2016-2020 | The Nippon Foundation

April2016

Stepped Up Efforts Toward an Inclusive Society

Following the signing of an agreement in late December 2015 with UNESCO for a Disabled Persons Arts Festival, a memorandum of understanding is concluded with the World Bank in April to support persons with disabilities in job training and employment. The BMaps barrier-free information application, being developed in advance of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, is previewed in Tokyo and subsequently introduced at international conferences in Washington, D.C. and New York City in the United States, and in Quito, Ecuador.

Photo of agreements signed by the World Bank and The Nippon Foundation to support job training and employment for persons with disabilities

April2016

Response to Kumamoto Earthquakes

The Nippon Foundation uses the expertise gained in responding to the 1995 Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake and the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, including drawing on the Special Fund for Disaster Preparedness established in 2014, to provide emergency relief and support for reconstruction after Kumamoto Prefecture and adjacent areas suffer major damage from a series of earthquakes that struck over several days in mid-April. This includes identifying the actual needs on the ground, providing special assistance to persons with disabilities and older persons, and coordinating with NGOs and local governments.

September2016

The Nippon Foundation Social Innovation Forum 2016

The Nippon Foundation Social Innovation Forum 2016 brings together representatives of governments, companies, NGOs, and research institutions, to seek innovative ways to address social issues through activities that transcend traditional organizational frameworks. The forum features presentations by more than 100 specialists and 30 workshops, and is attended by roughly 2,200 people over three days. Specially selected social innovation projects (one first prize and two runners up) announced on the final day will receive support from the Foundation of up to one million yen annually for up to three years.

June2017

Volunteer Partnership Signed with Tokyo 2020

In June, The Nippon Foundation signs a partnership agreement with the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Tokyo 2020) for cooperation and coordination in the area of volunteer activities for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Under the agreement, the Foundation will use its expertise and experience in managing volunteers to work with Tokyo 2020 in a variety of areas, to recruit and train volunteers, build momentum for the Tokyo 2020 Games, and ensure a successful Olympics and Paralympics.

Photo of Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori (left) and The Nippon Foundation Chairman Yohei Sasakawa (right) with the signed agreements for volunteer partnership

July2017

Countries Working Together for Free and Open Seas – 1st Coast Guard Global Summit

The first Coast Guard Global Summit, attended by 35 countries and territories representing Asia, Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Oceana, and three international organizations, is held in September in Tokyo. The Nippon Foundation has organized summits of Asian coast guard leaders annually since 2004, focusing on the issues of piracy, maritime accidents, and preserving the maritime environment. In 2017, the summit is expanded to include coast guard leaders from around the world.

Group photo of participants at the 1st Coast Guard Global Summit

October2017

The Nippon Foundation DIVERSITY IN THE ARTS Exhibition

The Nippon Foundation DIVERSITY IN THE ARTS Exhibition – Museum of Together is held in October at the Spiral building in Minami-Aoyama, Tokyo. The exhibition features approximately 500 works by 22 artists, including artists with intellectual, mental, and physical disabilities, and Shingo Katori of the now disbanded vocal group SMAP participating as the “23rd artist.” Over 19 days, more than 39,000 people visit the exhibition, which is designed to make the works accessible for as many people as possible.

2018

The Nippon Foundation – GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project

Together with the GEBCO Guiding Committee, The Nippon Foundation launches a new project with the aim of mapping the entire ocean floor by 2030. Understanding the bathymetry of the global ocean is imperative for improving maritime navigation, and also for enhancing our ability to predict climate change and monitor marine biodiversity and resources. A comprehensive map of the seafloor will assist global efforts to combat pollution, aid marine conservation, forecast tsunami, and better understand tides, wave action, and sediment transport.

Photo of Chairman Yohei Sasakawa speaking at a press conference

June2018

Support for Recovery from Natural Disasters

The year 2018 in Japan is marked by a series of natural disasters, including earthquakes in Osaka Prefecture and the northern island of Hokkaido, and heavy rains that caused major damage in western Japan. Immediately after each of these events, The Nippon Foundation appeals for donations and begins providing support to meet the needs of people in the affected areas.

November2018

AVATAR Café DAWN ver.β

The Nippon Foundation, together with Ory Laboratory and ANA Holdings, opens a café on a trial basis in the lobby of The Nippon Foundation headquarters in Tokyo, where customers are served by robots remotely operated by persons with disabilities from their homes, as a way to support employment for persons with serious physical disabilities. The three parties aim to have a similar permanent facility in place by 2020, when Tokyo will host the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Photo of the ribbon-cutting to open the café

February2019

Joint Project with Ministry of the Environment to Address Ocean Debris

The CHANGE FOR THE BLUE project is launched as a joint public, private, and academic sector project to raise nationwide awareness of the problem of ocean debris and make each individual resolve “not to allow any more plastic waste to enter the ocean.” The Foundation also partners with the Ministry of the Environment’s Plastics Smart campaign to address this issue.

Photo of participants at a beach cleanup event

June2019

Support for Establishment of the Imphal Peace Museum

To mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Imphal and preserve records from the battle, and to deepen ties between Japan and India, the Foundation supports the construction of the Imphal Peace Museum, built on a theme of “Peace and Reconciliation.” For the museum’s opening, the Foundation collects items to be displayed and preserved at the museum and monetary donations.

September2019

Support for Recovery from Typhoons Faxai and Hagibis

Typhoon Faxai struck the Kanto region of central Japan on September 9, with Chiba Prefecture experiencing particular damage, and Typhoon Hagibis, which made landfall on October 12-13, caused severe damage across the Kanto, Koshinetsu, and Tohoku regions. The Foundation provides emergency relief to victims of both typhoons, as well as support for NGO and volunteer activities and for books, musical instruments, and other supplies for schools that were damaged. The Nanani fund is set up specifically to support this work, and receives donations totaling more than 250 million yen from the general public.

Photo of damage caused by Typhoon Hagibis

April2020

Support in Response to Spread of Coronavirus

A new coronavirus was discovered in Wuhan, China, in January 2020, and spread to Japan, leading to the declaration of a state of emergency in April. Given the possibility of a crisis from a collapse of the medical system, the Foundation launches four initiatives.

1.The establishment and operation of The Nippon Foundation Disaster Emergency Support Center
2.Transportation support for medical practitioners and infected persons to prevent the spread of infections
3.Support in the form of specially equipped vehicles and medical equipment to medical facilities designated by the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine
4.The establishment and operation of a PCR testing center.

In addition, the Foundation collects donations to support the swift implementation of these initiatives, receiving 2.7 billion yen (from April 2020 to March 2021).

Photo of The Nippon Foundation Disaster Emergency Support Center

August2020

Strengthening of Telephone Relay Service

The Foundation launched a Telephone Relay Service as a model project in 2013, enabling persons who are deaf or hard of hearing to access sign language interpreters via video phone at public facilities. This leads to the passing in October 2020 of the Act on Facilitating the Use of Telephones by the Hearing Impaired, etc., with the launch of the public service in July 2021.

Photo of graphic showing the telephone relay service, with a sign language interpreter acting as an intermediary between a user and a business representative

December2020

Announcing Support for The Valuable 500

In January, the Foundation agrees to cooperate as a Global Impact Partner with The Valuable 500, a global network launched as a call to the CEOs of 500 global companies to promote reforms that will enable persons with disabilities to demonstrate their potential social, business, and economic value through access to hiring, products, and services without disadvantage. In May, V500 reaches its target of having the CEOs of 500 companies commit to its program.

History

Stepped Up Efforts Toward an Inclusive Society