Young Leaders Program (School of Government, School of Local Governance) Japan
Fosters future national leaders in countries in Asia and other regions and builds up comprehensive human networks among the leaders of nations in the field of Government and Local Governance.
- Program Director: Vice President, Senior Professor Kiyotaka Yokomichi
- Deputy Director (School of Government): Vice President, Dean, Professor Mikitaka Masuyama
- Deputy Director (School of Local Governance): Professor Hirofumi Takada
- Degrees Offered: Master of Public Administration / Master of Public Policy
- Scholarship (for International Students Only) : Japanese Government (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology [MEXT])
- Language of Instruction: English
- Time Schedule:
- Program Duration…1 year
- Enrollment…October
- Graduation…September
- How to Apply: Click here
- YLP Brochure: Click here
- YLP Japan (Application Target: Japanese): Click here (Japanese only)
Young Leaders Program (YLP) was introduced by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in 2001. The objectives of the program are to
- Foster future national leaders in designated countries
- Build up comprehensive human networks among the leaders of nations
- Establish friendly relationships among the countries involved, including Japan
- Improve the quality of policy making in the participating countries
The program is also designed to expand students’ comparative as well as historical knowledge of international/regional politics and economics while providing them with an in-depth understanding of Japanese politics and economy.
Target Group
This program is open to exceptionally promising young government officials with considerable working experiences in the area of public administration. In principle, a minimum of three years working experience in the field in the applicant’s home country is a prerequisite for admission to the program.
Students will be admitted on the basis of an appraisal of their potential to become future leaders at home, to play important roles in their countries’ development, and to maintain the lasting friendship and trust of Japan and other countries around the world.
We also accept Japanese students.
Program Design
In addition to School of Government which was introduced in 2001, GRIPS started YLP-School of Local Governance in 2009.
The curriculum for both courses covers a wide range of topics concerning public administration and policy formulation, and also offers the opportunity for intensive discussion with politicians, high-level government officials, corporate directors, journalists, and other Japanese leaders. The program also includes Field Trip/Workshop I-II and a final paper based on Independent Study/Research. There are opportunities to make policy research in collaboration with other institutions such as central government.
School of Government Curriculum 2020/2021 (as of October 2020)
| Category | Course Name | Instructor |
|---|---|---|
| I Required Courses | Introduction to Public Policy Studies | Horie |
| The World and the SDGs | Tanaka Akihiko | |
| Global Governance: Leadership and Negotiation | TBA | |
| Introduction to Japan | Pressello | |
| Colloquium | Takada, Horie | |
| Independent Study | Masuyama, et al. | |
| Tutorial | Various | |
| Field Trip | Yokomichi, Pressello | |
| II Recommended Courses | Microeconomics I | Wie |
| Essential Microeconomics | Kurosawa | |
| Contemporary Japanese Economy | Kojima | |
| Japanese Economy | Nakagaki | |
| Economic Development of Japan | Ohno Kenichi | |
| Government and Politics in Japan | Masuyama | |
| International Relations | Iwama | |
| International Political Economy | Chey | |
| International Security Studies | Tokuchi | |
| Comparative Politics | Takenaka | |
| Structure and Process of Government | Horie | |
| III Elective Courses | Macroeconomics I | Hsu |
| Government and Market | Okamoto | |
| Global Development Agendas and Japan’s ODA | TBA | |
| International Trade | Hsu | |
| Japanese Financial System | TBA | |
| Development Economics | Yamauchi | |
| Monetary and Fiscal Policy | Yoshino | |
| Japanese Foreign Policy | Kitaoka, Pressello | |
| Social Science Questions and Methodologies | Petchko | |
| Introduction to Data Science | Morohosi | |
| Data Science in Practice | Tsuchiya, Morohosi | |
| Local Government System | Nakamura Akira | |
| Local Government Finance | Takada | |
| Local Governance in the Changing World | Takada | |
| Selected Topics in Policy Studies I -IV | ||
| Courses not listed in this table | ||
| X Others | Language Courses offered by the Center for Professional Communication |
School of Local Governance Curriculum 2020/2021 (as of October 2020)
| Category | Course Name | Instructor |
|---|---|---|
| I Required Courses | Introduction to Public Policy Studies | Horie |
| The World and the SDGs | Tanaka Akihiko | |
| Global Governance: Leadership and Negotiation | TBA | |
| Local Government System | Nakamura | |
| Local Government Finance | Takada | |
| Local Governance in the Changing World | Takada | |
| Introduction to Japan | Pressello | |
| Colloquium | Takada, Horie | |
| Research Paper | Takada, et al. | |
| Tutorial | Various | |
| Workshop I | Takada | |
| Workshop II | Takada | |
| II Recommended Courses | ||
| Microeconomics I | Wie | |
| Essential Microeconomics | Kurosawa | |
| Economic Development of Japan | Ohno Kenichi | |
| Government and Politics in Japan | Masuyama | |
| International Relations | Iwama | |
| Structure and Process of Government | Horie | |
| III Elective Courses | Macroeconomics I | Hsu |
| Government and Market | Okamoto | |
| International Trade | Hsu | |
| Development Economics | Yamauchi | |
| Monetary and Fiscal Policy | Yoshino | |
| East Asian Economies | Hara | |
| Japanese Foreign Policy | Kitaoka, Pressello | |
| International Security Studies | Tokuchi | |
| Social Science Questions and Methodologies | Petchko | |
| Social Security System in Japan | Ono | |
| Small and Medium Enterprise and Technology | Hashimoto | |
| National Land Policy | Shimomura | |
| Introduction to Data Science | Morohosi | |
| Data Science in Practice | Tsuchiya, Morohosi | |
| Selected Topics in Policy Studies I -IV | ||
| Courses not listed in this table | ||
| X Others | Language Courses offered by the Center for Professional Communication |
Career Destinations
Graduates from the YLP in principle return to their former governmental organizations to become leaders in their respective organizations. To name a few:
| COUNTRY | Typical Affiliation |
|---|---|
| (School of Government) | |
| Indonesia | Deputy Secreyary-General for Community & Corporate Affairs, ASEAN (2003) |
| Kazakhstan | Director General, State Center for Pension Payments, Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population (2005) |
| Kyrgyz Republic | Deputy Minister, Ministry of Finance (2007) |
| Czech Republic | Advisor to Deputy Minister, Ministry of Finance (2007) |
| China | Deputy Director-General, National Center of Education Development Research, Ministry of Education (2007) |
| Philippines | Ambassador, Philippines Embassy, Kingdom of Bahrain (2004) |
| Malaysia | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Embassy of Malaysia to the Czech Republic (2008) |
| Laos | Director General, Asia Pacific and Africa Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs(2008) |
| (School of Local Governance) | |
| Pakistan | Director General, Secretariat Training Institute, Islamabad (2011) |
| Uzbekistan | Director, Directorate of “Angren” Free Economic Zone (2013) |
| Myanmar | Governor (Assistant Director), Moungkung Township, General Administration Department, Southern Shan State, Ministry of Home Affairs (2012) |
| Cambodia | Director, Training Department, General Department of Administration, Ministry of Interior(2010) |
Origin and Affiliation of Students (as of October 2019)
| COUNTRY | Typical Affiliation |
|---|---|
| (School of Government) | |
| India | Ministry of Finance |
| Indonesia | Ministry of State Secretariat |
| Uzbekistan | Central Bank of Uzbekistan |
| Australia | The Treasury |
| Kazakhstan | The Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market of the Republic of Kazakhstan |
| Republic of Korea | Ministry of Economy and Finance |
| Cambodia | Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation |
| Kyrgyz Republic | National Bank of Kyrgyz Republic |
| Singapore | Ministry of Home Affairs |
| Sri Lanka | Ministry of Internal and Home Affairs and Provincial Councils and Local Government |
| Slovakia | Implementation Agency, Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family |
| Thailand | Secretariat of the Prime Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
| Czech Republic | National Cyber and Information Security Agency, Ministry of Agriculture |
| China | State Intellectual Property Office |
| Turkmenistan | State Service Academy under the President of Turkmenistan |
| Turkey | Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
| Pakistan | Government of Pakistan |
| Hungary | Ministry of Justice |
| Bangladesh | Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
| Philippines | House of Representatives |
| Bulgaria | Ministry of Defense |
| Brunei | His Majesty the Sultan’s Flight, Ministry of Finance and Economy |
| Viet Nam | College of Economics Hue University |
| Poland | Chancellery of the Prime Minister |
| Malaysia | Ministry of Finance |
| Mongolia | Cabinet Secretariat |
| Myanmar | Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
| Laos | Ministry of Home Affairs |
| Romania | Ministry of Justice |
| Japan | Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishries (YLP Japan), City of Yokohama (YLP Japan) |
| (School of Local Governance) | |
| India | Government of Manipur |
| Indonesia | Ministry of Home Affairs |
| Uzbekistan | Ministry of Finance |
| Cambodia | Ministry of Interior |
| Thailand | Ministry of Interior, Office of the Consumer Protection Board |
| Czech Republic | Municipality of the City of Prague |
| China | Beijing Municipal Health Bureau |
| Republic of Korea | Busan Metropolitan City |
| Pakistan | Chief Secretary’s Office, Khyber Pukhtunkhwa |
| Hungary | Government Office of Komarom-Esztergom County |
| Philippines | Department of the Interior and Local Government |
| Viet Nam | People’s Committee of Nga Bay Town |
| Poland | Marshall Office of the Podkarpackie Region |
| Malaysia | Malacca State Health Department |
| Myanmar | Ministry of Office of the Union Government |
| Laos | Ministry of Home Affairs |
| Romania | Cluj-Napoca City Hall |
Young Leaders Program: List of Recommending Authorities
| Country | School of Government | School of Local Governance |
|---|---|---|
| China | Ministry of Education | Ministry of Education |
| Korea | Ministry of Personnel Management (MPM) | Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) |
| Indonesia | National Development Planning Agency (BAPPENAS) | Ministry of Home Affairs |
| Ministry of Foreign Affairs | ||
| National Police | ||
| Ministry of Home Affairs | ||
| Malaysia | Public Service Department | Public Service Department |
| Philippines | Civil Service Commission | Civil Service Commission |
| University of the Philippines | ||
| Singapore | Public Service Division | |
| Thailand | Office of the Civil Service Commission | Office of the Civil Service Commission |
| Ministry of Interior | ||
| Bangkok Metropolitan Administration | ||
| Brunei | Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade | |
| Viet Nam | Diplomatic Academy | Central Committee of Organization and Personnel, Monitoring Office of Program165 |
| Ministry of Education and Training | Ministry of Home Affairs | |
| Central Committee of Organization and Personnel, Monitoring Office of Program165 | ||
| Laos | Ministry of Home Affairs | Ministry of Home Affairs |
| Myanmar | Ministry of Planning and Finance | Ministry of Office of the Union Government |
| Ministry of Foreign Affairs | ||
| Ministry of Office of the Union Government | ||
| Cambodia | Council of Ministers | Ministry of Interior |
| Council for the Development of Cambodia | ||
| Ministry of Economy and Finance | ||
| Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation | ||
| Mongolia | Cabinet Office | Cabinet Office |
| Kazakhstan | JSC “Center for International Programs” | JSC “Center for International Programs” |
| Kyrgyz Republic | State Personnel Service | |
| Ministry of Foreign Affairs | ||
| Turkmenistan | Cabinet of Ministers | |
| The Office of the President | ||
| Uzbekistan | Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan | Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan |
| India | Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions | Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions |
| Australia | Department of Education and Training | |
| Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet | ||
| The Treasury | ||
| Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade | ||
| Department of Industry, Innovation and Science | ||
| Hungary | Tempus Public Foundation | Tempus Public Foundation |
| Czech Republic | Ministry of the Interior | Ministry of the Interior |
| Slovakia | Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs | |
| Poland | Chancellery of Prime Minister (Civil Service Department) | The Joint Commission of the Government and the Local Government, Ministry of the Interior and Administration |
| Romania | National School of Political and Administrative Studies Bucharest | Ministry of Regional Development, Public Administration and European Funds |
| Bulgaria | Institute of Public Administration | |
| Pakistan | Ministry of Foreign Affairs | Cabinet Secretariat |
| Ministry of Finance | ||
| Ministry of Interior | ||
| Cabinet Secretariat | ||
| Sri Lanka | Ministry of Finance and Planning | |
| Ministry of External Affairs | ||
| Bangladesh | Ministry of Foreign Affairs | |
| Ministry of Finance | ||
| Ministry of Public Administration | ||
| Turkey | Ministry of Foreign Affairs | Ministry of Interior |
| Ministry of Treasury and Finance | ||
| Ministry of Trade | ||
| Ministry of Interior |
Recent Theses
(School of Government)
- Flogging the Dead Horse of Pro-Natalist Population Policies? Impact of Singapore’s Population Policies on Fertility Trends since 1996
- Foreign Direct Investment in Malaysia: An Econometric Analysis of the Determinants, 1985-2005
- Restructuring of Financial Regulatory Systems after the Global Financial Crisis
- Study on Evaluating the Emission Reduction Targets in UNFCCC Kyoto Protocol
- What Does It Take to Become a Donor? Perspectives on Japanese and Dutch Development Cooperation Policies and Lessons for Romania’s First Steps
(School of Local Governance)
- Governance Predicaments in Pakistan – A Study of Decentralization Reforms in Pakistan
- Local Council Election in Malaysia: The Plea for Reinstatement
- Unbridle Demand for Proliferation in Indonesia’s Decentralization versus Amalgamation in Japan
- Preparing for an Aging Society:What Thailand can Learn from Japan in the Area of Local Government Welfare for Elderly
- Corruption and Accountability in Local Governments: Focus on Local Personnel Administration