Posted on August 02, 2018
When we use the term NPO, we use it broadly beyond the legal definition of NPO Corporations (Specified Nonprofit Corporations) to include nonprofit organizations and civic activity groups in general. Today, NPOs are vaguely recognized among the Japanese public. According to the Cabinet Office study “2016 Survey on Citizens’ Social Contributions,” only 37% of those surveyed answered that they are interested in NPOs.
For many people, NPOs are an assortment of groups that provides services to meet the needs of people who are not reached by the government or businesses. While more and more people recognize NPOs in this way, many in the public are still unaware that through the services they provide, NPOs acquire a sense that “something is amiss” with how society is run. From this starting point, NPOs weave together various people’s thoughts, enabling them to serve as agents, catalysts, and attendants in creating social change.
NPOs create values in this manner. This process of value creation is not limited to novel or large-scale endeavors. We believe that working within communities or neighborhoods to bring forth small changes in people’s behavior patterns, introducing new ways of thinking or reintroducing traditional wisdom into contemporary lifestyles, and other efforts to encourage tiny shifts within previously unquestioned ways of doing things can all be considered meaningful initiatives in value creation.
JNPOC Mid-Term Vision 2018-2022: Table of Contents
I: Reaffirming Our Foundational Vision and Mission
II: What World Today as We See It
III: Our Initiatives