Trends in Bangladesh and Japan
By Monica Montague
The acts of philanthropy differ throughout regions in the world so as to meet the needs of the specific population. The following paper will reflect on the act of philanthropy in two countries in Asia, Bangladesh and Japan.
Philanthropy and Law in South Asia (2007) outlines the various trends in the voluntary and philanthropy sector within Bangladesh. Agarwal et al. suggest that the voluntary and philanthropy sector has seen an increase in organizations that focus on advocacy and governance (2007). It was reported that in Bangladesh there has been a tension and mistrust between the governments and not for profit organizations (2007). The government has made several attempts to gain more control over not for profit organizations, for example through the Foreign Donation (voluntary Activities) Regulation (Amendment) Act of 2004 (2007). This proposed act introduced the idea that the government would have the power to ban political activities by not-for-profit organizations (2007).
In Japan there has been an increase in the third sector organizations as well. The trends within this sector are evolving at a rapid pace. Many organizations are emerging to meet the various needs of the country. According to Nouko Kawashima in The Emerging Voluntary Sector in Japan: Issues and Prospects (Unknown), 23.6% of the Japanese population in 2014 will be over the age of 65, inadvertly increasing the countries social expenditure (Unkown year). As a result the Ministry of Health and Welfare in 1993 attempted to promote voluntarism and community through the policy statement (Unknown year). There has also been a rise in environmental concern in Japan and therefore an increase in organizations that focus on “recycling, environmental research and community action” (p 22). This is similar to North America’s attempts to protect the environment through organizations such as Friend of the Earth Canada (www.foecanada.org). In addition to the increase in environmental concern, the Japanese population has evolved and now includes a variety of many different cultures. In reflection to this, human right organizations are beginning to emerge to ensure Japan and other countries have “international understanding” (p 22).
Works Cited
Agarwal, S., Baig, Q., Dadrawala, B., Ismail, Z., Jayawardene, T., Khair, S., Pradhan Malla, S., Sidel, M., Kumar Sinha, A., Viswanath, P., Wikramanayake, A. & Zaman, I. (September 2007).
Philanthropy and Law in South Asia: Recent Developments in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. College of Law, University of Iowa Retrieved on January 21, 2010 from
http://74.125.155.132/scholar?q=cache:THxTOIJfObMJ:scholar.google.com/+philanthropy+in+asia&hl=en&as_sdt=2000
Kawashima, N. (unknown). The Emerging Voluntary Sector in Japan: Issues and Prospects. Retrieved on January 21 2010 from http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/CCS/pdf/IWP7nobuko.PDF