In 1996, the International House of Japan and the Japan Foundation jointly launched the Asia Leadership Fellow Program (ALFP) with the goal of creating a close, personal and professional network of public intellectuals in the region. Since its inception, more than 100 fellows have participated in the programme.
This year, under the general theme of “Seeking Our Commons in Asia: How Can We Create Visions for the Future?”, fellows will reside in Tokyo for a period of two months (5 Sept28 Oct, 2016) and actively engage in group discussions and dialogue with counterparts in Japan. ALFP seeks public intellectuals who are deeply rooted in and committed to civil society beyond their own cultural, disciplinary and geopolitical backgrounds.
Citizens of Northeast, Southeast and South Asian countries aged 35 to 59 years old are welcome to apply. Postgraduate degrees are not a prerequisite, but applicants must have good command of English and demonstrated outstanding leadership ability or potential in their respective line of work.
As ALFP is keen on broadening the range of expertise within its network, there is no prescribed set of professions. Past fellows have belonged, but are not limited to, such fields as academia, journalism, national and local politics, business, education, administration, the arts, publishing, as well as the NGO and non-profit sector. Regardless, all prospective fellows are expected to be able to reach a wide audience in his or her country or region to which one may disseminate thoughts and findings.
ALFP will provide each fellow with transportation to and fro Tokyo and his or her country of origin; daily allowance to cover accommodation, meals and other incidentals; medical insurance; and other costs that may arise throughout the duration of the programme.
Applicants must submit their application with complete supporting documents no later than Friday, 25 December, 2015 to the ALFP Secretariat.
NOTE: Please send all applications and enquiries to the ALFP Secretariat (contact details below), not The Japan Foundation, Kuala Lumpur.
General Theme for 2016: “Seeking Our Commons in Asia: How Can We Create Visions for the Future?”
When the public sphere is expanding into various realms, such as economics, society, culture, nature and digital space, what can people in Asia share in common while acknowledging and respecting differences in values and standards? And through dialogue and collaboration, how can we create new values, ideas and movements from this “commons” or common ground, and connect them to a future which starts from Asia?
Eligibility
1. Citizen of a Northeast, Southeast or South Asian country/region
2. Aged between 35 and 59 years old
3. Possess command of English sufficient for engaging in deep and substantial discussions in the language
4. Have solid background in own profession
5. Have access to wide audience in own country/region to which applicant can disseminate thoughts and findings via publications, lectures, multimedia, performance, etc.
Programme Period
5 September to 28 October, 2016
Number of Fellows
A maximum of nine (9) fellows from Northeast, Southeast and South Asian countries/regions.
Selection Criteria
ALFP seeks public intellectuals who are deeply rooted in and committed to civil society beyond their own cultural, disciplinary and geopolitical backgrounds. More specifically, we are looking for those individuals who:
1. Have demonstrated a certain degree of achievement in their profession and have demonstrated outstanding leadership ability
2. Are willing to go beyond their discipline or field of specialty and to engage in constructive discussions with other fellows who have diverse specialties and cultural backgrounds
3. Are able to accept different ways of thinking, think tolerantly and alternatively about cultural values, and are willing to develop new social norms and value orientations in order to build an equitable civil society in the region
4. Have concrete means of dissemination/communication to bring about social and/or intellectual impact in one’s community/country/region/world, in order to solve the problems facing global society today, from the broader perspective of common public good and humanitarian causes
ALFP is NOT intended for:
1. Students and young professionals seeking leadership development
2. Japanese studies
3. Supporting individual research projects of any kind
Terms & Conditions
The programme will provide each fellow with the following:
1. Round-trip airfare between Tokyo and the city where the fellow is based
2. Daily allowance (to cover accommodations, meals and other incidentals)
3. Medical insurance during the programme in Japan
4. Other costs related to group activities set by the programme
Fellows must participate in all of the programme’s activities and make necessary preparations and later dissemination efforts as set by the programme.
Fellows are required to spend the entire programme period at the International House of Japan in Tokyo except for the one-week individual activities period in October. Families cannot be accommodated for the duration of the programme.
Fellows are required to submit a final report, reflecting their experience, for publication in the ALFP Programme Report.
NOTE:
Although some activities are fixed, the programme is flexible such that it allows enough time for fellows to organise additional activities after spending time together as a group in Japan.
Selection Schedule
25 December, 2015
Application deadline
January to March, 2016
Stage 1: Screening of application materials
Stage 2: Interviewing of applicants (for those who passed stage 1)
April 2016
Notice of selection
How to Apply
Visit the official website for further guidelines and to download application documents.
Enquiries and More Information
ALFP Secretariat
c/o Program Department
International House of Japan
5-11-16 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0032, Japan
Tel: +81-3-3470-3211
Fax: +81-3-3470-3170
