After more than a year of ongoing side discussions about philanthropy in Japan, the International House of Japan (IHJ), United States-Japan Foundation, American Friends of the International House of Japan (AFIHJ), the 21st Century Japan Politics and Society Initiative at the IU Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, and IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy joined hands to co-host a public webinar, raise awareness about the current state of philanthropy in Japan, and foster dialogue to enhance the future of philanthropy in Japan and U.S.-Japan relations. This event began a public conversation on ways in which philanthropic leaders from both countries can deepen engagement. A recording of the event can be found here.

A special thanks to our co-panelists Miyoki Demay of World Monuments Fund and Nintendo Corporation, Daisuke Kan of Cheerio Corporation Ltd., Sheila Smith of the Council of Foreign Relations, and Jacob Schlesinger of the United States-Japan Foundation.

Together, the panel offered rich and diverse perspectives on a variety of topics, including research, corporate giving, cause-based giving, the social impact ecosystem of philanthropy in Japan, and cross-border perspectives.

The event began with a presentation (by Afshan), sharing new research insights from the 2025 Global Philanthropy Environment Index¹ (GPEI) — a leading international dataset, inclusive of 111 reports that provide an updated mapping of the philanthropic environment in 95 countries and 15 regions. A macro-global perspective was presented on the enabling environment for philanthropy before moving into country-level specifics about Japan. Based on the research presentation and panel discussion, five key takeaways are shared below.

  1. Based on the 2025 GPEI, Japan’s philanthropy environment is judged to be favorable across all six measured indicators. The report covers the period between 2021 and 2023, a time during which Japan faced commodity price increases, especially in relation to the Russia-Ukraine war, the slowing down of the COVID-19 pandemic, and disaster relief, including flooding and earthquakes that prompted generous giving.
  2. Buddhist traditions, duty, and a sense of openness and belonging are a way of life in Japan, and collectively they inform giving. This combination of values, for example, was on display in the aftermath of the 2011 tsunami. Such traditions also inform an interest in driving philanthropy to support cultural preservation and historic sites.

Read the full article about philanthropy in Japan by Afshan Paarlberg and David Janes at Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.