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You are currently viewing Charity Insights, which explores the landscape from the perspective of social purpose organisations in this country.
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You are currently viewing Charity Insights, which explores the landscape from the perspective of social purpose organisations in this country.
Use the toggle below to switch to Donor Insights and view how and why individuals give.
The data from the Charity Insights Report offer valuable insights into how non-profit leaders perceive the current state and future direction of civil society in Japan.
While the findings should be interpreted as indicative rather than definitive, they reveal a sector that is resilient in many respects, yet increasingly concerned about its future. Unlike many countries where financial insecurity dominates the conversation, Japanese non-profits appear more worried about people. Staff recruitment and retention emerged as the sector's most frequently cited challenge, far outpacing the global average. At the same time, Japanese organisations tend to assess their sector more critically than their counterparts elsewhere. While a majority of charities globally describe their civil society sectors as healthy, more than half of Japanese respondents characterised theirs as unhealthy.
Another striking finding is the perceived lack of connection within the sector itself. More than three-quarters of Japanese respondents felt that civil society does not work together effectively for the public good. Yet this concern is accompanied by a strong desire for collaboration. Half of respondents expressed a desire to strengthen partnerships with businesses, significantly above the global average. Together, these findings suggest a sector that recognises the importance of collaboration but has not yet fully realised its potential. They also highlight the growing importance of multi-stakeholder partnerships among non-profits, businesses, governments, and local communities in addressing increasingly complex social challenges.
At the Japan NPO Center (JNPOC), we see these findings as both a warning and an opportunity. The challenges identified in the survey closely align with our work to strengthen non-profit capacity, foster cross-sector partnerships, and create opportunities for organisations to learn from one another. While the results reveal genuine concerns about the sector's future, they also contain encouraging signs. Beneath the sector's self-critical outlook lies a degree of resilience and adaptability that may surprise outside observers. Our role is to help transform that potential into greater collective capacity for a more connected, collaborative, and sustainable civil society in Japan.
Overall, would you say the charity sector in your country is…
Which challenges are most pressing for your organisation? (select the top 3):
How did organisations find coping with this increased demand over the last 12 months?
Which, if any, of these actions have you had to take in order to cope with increasing demand?
The proportion of charities that receive each type of funding:
If you received no more donations or funding from today, how long could you continue operating using only your reserves, any investments or earned income?
How much of your funding is given as ‘restricted’ funds?
Geographically, where does your funding come from?
Aside from giving more money, how could funders empower organisations like yours to do more good?
Which of the following statements, if any, do you feel apply to funders?
Roughly speaking, how much time do you spend on each of the following?
Which of the following would you like to do a better job of engaging ?(select up to two)
How well does civil society in your country collaborate together for the greater good?
What are the barriers to developing your civil society network further?
How effectively do you do the following?
Does your organisation use a formal framework or strategy for capturing and measuring impact?
How trustworthy do you think the people of your country find the following types of organisations?
Overall, do you think the Government is a positive or negative influence on the charitable sector?
Founded in 1996, Japan NPO Center (JNPOC) acts as a national infrastructure organization for the growing nonprofit sector in Japan. With a variety of programs, JNPOC aims to support the civic activities of Japanese civil society and the growth of its nonprofit sector through the development of NPOs (nonprofit organizations) and NPO intermediaries, and the promotion of collaboration between nonprofits, the government and the private sector.
Founded in 1996, Japan NPO Center (JNPOC) acts as a national infrastructure organization for the growing nonprofit sector in Japan. With a variety of programs, JNPOC aims to support the civic activities of Japanese civil society and the growth of its nonprofit sector through the development of NPOs (nonprofit organizations) and NPO intermediaries, and the promotion of collaboration between nonprofits, the government and the private sector.
