Policy & Research

JNPOC conducts various research as part of our ongoing research projects on nonprofits as well as in response to corporate clients’ requests based on their interest in the Japanese nonprofit sector.

 

■ Working with Corporations

For multinational corporations and foundations that are interested in investing their future CSR activities in Japan, JNPOC’s collaborative efforts usually begin with conducting research on the landscape and needs assessment of specific areas/issues in which they are interested.

 

Working Papers:

  • #1 Financial Inclusion and Japanese Society (March 2016); grant from MetLife Foundation

    This working paper looks at how the need for financial inclusion is growing in Japanese society, and considers which population/segments of society are particularly at risk of “financial exclusion.”

 

 

Infographic:

  • Financial Inclusion in Japan (2016); grant from MetLife Foundation

    This infographic outlines the need for financial inclusion, illustrating how this need is emerging in Japanese society.

 

Research:

  • Research Report on Financial Health among Low-Income Single Mothers and Youth (April 2020): grant from JP Morgan Chase Foundation

    Focusing on low-income single mothers and youth, the research aims to find out their financial health conditions and issues they face, and recommends policies and social contribution programs that are effective in resolving these issues. Forming an advisory board, the research involves online surveys with single mothers/youth (in partnership with NPOs with expertise) and interviews with experts, NPOs, governments, and single mothers/youth themselves.

 

Other JNPOC research work with corporations/foundations include:

  • Nike: Landscape research on institutions that can bring the benefits of sports and physical activity to youth in Tokyo, 2016
  • Prudential: Analysis and partner recommendation on five support areas for children of economically disadvantaged backgrounds, 2019
  • Laureus Sport for Good Foundation: Landscape/needs assessment of sport involvement and empowerment of girls/young women in Japan by identifying key issues affecting them and recommending stakeholders and organizations of sports-based girls empowerment interventions in four locations in Japan, 2020
  • Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society (CAPs): Japan research part of DOING GOOD INDEX 2020 Profiling Asia’s Social Sectors: The Path Forward
    DGI2020_Japan Profile and Graphics

 

■ Our Own Initiatives

In order to grasp the conditions of Japanese nonprofits, JNPOC has done research studies of our own, including:

With the financial support of World Vision Japan, JNPOC organized the “NPO Capacity Development Project,” which had been implemented from May 2012 to July 2013 following a preparation period. The following report aims to measure the success (evaluate the effectiveness) of the project goals, i.e., nonprofit organizational capacity building in three disaster-affected prefectures and the development of nonprofit leadership:

In addition, JNPOC addresses the legal/tax-benefit conditions of nonprofits through advocacy efforts on needs basis. For example, JNPOC and other local NPO support centers filed a petition to the Japanese government calling for non-profit corporate tax system and regulation revisions where JNPOC was responsible for the overall coordination of summarizing the voices of nonprofits; this was made possible due to us having a network of local NPO support centers throughout Japan. JNPOC and local NPO support centers sent questionnaires to nonprofit organizations with tax-exempt status, and the results were compiled in the “Emergency Questionnaires Regarding Deemed Donations System to Approved Specified Nonprofit Corporations” (PDF: in Japanese).