Japan Platform

Japan Platform (JPF), formally the Specified Non-Profit Corporation Japan Platform (特定非営利活動法人ジャパン・プラットフォーム), is a Japanese humanitarian organization founded in August 2000, with NPO legal status obtained in May 2001. It was created jointly by NGOs, the business community, and the Japanese government to enable Japanese NGOs to mount swift and effective emergency humanitarian assistance when natural disasters or refugee crises occur overseas. The organization describes itself as an "all-Japan" platform that channels Japanese support to the world. JPF's core idea is the "platform" itself: a standing framework in which individuals, companies, NGOs, and the government cooperate as equal partners. In peacetime the four parties function as a platform that can leverage their respective strengths and resources; when a crisis strikes, JPF delivers rapid and effective Japanese assistance to victims of natural disasters and to refugees and internally displaced persons affected by conflict. A government-funded pool, combined with donations from companies and citizens, allows initial operational funds to be provided quickly to NGOs so they can deploy to the field immediately and begin relief work. JPF works with more than 45 member NGOs (49 member organizations as of April 2026, per its website), each with its own areas of expertise, carrying out activities in food, supplies, medical care, water and sanitation, education, and protection. It also partners with the Japanese government, notably the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to deliver visible Japanese humanitarian aid. Its website states that since its founding in 2000 it has received support from more than 6,000 companies and organizations cumulatively. JPF's activities have covered major crises including the Great East Japan Earthquake, support for returning ethnic minorities in Myanmar, the Syria conflict, Afghanistan and Pakistan, the 2013 Southeast Asia floods, northern India floods, the 2013 Sichuan earthquake in China, the Horn of Africa, and South Sudan. Its homepage highlights ongoing programs such as support for victims of the central Nepal landslide, the Reiwa 8 Kumamoto earthquake, and the Reiwa 8 Chiba heavy-rain disaster, alongside columns and media appearances. JPF is funded through donations, corporate membership (regular and supporting members), and government funding, and it also runs a monthly supporter program and participates in the furusato nozei (hometown tax donation) system.

Japan Platform was founded in August 2000 and obtained Specified Non-Profit Corporation (NPO) legal status in May 2001. It was established jointly by NGOs, the business community, and the Japanese government, with the aim of enabling Japanese NGOs to conduct swift and effective emergency humanitarian assistance when natural disasters or refugee situations arise overseas. The founding was triggered by an encounter between Nobutaka Murao, then a budget examiner at the Ministry of Finance (formerly the ministry handling foreign affairs matters), and Kensuke Onishi. Murao took an interest in Onishi's Japan Platform concept, which had been published in the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, and the two met at the newspaper's Tokyo head office. This meeting led to the establishment of JPF in August 2000. The "platform" model was designed so that a government-funded pool, together with donations from companies and citizens, could provide initial operational funds quickly to NGOs during emergency assistance. This allowed NGOs to deploy to the field immediately and begin relief activities without waiting for slow funding cycles. Over the following decades JPF conducted support activities across a wide range of crises. Its main support activities have included the Great East Japan Earthquake victim support, support for returning ethnic minorities in Myanmar, humanitarian support for the Syria conflict, humanitarian support in Afghanistan and Pakistan, support for victims of the 2013 Southeast Asia floods, support for victims of the northern India floods, support for victims of the 2013 Sichuan earthquake in China, support for the Horn of Africa, and humanitarian support in South Sudan. JPF operates through member NGO units. Its member organizations have included ICA Cultural Projects Association, Asia Association/Asia Friendship Association, ADRA Japan, AAR Japan, SNS International Disaster Prevention Support Center, NGO Hiroshima, Good Neighbors Japan, CARE International Japan, International Amateur Radio Volunteers, Engineers Without Borders, Kokkyo naki Kodomotachi (Children Without Borders), Humanitarian Medical Assistance (HuMA), SEEDS Asia, Civic Force, JADE (Japan Emergency and Development Assistance), JEN, Shanti Volunteer Association, Save the Children Japan, Japan Association for Refugees, Japan Rescue Action Center, Japan International Volunteer Center, Japan Red Cross Society, Japan Chernobyl Foundation, Japan Center for Conflict Prevention, Japan UNESCO Association, Japan Results, Japan Rescue Association, Habitat for Humanity Japan, Parcic, Palestine Children's Campaign, BHN Telecom Support Committee, Plan Japan, Bridge Asia Japan, Peace Winds Japan, Hope International Development Organization, Millennium Promise Japan, World Vision Japan, and One Asia. By the mid-2020s JPF continued to respond to new emergencies. Its website in 2026 listed programs for the Reiwa 8 Kumamoto earthquake, the Reiwa 8 Chiba heavy rain disaster, the central Nepal landslide, the 2025 Asia-wide floods, the 2025 Philippines Cebu earthquake and typhoon, and the 2026 Middle East crisis response. It also reported that since its founding in 2000 it had received support from more than 6,000 companies and organizations cumulatively, and that it had 49 member organizations as of April 2026.

• 2026

  Website listed 49 member organizations as of April 2026.

• 2026

  Ongoing programs included Reiwa 8 Kumamoto earthquake, Reiwa 8 Chiba heavy rain, central Nepal landslide, 2025 Asia-wide floods, 2025 Philippines Cebu earthquake and typhoon, and 2026 Middle East crisis response.

• 2013

  Supported victims of the Southeast Asia floods and the Sichuan earthquake in China.

• 2011

  Conducted victim support for the Great East Japan Earthquake.

• 2001

  Obtained Specified Non-Profit Corporation (NPO) legal status.

• 2000

  Japan Platform founded in August 2000 by NGOs, the business community, and the Japanese government.

A Japan-born, all-Japan emergency humanitarian assistance platform that channels the combined strength of NGOs, companies, government, and individuals into rapid, effective aid for global humanitarian crises.

• Emergency humanitarian assistance programs

• Disaster relief funding for member NGOs

• Refugee and IDP support

• Corporate membership and donation programs

• Monthly supporter program

1. 1ジャパン・プラットフォーム（JPF）japanplatform.org
2. 2支援企業・団体｜国際協力NGOジャパン・プラットフォーム（JPF）japanplatform.org
3. 3ジャパン・プラットフォームについて｜日本発の国際協力NGOジャパンプラットフォームjapanplatform.org
4. 4加盟NGO一覧｜日本発の国際協力NGOジャパンプラットフォームjapanplatform.org
5. 5Japan Platformwikidata.org
6. 6ジャパン・プラットフォームja.wikipedia.org