The International House of Japan (IHJ) has selected 10 LEAP Professional Fellows—5 from Japan and 5 from South Korea—for the inaugural cohort of the LEAP (Leaders in East Asia for Peace) Professional Fellow Program, an international initiative aimed at nurturing next-generation leaders in East Asia. Fellows from Japan were selected by IHJ, and fellows from Korea were selected by the Chey Institute for Advanced Studies in Korea.

LEAP Professional Fellow Program aims to build trust among promising mid-career professionals from Japan and South Korea through interdisciplinary exchange. By establishing early connections between next-generation specialists in both countries, the program seeks to construct a human network that serves as a foundation for future Japan–South Korea relations and regional cooperation in the Asia-Pacific, grounded in LEAP’s core values of “Peace, Reconciliation, and Mutual Understanding.” Through these efforts, the program will cultivate mid-to-long-term contributors to East Asian peace across five key fields: Diplomacy & Security, Business, Journalism, Culture & Arts, and Humanities.

The 10 selected fellows are scheduled to participate in a program in Gyeongju, South Korea, from November 5 to 8, 2026, followed by a second session in Japan in June 2027.

Please see below for details on the inaugura cohort.