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TRANSCRIPT
RESPONDING TO THE
JAPAN DISASTER
The Japan Disaster: Philanthropy New York Funders’ Teleconference
James Gannon
Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA)
April 1, 2011
JCIE/USA • 274 Madison Avenue, Suite 1102, New York, NY 10016 • (212) 679-4130 • w ww.jcie.org
JCIE/Japan • 4-9-17 Minami-Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0047 • (03) 3446-7781 • w ww.jcie.or.jp
Overview
1) Scope of the Disaster
2) Current Response—Rescue & Relief
3) Long-term Needs—Reconstruction & Recovery
4) Japan’s Civil Society Sector & US Philanthropy
5) What US Funders Can Do
The Earthquake – March 11, 2:46pm (local time)
Other Major Earthquakes by Magnitude (Richter Scale)
Tokyo Earthquake (Great Kanto Earthquake) 7.9 1923
Kobe Earthquake 7.2 1995
Loma Prieta Earthquake (San Francisco) 6.9 1989
Northridge Earthquake (LA, California) 6.7 1994
Aftershocks
750 aftershocks in first 2 weeks
3 aftershocks larger than Northridge Earthquake
44 aftershocks more than 6.0 Magnitude
Strongest Recorded Earthquakes by Magnitude (Richter Scale)
1) Valdivia Earthquake (Validivia, Chile) 9.5 Magnitude 1960
2) Alaska Earthquake 9.2 1964
3) Indian Ocean Earthquake 9.1~9.3 2004
4) Tohoku Japan Earthquake 9.0 2011
5) Kamchatka Earthquake (USSR) 9.0 1952
The Tsunami
Waves hit in Miyako, Iwate Prefecture
Waves strike Natori (Miyagi Prefecture), a farming town of
74,000 people, destroying much of the town.
The Destruction
Casualties & Damage (as of 3/31)
11,500+ - confirmed deaths
16,400+ - missing
2,800+ - injured
170,000+ - in shelters
160,000+ - buildings destroyed or damaged
The Damage to Human Lives
1135 of 1600 companies listed on Tokyo Stock Exchange report having
facilities in the affected areas that are damaged
East Japan (including Tokyo) faces rolling blackouts through the summer
Fishing industry in the Tohoku region (2009 income of $1.5 billion)
completely wiped out. Almost all of the 263 fishing ports in Tohoku region
destroyed, 20,000+ fishing vessels lost nationwide.
World’s Costliest Natural Disasters (Since 1965)
1. Tohoku Earthquake (2011) est. $198~309 billion
2. Kobe Earthquake (1995) $100 billion
3. Hurricane Katrina (2005) $81 billion
4. Northridge Earthquake (1994) $20 billion
The Economic Toll
Japanese Gov’t mobilizes 100,000 Self
Defense Force troops
US Forces Japan launches Operation
Tomodachi with 20,000 personnel
Nuclear crisis
Current Government Response: Rescue & Relief
Civil Society Response: Rescue & Relief (1) Response by Japanese Organizations
20-30 established organizations that
typically work overseas on humanitarian emergencies and natural disasters are
providing relief.
They are well-equipped to maneuver in
Japanese society and within the webs of bureaucracy, but are underfunded.
Evacuees use a satellite phone provided by Peace Winds.
AAR delivers food to tsunami survivors at the Asahigaoka Community Center.
Civil Society Response: Rescue & Relief (2) Response by Japanese Organizations
Hundreds of new self-help and voluntary
organizations are emerging around the country.
Coordination Initiatives
• Japan Civil Network for Disaster Relief in East
Japan (Japan CivilNet)—looser, brand new
coordination effort among 140 groups involved
in various aspects of fundraising, relief,
recovery, etc.
• Japan Platform—strong coordination among 32
humanitarian assistance organizations
A generator arrives in Hirota.
AMDA personnel assist in a nursing facility.
Civil Society Response: Rescue & Relief (3) Fundraising by Japanese Organizations
A. Domestic Fundraising Initiatives
Disaster Grantmaking Funds – Distributing Funds to Relief and Recovery Organizations
Organization Amount Target
Central Community Chest of Japan $4.9 million (as of 3/24) Emergency relief
Give One Campaign (Ctr for Public Resource Dev/t) $241,000 (as of 3/24) Emergency relief by select disaster relief organizations
JANIC (Japan NGO Center for International Cooperation)
$874,00 (as of 3/28) Emergency relief by member organizations (disaster relief
organizations) Japan NPO Center $241,000 (target as of 3/25) Local NGOs in disaster
areas
Japan Association of Charitable Organizations $36,000 (as of 3/18)
Japan Platform $22.5 million (as of 3/24) Emergency relief by member organizations (disaster relief
organizations) Nippon Foundation (Canpan initiative) $3.2 million (as of 3/24) NGOs working w/ children,
disabled, elderly, etc.
Civil Society Response: Rescue & Relief (4) Fundraising by Japanese Organizations
B. Domestic Fundraising Initiatives (cont.)
“Gienkin” Funds
Providing direct cash payments to disaster victims
Organization Amount raised
Japan Red Cross $484 million (as of 3/25)
Central Community Chest of Japan $90 million (as of 3/25)
Asahi Newspaper/NHK Social Welfare Organization Unavailable
Japanese Consumers Cooperative Unavailable
Long-term Reconstruction & Recovery:
Economic Challenges
National Debt / GDP Ratio
Japan (2010) 225.8%
Japan (1995 – Kobe Earthquake) 59.4%
United States (2010) 58.9%
Income Per Capita Relative to National Average (National Average = 1.0)
Miyagi Prefecture .73
Iwate Prefecture .81
Fukushima Prefecture .93
Japan is the most heavily indebted of all advanced industrial countries
The devastated areas in Japan were already poorer than the rest of the country.
Long-term Reconstruction & Recovery:
Demographic Challenges
Elderly as percent of population (65 + years old; 2009)
Miyagi Prefecture 22.1%
Iwate Prefecture 26.8%
Fukushima 24.7%
Comparative Data Japan – Countrywide 22.7%
United States (2004 data) 12.4%
Japan’s population is the greyest in the world
Plus, there is a disproportionate number of senior citizens in the affected areas.
Potential Issues for the Long Term Recovery
Rebuilding • Rebuilding & resettlement of displaced people (especially from areas w/ radioactive contamination)
Health • Rebuild health systems
• Special physical health needs (radiation, etc) • Mental health needs (trauma, etc)
Local Economies • Economic revitalization of devastated communities (complicated by aging)
• Transition of industrial structure –shift away from agriculture and fishing in contaminated areas
Demographics • Special needs for seniors, especially in towns that were already hollowing out due to aging • Orphans – no strong adoption system like in the United States
Societal • Societal discrimination (fears of radiation)
• Preserve local heritage/historical structures/traditions
To respond effectively to each of these complex issues, it is important to empower
communities, and civil society organizations have a crucial role to play
Fragility of Japan’s civil society sector (1)
Yet most nonprofits remain severely understaffed and with a weak financial base.
Meanwhile, there is a major legal transition underway forcing all of the largest
nonprofits in Japan (i.e., ―public interest corporations‖), to reregister and reapply for
tax benefits. This had already been placing a large administrative burden on them
even before the additional stresses related to the disasters.
Note: Does not include educational and religious organizations. 2010 figures are estimate.
Rapid growth of Japan’s nonprofit sector.
Fragility of Japan’s civil society sector (2)
Japan’s philanthropic sector is much smaller than in other developed
economies, partly as a result of two decades of economic stagnation.
Grantmaking by Top 5 US Foundations vs. All Japanese Foundations (2009)
1. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation $2,102 million
2. AstraZeneca Foundation $612 million
Combined grantmaking of Japanese foundation sector $611 million
3. Ford Foundation $529 million
4. GlaxoSmithKline Patient Access Programs Foundation $438 million
5. William and Flora Hewlett Foundation $379 million
Note: Figures for Japanese grantmaking from the Japan Foundation Center. The total includes all grantmaking by the 742 largest
foundations in Japan
Average Corporate Giving of Largest Japanese Companies (including in-kind)
1991 $5.4 million
2009 $4.5 million
Source: Nippon Keidanren (Japan Business Federation) survey.
Corporate support for nonprofits has also been waning.
Current US Philanthropic Response
As of 3/25, the Chronicle of Philanthropy calculated more than $161 million raised
in the US for Japan relief. • 2/3 to American Red Cross
• Aid to US humanitarian organizations almost solely for relief, with only a small amount possibly going to recovery efforts.
There have been aggressive efforts to raise funds by some organizations with
unclear plans of how to use these and minimal connections to Japan.
Some US organizations are trying to set up offices in Japan, although they are
facing various challenges.
Others are trying to funnel funds to Japanese NGOs on the ground. • MercyCorps, Direct Relief International, International Rescue Committee, etc.
Key Points
No developed country has ever faced a disaster of this magnitude
If Japan is a rich country, why should we provide funding? • Rebuilding communities requires strong civil society involvement, and Japan’s civil
society organizations are severely underfunded.
• Also, the nonprofit sector in Japan is at a critical transition point, and the reaction
of overseas and domestic donors will play a key role in whether it continues to develop or is stunted.
• Japan is America’s closest partner in Asia, and how it recovers will affect the future roles and capabilities of the United States in this critical region.
The long-term recovery is likely to be more of a challenge than short-
term relief • The nonprofit sector will have to shoulder a greater share of the burden for
recovery than for relief.
• However, most funding is going for immediate relief efforts, with limited prospects of funding so far for the mid- to long-term work that will be required of Japanese
nonprofits.
• It seems unlikely that domestic funding for nonprofits can ramp up quickly enough
to meet the immense needs of Japanese nonprofits over the next 5~10 years.
What US Funders Can Do – Relief Efforts (1)
1) Fund US-based 501(c)(3) organizations for relief efforts
a) Contribute to US disaster relief organizations (pros & cons)
b) Support US-based organizations with Japan expertise that established funds to
channel money to Japanese groups
• Give2Asia—Managing several funds to channel money to Japanese groups
• JCIE/USA—½ of funds support 6 Japanese disaster relief NGOs through the Give One campaign and ½ dedicated to a long-term recovery fund.
• Japan Society—Supporting Japanese disaster relief organizations and other groups on the ground in Japan
• US-Japan Council—Supporting 2 disaster relief campaigns and possibly more Japanese groups in the future.
c) Fund one of the few Japanese humanitarian organizations with US arms/partners • Peacewinds—MercyCorps and Peacewinds USA are fundraising for its disaster relief
activities
• JOICFP (Japanese Organization for International Cooperation in Family Planning)—IPPF (International Planned Parenthood Federation) is raising funds for its efforts to provide
healthcare for newborns and mothers in the disaster area.
What US Funders Can Do – Relief Efforts (2)
2) Directly aid Japanese organizations involved in the relief effort
Umbrella groups
•Give One campaign •Japan Platform
•JANIC (Japan NGO Center for International Cooperation) •Nippon Foundation/Canpan initiative
Individual organizations (The key humanitarian organizations are typically members of Japan Platform)
Challenges include linguistic and cultural obstacles, paperwork (affadavits,
nonprofit equivalency, expenditure responsibility, etc.) and capacity for
narrative/financial reporting in English.
What US Funders Can Do – Long-Term Recovery
Some thoughts….
1) Support existing grantmaking initiatives in Japan dedicated to long-term recovery Japan NPO Center—Japan Earthquake Local NPO Support Fund
JCIE/Japan—Long-term Japan NGO Earthquake Recovery Fund (also through JCIE/USA)
Nippon Foundation, Central Community Chest, and other nonprofit support centers.
2)Establish special tailored programs housed at US or Japanese organizations with
expertise in grantmaking and knowledge of Japan Give 2 Asia, JCIE, Japan NPO Center, etc.
3) Fund individual projects on the ground in Japan Many diverse needs, but difficulty in identifying recipients and in operating w/o facilitation.
4) Utility of a clearinghouse effort to distribute accurate info in English, coordinate
requests and offers, and add context to them
5) Potential use of a study of Japan’s response to this disaster and best practices
RESPONDING TO THE
JAPAN DISASTER
James Gannon
Executive Director
Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA)
t: (212) 679-4130
JCIE/USA • 274 Madison Avenue, Suite 1102, New York, NY 10016 • (212) 679-4130 • w ww.jcie.org
JCIE/Japan • 4-9-17 Minami-Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0047 • (03) 3446-7781 • w ww.jcie.or.jp