 10 openings each for Americans and Japanese Delegates, to create a first-year cohort size of approximately 20 Delegates. The number of openings in any given year is, however, highly dependent on various circumstances and the exact number is typically not known until after the application deadline. 

US-Japan Leadership Program Membership

Q: What is required of USJLP Delegates?
A: Accepted candidates become a USJLP Delegate upon participation in their first USJLP conference. Each Delegate is expected to attend two (2) one-week conferences: one week in Japan, and one week in the United States. Delegates are required to participate for the full week and attend all scheduled plenary sessions, group activities and meals. Some may be asked to participate on a plenary panel related to their expertise, or otherwise contribute to the content of the conference in some way such as leading a workshop, giving a personal talk, or serving as a discussion moderator. Most importantly, Delegates are expected to be active participants at their two conferences and with the greater network, and be enthusiastic about the relationships, connections and learning opportunities that USJLP membership affords.

Q: Does commitment to USJLP end after completing two years as a Delegate?
A: No. Membership in the USJLP is a lifetime commitment. After completing both a Japan and U.S. conference, Delegates (current participants) graduate to the status of USJLP Fellow (alumni) which is a lifelong distinction. All USJLP members (both Delegates and Fellows) are expected to remain in touch with one another and give back to the Program by organizing informal gatherings, special opportunities, and consider ways to collaborate with one another and support the Foundation’s mission in the years to come. Members are additionally expected to always keep their member profile and contact information updated and inform the Foundation of important personal or professional news.

Q: Are there additional special privileges or expectations of USJLP Fellows?
A: Upon becoming a USJLP Fellow (following the successful completion of two conferences as a Delegate), members are invited to assist in discovering and nominating new candidates for USJLP and are encouraged to return as special guests at the end of each summer's conference for Fellows Weekend, a two-day opportunity to bring family members, reunite with old friends, and meet the newest members serving as Delegates.