Government and the Nonprofit Sector

The relationship between the public and nonprofit sector has been an important focus of JCIE's work through the years. Various projects have been initiated in order to promote greater understanding of civil society's role in governance, the legal infrastructure of the nonprofit sector, and ways of enhancing civil society.

• Civil Society Monitor (1996-present)
• Cooperation with the Asia Pacific Philanthropy Consortium (APPC) (1994-present)
• The Role of Philanthropy in Postwar US-Japan Relations (2002-2006)
• Keio University Shibusawa Ei'ichi Memorial Lectureship (2004-2005)
• Transformation of Japanese Communities and the Emerging Local Agenda (2000-2003)
• International Comparative Study on Governance and Civil Society (1998-2001)
• Governance and Civil Society in Japan (1997-1999)

• "G8 Mobilization Reflects Progress of Japan’s NGOs," Civil Society Monitor, November 2008 [pdf 152kb]
• "Japan's Nonprofits Prepare for a New Legal System," Civil Society Monitor, August 2007 [pdf 280kb]
• "The Role of Philanthropy in Postwar US-Japan Relations, 1945-1975: An Overview," Tadashi Yamamoto in Philanthropy and Reconciliation in Postwar US-Japan Relations, 2006 [pdf 379kb]
• "US-Japan Intellectual Exchange: The Relationship between Government and Private Foundations," Makoto Iokibe in Philanthropy and Reconciliation in Postwar US-Japan Relations, 2006 [pdf 692kb]
• "Nonprofit Sector Reform - A Step Forward?," Civil Society Monitor, April 2005 [pdf 259kb]
• "The Emergence of NPOs and the Implications for Local Governance," Shigeru Tamura in Japan's Road to Pluralism: Transforming Local Communities in the Global Era, 2003 [pdf 261kb]
• "Interim Report on Public Interest Corporation Reforms Stirs Further Debate" (Civil Society Monitor, Issue 9, June 2004)
• Amended Law to Promote Specific Non-Profit Activities ("NPO Law")
• Outline of the 2003 Revision of the Special Tax Measures Law"
• "New Legal Reform Efforts Receive Mixed Welcome" (Civil Society Monitor, Issue 8, Dec. 2003)
• "An Appeal for Local-Level Perspectives on the ODA Charter" (GrassNet, Issue 15, 8/30/03)
• "Breaking the State Monopoly on Public Affairs," Hideki Kato in Governance for a New Century: Japanese Challenges, American Experience, ed. Thomas E. Mann and Takeshi Sasaki, 2003 [132k pdf]
• "The Emergence of NPOs and the Implications for Local Governance," Shigeru Tamura in Japan's Road to Pluralism: Transforming Local Communities in the Global Era, ed. Shun'ichi Furukawa and Toshihiro Menju, 2003 [204k pdf]
• "New Tax Bill Gives Partial Victory to NPOs" (Civil Society Monitor, Issue 6, July 2001)
• The Cabinet Order Amending in Part the Special Tax Measures Law—passed in March 2001
• "The NPO Law and Civil Society's New Phase of Development" (Civil Society Monitor, Issue 5, Sept. 1999)

• Amended Law to Promote Specified Nonprofit Activities | pdf [pdf 144k]
  (amended "NPO Law" indicating revisions made as of April 9, 2003)
• Outline of the 2003 Revision of the Special Tax Measures Law | [pdf 20k]
  (approved December 2002)

Related Publications

• Philanthropy and Reconciliation: Rebuilding Postwar US-Japan Relations, Yamamoto Tadashi, Iriye Akira, and Iokibe Makoto, editors, 2006
• Japan's Road to Pluralism: Transforming Local Communities in the Global Era, Shun'ichi Furukawa and Toshihiro Menju, editors, 2003
• The Third Force: The Rise of Transnational Civil Society, Ann M. Florini, editor, 2000
• Deciding the Public Good: Governance and Civil Society in Japan, Tadashi Yamamoto, editor, 1999
• Governance and Civil Society in a Global Age, Tadashi Yamamoto and Kim Gould Ashizawa, editors, 1998
• Globalization, Governance, and Civil Society (Global ThinkNet Tokyo Conference 1998)

Resources

• Civil Society Monitor
  A newsletter providing information on trends in Japan's nonprofit sector.
• GrassNet
  Archives of a monthly e-magazine reporting on new trends and developments in the field of grassroots international exchange and cooperation activities in Japan. Selected articles are available in English.
• Search JCIE Research
  Search all of JCIE's research in .pdf format by keyword.