This study aims to understand the perceived learning experiences and gains for Japanese government officials from US and Japanese graduate and professional schools, and how applicable their continuing professional education (CPE) is to professional performance. Interview participants were drawn from long-term overseas and domestic fellowship programs within the government's National Personnel Authority. Human capital theory and Ottoson's situated evaluation framework were applied for the analysis of 30 purposefully selected interviews. The officials from the overseas program reported more diverse and positive outcomes in cognitive, social, and affective domains as well as networking opportunities from their experiences than those from the domestic program. The interviews, however, revealed a loose linkage between CPE participants' outcomes and their subsequent work.