On January 19, The Nippon Foundation launched the Tonga Emergency Relief Fund to support relief efforts in Tonga following a gigantic volcanic eruption of the underwater volcano Hunga Tonga-Hunga-Haʻapai on January 15. The entire amount of donations made to the fund will be used for relief efforts being carried out by the Red Cross.

The worldwide movement to eliminate leprosy has been enjoying considerable success since MDT was endorsed by the WHO in 1981. The Nippon Foundation has been instrumental in this success, to the point that in 2001 WHO asked Yohei Sasakawa, our chairman, to be its Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination.

The Nippon Foundation is carrying out the following support measures while closely following the situation with regard to infections.

The Nippon Foundation, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group company Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., and Shin Nihonkai Ferry Co., Ltd. have successfully completed a demonstration test of the world’s first fully autonomous ship navigation systems on a large car ferry, conducted on the Iyonada Sea from Shinmoji, Kitakyushuu City, on January 17.

Mount Eniwa is a volcanic mountain directly south of the city of Sapporo in Hokkaido, with a peak elevation of 1,320 meters. Overlooking Sapporo from its summit, the mountain attracted the world’s attention in 1972 when Sapporo hosted the Winter Olympics, the first time the Winter Games were held in Asia. As the initially planned Mount Teine did not have a sufficient vertical drop for holding the alpine skiing events, the decision was made to move these events to Mount Eniwa.

The Nippon Foundation and Osaka University today announced that the building to house The Nippon Foundation – Osaka University Infectious Disease Project will have an elliptical shape to evoke an image of “Spaceship Earth,” with the design overseen by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Tadao Ando to incorporate a sense of bringing together top researchers from around the world in a collaborative endeavor.

The 43^rd installment of the Awareness Survey of 18-Year-Olds, launched by The Nippon Foundation in October 2018, was carried out from November 12 to 16 on the subject of “International and Multicultural Coexistence.” The survey was intended to examine young people’s interest in countries other than Japan, and their perception of non-Japanese persons including children living in Japan.
The survey found that while 41% of respondents were interested in studying abroad,¹ of those respondents 32% said that their interest had diminished as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, clearly showing that the pandemic has had a negative effect on young people’s desire to be internationally engaged. Specifically, only 7% of respondents had studied abroad or had plans or hoped to study abroad, suggesting that young people’s interest needs to be encouraged. The survey also showed that young people are experiencing a diverse environment during their years of compulsory education, with between 21% and 33% replying that there were children with non-Japanese backgrounds² in their class or grade during elementary or junior high school. This was reflected in roughly 60% of respondents replying that the same education, health care, and social welfare available to which they had access should be provided to these children regardless of nationality, far surpassing the roughly 10% who disagreed. In particular, those who had studied or were interested in studying abroad showed a higher tendency to respond affirmatively, suggesting a close correlation between having experienced or being interested in international exchange and receptiveness toward diversity.

The Nippon Foundation today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the international offshore technology development consortium DeepStar^*1 for the establishment of a joint research and development program. Under this agreement, DeepStar and The Nippon Foundation will jointly work to promote decarbonization in the field of offshore oil and natural gas, with a focus on renewable energy and the environment.
The program is being launched with a budget of up to $10 million (roughly 1.1 billion yen) through 2026, to promote decarbonization in the field of offshore oil and natural gas.

UWC ISAK Japan is an international boarding school for grades 10 to 12, which began operations in 2014 as the International School of Asia, Karuizawa (ISAK), and joined the United World Colleges movement in 2017 with the aim of cultivating change-makers who will transform society. With approximately 200 students from roughly 80 countries around the world, UWC ISAK is certified as a senior high school by the Japanese government, and uses the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme as its curriculum for grades 11 and 12. To promote a diverse student body encompassing students from all socioeconomic backgrounds, roughly 70% of students receive scholarships that do not need to be repaid.

The SignTown game for teaching sign language, jointly developed by The Nippon Foundation and the Chinese University of Hong Kong in collaboration with Google and Kwansei Gakuin University, was released in a beta version in May 2021 followed by the full version in September. Using information and communications technology and artificial intelligence, SignTown offers a gateway to Deaf culture as an easy and enjoyable way to experience sign language for the first time, with the ability to recognize hand gestures, various body movements like leaning forward, and facial expressions using a conventional two-dimensional camera attached to a personal computer.

The 42^nd installment of the Awareness Survey of 18-Year-Olds, launched by The Nippon Foundation in October 2018, was carried out from September 16 to 21 on the subject of the “Coronavirus and Social Participation.” The survey was intended to examine the changes that have occurred as a result of the coronavirus pandemic with regard to young people’s interest in politics and elections, economic activity, and cultural and artistic activities.
The survey showed that young people’s interest in politics has increased as a result of the pandemic, with 34% of respondents having an increased sense that politics and elections affect them personally, compared with before January 2020 when reports of the pandemic first emerged. Of respondents who had worked or looked for work since the outbreak of the pandemic, 42% said that job openings had decreased. Of those currently working, 21% replied that their income had declined, and of those currently working or who have worked during the pandemic, 53% were not aware that part-time workers are able to use the government’s financial aid program for workers whose income declined, showing that awareness of financial assistance programs is limited. The survey also showed that young people’s participation in cultural and artistic events has suffered, with more than half of respondents saying that opportunities to attend or participate in cultural and artistic facilities or events had decreased. Of all respondents, only 26% had viewed online cultural or artistic performances, and the percentage who had taken remote tours of or visits to cultural or artistic facilities was even lower, at 15%. In addition, roughly 70% reported decreases in various experiences and opportunities with friends.

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The Nippon Foundation and Japan’s Ministry of the Environment jointly held the UMIGOMI Zero Award 2021 to identify and disseminate to a wide audience outstanding measures being taken in Japan to address ocean debris (umigomi is a combination of the Japanese words for ocean (umi) and waste or trash (gomi)). The 2021 winners, selected by a panel of outside judges from among 276 submissions, were announced at a ceremony held on October 6.

The 41st installment of the Awareness Survey of 18-Year-Olds, launched by The Nippon Foundation in October 2018, was carried out from August 12 to 16 on the subject of the “National Election.” With the current term of the Lower House of Japan’s Diet (parliament) set to end in October, an election will be held by sometime in November at the latest. The survey therefore covered 916 young persons between the ages of 17 and 19 who will have turned 18, the legal voting age, by October 31. The survey found that 55% of respondents intend to vote in the election, which is significantly higher than the 40% of 18- and 19-year-olds who voted in the previous Lower House election in 2017. Among the 22% of respondents who replied that they will not vote or probably will not vote, the top reason given for not voting was that it is burdensome, followed by their being busy, and a feeling that their vote does not matter.
Issues related to health and hygiene, including coronavirus infections and vaccines, were viewed as the highest priority issue for the election by both male and female respondents, indicating heightened interest in the pandemic among this age group. Broken down by male and female respondents, women were also interested in issues related to the rights and protection of children and issues related to LGBTQ individuals, while men were interested in issues related to disaster response, education, and schools.
Among measures that respondents thought would increase their own inclination to vote, internet voting ranked highest. Television was the main source of information for politics and elections, with more than twice the number of responses compared with internet news and newspapers, showing a trend of differentiation in media use among young people.

A media event was held at The Nippon Foundation’s head office in Tokyo on September 22 to mark the official launch of the SignTown game for teaching sign language, jointly developed by The Nippon Foundation and The Chinese University of Hong Kong in collaboration with Google and Kwansei Gakuin University. Since the launch of the beta version in May, roughly 8,500 people have used the site, and various improvements have been made based on their feedback. The launch was timed to coincide with the International Day of Sign Languages on September 23, which was a public holiday in Japan.

Back to Blue, an ocean health initiative of The Nippon Foundation and Economist Impact, has released the first edition of its Plastics Management Index (PMI). The index ranks 25 countries worldwide across five continents, assessing the capacity of a country to minimize plastics mismanagement while promoting the optimal production and use of plastic as a resource. The index comprises three pillars – governance, existing systemic capacity, and stakeholder engagement – measured across 12 indicators and 44 individual sub-indicators.

At a joint press conference held on September 14, The Nippon Foundation and Osaka University announced The Nippon Foundation – Osaka University Infectious Disease Project to establish a center for general research on infectious diseases. The project is being launched to address the social issue of emerging infectious diseases as highlighted by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

MetLife Insurance K.K. (MetLife Japan) and The Nippon Foundation today announced a partnership between MetLife Foundation and The Nippon Foundation to support hospices and home-care nursing centers across Japan in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Nippon Foundation and MetLife Insurance K.K. (“MetLife Japan”), representing MetLife Foundation, have announced the launch of “MetLife Foundation x The Nippon Foundation: ‘Better Life Better Place’ for the Elderly and Children,” a program to develop twelve care facilities for older persons and children across Japan by the end of 2024.

Hakodate, a city located near the southern tip of Japan’s northern main island of Hokkaido, is known for its delicious seafood, especially squid, uni (sea urchin), and crab. A new project is now underway to popularize buri (yellowtail or Japanese amberjack). Buri is not traditionally one of the region’s popular fish varieties, but warming ocean waters have led to a large increase in local catches. In 2018, the region boasted the third-largest volume of buri caught in Japan, but Hokkaido’s consumption of the fish is only half that of the national average. To rectify this imbalance, a project was launched in October 2020 under the umbrella of The Nippon Foundation’s Umi-to-Nippon Project (The Ocean and Japan Project) to popularize buri as a menu item both in homes and in restaurants, especially when prepared as buri tare-katsu – a fried buri cutlet served with a special sauce.

The 40^th installment of the Awareness Survey of 18-Year-Olds, launched by The Nippon Foundation in October 2018, was carried out from July 16 to 20 on the subject of “Coronavirus Vaccines.” The survey found that close to 40% of respondents wanted to be vaccinated but had been unable to make an appointment, as well as deep-rooted concern about side effects and an aversion to injections.
In terms of who should be prioritized in receiving vaccinations, the results were significantly different from the government’s rollout, with essential workers in medical and social welfare facilities and public transportation placed highest. The survey also asked young people their opinions on the domestic vaccine passports being proposed by some business groups, and how they should be used.

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The Nippon Foundation’s THE TOKYO TOILET project is building public toilets that can be used by anyone. The project is building new toilets at 17 locations in Shibuya, Tokyo, as a way of moving toward the realization of a society that embraces diversity. The 10^th, 11^th, and 12^th toilets, designed by Kashiwa Sato, Toyo Ito, and Kazoo Sato, have recently opened for use by the general public.

“True Colors Festival Special Live,” featuring six talented artists with disabilities who have performed around the world, will be held during the Tokyo Paralympics as part of Fuji Television’s “THE ODAIBA 2021 Virtual Adventure Island” summer event. The virtual performances will also be featured on Fuji TV’s morning news program “Mezamashi TV.”

The 39th installment of the Awareness Survey of 18-Year-Olds, launched by The Nippon Foundation in October 2018, was carried out from June 17 to 24 on the subject of “Sexual Activity.” The survey found that less than one quarter of respondents had had a sexual experience, and of those, less than one quarter had their first experience at age 15 or younger. Both male and female respondents listed their mother highest as the person they would consult about a pregnancy or possible pregnancy, but overall, more that 17% replied that they would not consult with anyone. With regard to a proposal currently being considered to make emergency contraception pills available without a prescription, more than 70% supported the proposal.

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The Nippon Foundation held a press announcement and exhibition on July 20 to introduce a new initiative with several companies in Japan to manufacture bags using recycled raw materials derived from discarded fishing nets. The initiative aims to reduce plastic ocean debris and promote the use of discarded fishing nets as a raw material, as a way of preventing illegal dumping into the ocean and promoting waste collection. The products are made from discarded fishing nets collected in the Doto area of Hokkaido, which were recycled into pellets that were then woven into fabric, and are scheduled to go on sale from October 1.

The Nippon Foundation has donated 100 oxygen concentrators manufactured by Air Water Medical and 100 pulse oximeters to the state of Manipur in northeastern India, which is currently dealing with a strong second wave of coronavirus infections, with a total project cost of 52 million yen.

The Nippon Foundation and Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting Co., Ltd. have conducted a joint survey on gaps in education and the effect on children’s non-cognitive skills from school closings and restrictions on educational activities during the coronavirus pandemic.
The survey covered 4,000 parents of elementary school through high school students and asked about differences in their children’s learning environment before and after the declaration of the first state of emergency in April 2020, and compared the effects by household income.

The 38th installment of the Awareness Survey of 18-Year-Olds, launched by The Nippon Foundation in October 2018, was carried out from May 14 to 18 on the subject of “Public Toilets.” The survey found that more than 70% of respondents use public toilets when they go out, but also showed clear differences in utilization and impressions depending on where the public toilet is located.
The highest percentage of respondents, at 57%, used “toilets in department stores, movie theaters, and other commercial facilities,” while the use of “toilets in parks and along footpaths” ranked lowest at 14%. Compared with other locations, toilets in parks and along footpaths had a particularly negative image, with 68% of respondents describing them as “dirty,” 29% as “smelly,” 23% as “dark,” and 23% as “dangerous,” and only roughly 3% citing the positive impressions of being “clean” and “safe.”
Female respondents in particular noted a need for safety and security measures at toilets in parks and along footpaths, with 27% describing them as dangerous (compared with 18% for male respondents). This clearly showed that although toilets in parks and along footpaths are free and close at hand, the reality is that they cannot be used by everyone with peace of mind. In addition, 81% of respondents preferred Western-style toilets, while 7% preferred Japanese-style toilets for the hygienic aspect of not coming into contact with the toilet seat.
With regard to the current state of public toilets, more than one-fourth of respondents do not feel that public toilets are a fitting expression of the Japanese concept of hospitality known as omotenashi, for reasons including negligence in cleaning (71%), uninviting exteriors (37%), and the fact that immoral users do things like steal the toilet paper (30%).

The Nippon Foundation’s THE TOKYO TOILET project is building public toilets that can be used by anyone. The project is building new toilets at 17 locations in Shibuya, Tokyo, as a way of moving toward the realization of a society that embraces diversity. The ninth toilet, designed by architect Kengo Kuma, will be made available for use by the general public from June 24.

A beta version of the SignTown game for teaching sign language, jointly developed by The Nippon Foundation and The Chinese University of Hong Kong in collaboration with Google and Kwansei Gakuin University, was released today. Improvements will be made based on users’ feedback over the next few months, with the target launch date for the full version set for September 23, the International Day of Sign Languages.

The latest True Colors music video is being released worldwide today, bringing together a cast of 13 artists from nine countries for a new take on the R&B classic “You Gotta Be” by Des’ree.

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With constitutional revision an issue that continues to be discussed in Japan, the 37th installment of the Awareness Survey of 18-Year-Olds, launched by The Nippon Foundation in October 2018, was carried out from April 15 to 19 on the subject of the “Preamble to the Constitution.” The Constitution of Japan was promulgated on November 3, 1946, and came into effect on May 3, 1947.
The survey found that 40% of respondents have either read or have a recollection of having read the Preamble, while the remainder replied either that they had no recollection or did not remember having read the Preamble. Of those who remembered reading the Preamble, more than half said that they read it when they were in junior high school.
In response to a question to all respondents as to whether the Preamble was easy to understand, less than 20% replied that it was, while more than 80% replied that it was difficult to understand or that there were points that they could not understand. In open-ended responses as to why it was difficult to understand, the top replies were that the wording was difficult to follow and that the sentences were too long. In addition, roughly 30% of respondents felt that the Preamble should clearly mention Japanese values like history, traditions, and culture, while roughly the same percentage felt this was not necessary and roughly 40% did not know.