Recent events in Japan have led to acceptance by the government of the necessity of nongovernmental grass-roots activities in a rapidly changing Japanese society, which the government alone is unable to deal with effectively. Throughout the past quarter of a century, the Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE) has been dedicated to strengthening the role of these activities in international relations.

This publication is a collection of four articles that Tadashi Yamamoto, founder and president of JCIE, has written over the years about the growth of the nonprofit sector’s role since JCIE’s founding in 1970, as well as an article that was written by a close colleague, Yoichi Funabashi. The five articles look at past growth of the nonprofit, nongovernmental sector in Japan and the rest of the world, as well as the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for those working in this field.