Emergence of Japan’s Civil Society and Its Future Challenges

Public attention to civil society surged abruptly and dramatically in Japan in the wake of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in Kobe in January 1995, which took the lives of over 6,400 people. More than 1.3 million volunteers and a large number of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) converged on the devastated city to offer relief and assistance to the victims. Their dedicated and impressive work was a bright spot in the otherwise grim scene of disaster. The media reported a number of poignant stories about the critical role played by volunteers and NGOs and nonprofit organizations (NPOs),1 and belabored the allegedly bureaucratic and inept response of national and local government officials. Though there may have been a lack of balance in portraying the effectiveness of civil society organizations and volunteers in contrast with the ineffectiveness of “bumbling bureaucrats, ” the intense reportage helped the Japanese public as well as government officials and political and business leaders focus on civil society. This sudden awareness of the value or utility of volunteers and NPOs prompted the government and political parties to find ways of facilitating their activities. Because as many as 18 government agencies rushed to respond to the new popularity of volunteer activities, they decided to form a Liaison Committee for Related Government Ministries and Agencies Regarding Volunteer Activities. Most of the main political parties started drafting new NPO legislation that would effectively promote and support the activities of Japan’s nonprofit sector. For three years following the earthquake, intense debate over the NPO legislation occurred, involving not only NPO leaders but also politicians, bureaucrats, business leaders, and the media. The so-called NPO Law (officially the Law to Promote Specified Nonprofit Activities) finally passed the Diet in March 1998, providing a new impetus for the further growth of civil society in Japan. Equally significant is that the debate over the NPO La