Membership in USJLP

The US-Japan Leadership Program (USJLP) seeks to bring together a network of talented and diverse young American and Japanese leaders to foster dialogue, friendship and understanding between the two countries. All members hold US or Japanese citizenship, enter the Program between the ages of 28-42, and have demonstrated leadership in their respective fields. Membership requires a commitment to participate in two consecutive summer conferences as a Delegate (one in Japan, and one in the U.S.), and the intent to remain active in the Program as a Fellow (alumnus). 

 2025-2026 USJLP Application Procedure 

The United States-Japan Foundation is now accepting applications for prospective candidates to become USJLP Delegates to the 2025 Japan and 2026 U.S. conferences through Monday, January 6, 2025. The 2025 Japan Conference is set to take place Sunday, July 27 - Sunday, August 3, 2025. Delegates who start the Program in 2025 will return for their second conference in 2026 at a TBA location in the U.S. in late July 2026 (planned). Upon completion of these two conferences, Delegates (current participants) will graduate to Fellows (alumni) status and will continue to enjoy the lifelong benefits of USJLP membership.

Applications will be evaluated over January and February and candidates will be notified of the results in March 2025.

Japanese and American applicants should carefully preview the online submission form prior to preparing the following documents in English:

  1. A CV/Resume listing achievements (maximum length: 2 pages)
     
  2. A Personal Statement (maximum length: 7000 characters, or approximately 1000 English words) that explicitly addresses these questions:
    1) What matters most to you and why?
    2) What has inspired you to apply to the US-Japan Leadership Program?
    3) What will you bring to the USJLP network/community as a member?
     
  3. A Self-Intro Video (maximum length: 3 minutes) 
    This is an opportunity to share anything that you would like us to know about yourself, your life, or your work. You are free to record a simple self-introduction, similar to how you would introduce yourself to someone you are meeting for the first time, using only your phone's camera. Or you may wish to think about including visuals and record yourself giving the presentation using software such as Zoom or Loom. While the format and content are up to you, please know that the committee values simplicity and authenticity (e.g. unedited, straight-forward talking). Videos will not be scored on creativity or "production value." Please assume that if you are successfully selected for USJLP this video will be shared with your USJLP classmates as a way for Delegates to get to know each other prior to meeting at the conference. 
     
  4. At least one (1) Personal Referral must be submitted on your behalf through the separate USJLP Candidate Referral Form. You may solicit up to two (2) Personal Referrals to support your application. Please refer to the instructions under the "Personal Referral" section of the FAQs for details. Please be prepared to input the name, job title/affiliation, and email address of the person who will be serving as your Primary Referral (and Secondary Referral, if applicable) when you complete the application form. 

These application components should be prepared, and referrals solicited, in advance and submitted via the 2025-2026 USJLP Application Submission Form (details below) and USJLP Candidate Referral Form. Only fully complete applications received by Monday, January 6, 2025 (by 11:59pm in the applicant’s local time zone) will be considered for the 2025-2026 application cycle. Secretariats will send an email acknowledgement of application receipt within two (2) business days after submission. 

Online Application Submission Instructions

  1. Click here to access the online submission form. It is recommended that all candidates review the submission form in advance, to be familiar with the form’s instructions and the additional informational questions that candidates are 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 questions in-full.)
     
  2. The online application form collects your CV/Resume as a PDF file and your Self-Intro Video as a video file (MP4, MPG, MOV, WMV, AVI, MKV, OGV, 3GP). When preparing these files for upload, please be sure to include your full name and identify each application section in each file title. Please refer to the Application Submission FAQs to view the recommended file title format.
     
  3. Prior to starting the online submission process, at minimum, please be prepared to upload / input the following components: 1) CV/Resume (file upload), 2) Personal Statement (response box text input), and 3) Self-Intro Video (file upload). Your personal referral(s) must be submitted by the referring person(s) separately (see Personal Referral FAQs for details), however please have ready the name, title and contact info for your Primary referring person (and secondary referring person, if applicable) as this information must be provided on the application form at the time of submission. 
     
  4. When completing the submission form, be sure to fill in all requested information, including responses to all of the "Candidate Q&A Corner" informational questions at the end of the form. Upon successful submission, candidates can expect to receive an automated confirmation at the email address provided. Secretariats will personally 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.

Candidate Qualifications

To be considered eligible for USJLP, candidates must hold either American or Japanese citizenship and be between the ages of 28-42 years old on the first day of their first USJLP conference (i.e. July 27, 2025 to be eligible for the Class of 2025-2026). Successful candidates will have demonstrated leadership, which typically means a minimum of five years of advancing levels of responsibility along with examples / indicators of being recognized as a thought leader, changemaker, or someone who can otherwise rise to prominence in their field. Since 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.

Diversity Commitment

For each USJLP cohort, the Foundation aspires to select and convene talented and dedicated individuals with a mix of expertise, personal characteristics, values, and worldviews arising from differences of culture and circumstance. Leaders from every imaginable background are encouraged to apply for USJLP membership as we seek diverse representation of candidates across lines of gender, race, ethnicity, age, political, regional, social, professional, and educational backgrounds, as well as experience with the other country.

Selection of Delegates

The USJLP Candidate Review Committee comprised of Fellows (alumni) of the Program will be asked to present recommendations to the Foundation from among the pool of applicants. Final decisions on Delegates are made by the Foundation. The Foundation intends to provide outcome notifications to all applicants in March 2025.

Questions? Check our FAQs regarding:


Eligibility
Acceptance and Deferrals
Personal Referrals
Application Deadline
Application Submission
Selection Process
USJLP Membership