Annual Report
Report for Fiscal 2020
April 2020 - March 2021

Kampong Thom, a regional city in Cambodia, is located between thecapital city of Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, famous for Angkor Wat.
A snapshot of parent and child water buffalos relaxing in the water.
The Sambor Prei Kuk temple ruin, an archaeological site added to the
UNESCO World Heritage List in 2017, lies in the outskirts of Kampong
Thom. Development for tourist destination has yet to be making
headways. The temple ruin sits as a part of people’s everyday life in
the local village to this day.
Photo by: Hideo Tone

Annual Report
Report for Fiscal 2020
April 2020 - March 2021

CONTENTS
Message from the President・ ・・・・・・・・・ 2
The Challenges the Toyota Foundation
Tackled in FY 2020・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・ 4
The Special Subject Co-Creating New
Society with Advanced Technologies・・・・・・ 6
The Special Subject Migrants andJapanese Society・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・ 10
The International Grant Program・ ・・・・・・ 14
The Research Grant Program・ ・・・・・・・・ 20
The Grant Program for Community Activities

in Japan・ ・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・ 21

Chairman: Nobuyori Kodaira
President: Haneda Masashi
Founded: October 15, 1974
Shinjuku Mitsui Building 37F, 2-1-1 Nishi-Shinjuku,
Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 163-0437, Japan
Tel: +81-3-3344-1701 Fax: +81-3-3342-6911
https://www.toyotafound.or.jp/english/
Copyright © The Toyota Foundation All Rights Reserved.

The Initiative Program・ ・・・・・・・・・・・ 23
The Communication with Society
Program・ ・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・ 24
Photo Report 2020・・・・・・・・・・・・・・ 25
Accounting Report・ ・・・・・・・・・・・・・ 27
Officers and Trustees・・・・・・・・・・・・・ 29

Message from the President
The Efforts in FY 2020

the inner core of our society; furthermore, it intends to en-but, to a certain extent, the worldwide phenomenon, while

visage the society of future and its system. Also, as a newits pace and degree might look uneven.

Fy 2020 was such a long year. From its beginning to its end,

approach, the new program intends to support not just re-

not only Japan but also the whole world had to respond to

search per se but also those who undertake it.

major challenges posed by COVID-19. Under this harsh circumstance, the Toyota Foundation made grants totaling 280

Mankind cannot live in isolation; we have lived a life withothers by building groups, namely, societies through cooper-

The Connection among People is the Basis of Society

ation. In that sense, people’s gathering, in other words, ties

2.5 million US dollars) to 48 projects through its two SpecificAs a part of fy 2020 report, I would like to mention the com-

nerstone is now in flux, I wonder if we can draw a blueprint

Subjects, the Grant Program for Community Activities in Ja-

plete reorganization of the Toyota Foundation’s mode of op-of the next generation’s society which we ought to seek. I dopan, and the International Grant Program, etc. The Researcheration. While a passive response to COVID-19, the way of

have a doubt. We need to reassess the various aspects of ties

Grant Program was put on pause for a year to refocus its

work-related communication was switched from face-to-among people in past societies. Also, it is necessary to build

theme which I will touch upon later.

face to online. Video conference tool was utilized thorough-the new form of ties through many attempts; thus, we ought

ly on a lot of occasions: the Foundation’s internal meeting;to design the future society.

million Japanese yen (the 2021 equivalent to approximately

among people are the cornerstone of societies. As the cor-

As far as the Toyota Foundation’s efforts to address

selection committees to screen the grant-awarded projects;

COVID-19 are concerned, an initiative is worthy of special

program officers’ site-visits for monitoring; interviews withmention. It was the seed grant awarded via the Initiativeeminent experts concerning the new Research Grant Pro-

Program to “the Fund for Actions to Contain the Spread ofgram. It might be difficult to understand the nuance of the

The Toyota Foundation will humbly make every effort to

COVID-19,” launched by READYFOR, a crowd-funding

other person in a conversation online; however, it is a great

support the visionaries who are conceiving the ties among

platform; the seed grew up, getting others involved, to thebenefit that just one click would make it possible to exchange

people in the future and the construction of a new society;

Dr. HANEDA Masashi

extent that the Fund raised as much as 730 million yen (theinformation and views via PC regardless of distance. Thisbesides, it will award the grants to the activities by the

President
The Toyota Foundation (Public Interest
Incorporated Foundation)

2021 equivalent to approximately 6.6 million US dollars) in

online communication technology would be further sophis-change-makers practically devising new, various modes ofdonations from nearly 20,000 people in only three months

ticated and no doubt become a part and parcel of our daily

gathering and connecting as well as putting them into action.

from early April 2020. The swift, pinpoint grant under thelife.

The Research Grant Program was redefined precisely in line

2

Initiative Program leveraged the widespread effect in such a

For the Futurewith this. Furthermore, the themes of other major grant pro-short period. Also, this would make the case for the efficacy

The transition from face-to-face to online, along with thegrams, including the Specific Subjects, were all pertinent toof a private grant-making foundation that has its endowmentchange in the way of human communication, is a part of thethe diversified aspects of the question about the ties among

to team up with an agile crowd-funding platform that canphenomenon called, DX -Digital Transformation-. In addi-

people. Though each programs’ scope might be different,

flexibly set up a framework for fund-raising and distribution,

tion, the consensus and social values concerning hu-

they are expected to head in the same direction. We shall hit

given a big natural disaster or a new pandemic on a horizon.

man-to-human communication, once taken for granted, lostthe ground running so that every grant-awarded project

their significance due to several reasons: the declining birth-would resonate and mutually influence in a positive manner;

The polar opposite of the aforesaid practical initiative thatrate and increasing elderly population; the progress of ur-then, it will create an overwhelming current as if all projects

had an immediate impact is the refocused, new Researchbanization; the change in sense of belongings of individuals;

are organically interwoven. I would greatly appreciate yourGrant Program addressing the long-term social change.

the transformation of industrial structure. For example, all-further guidance and encouragement.

This program, making a start in this fiscal year, was redefinedhands events, including company trips, end-of-year parties,

through a myriad of discussions within the Foundation, re-

new year parties, are on the way out. Fewer people are ac-

ferring to the advice delivered by eminent experts. It up-

tively involved with the grassroots communities including

holds the theme, “Inter-linkages and Innovation for Future

PTA and neighborhood associations. In contemporary soci-Societies.” Its thrust is, guided by the key concept, “In-ety, the value and meaning of human-to-human physicalter-Linkages,” to support research projects aiming to unravelcontact and exchange become fluid; the DX is to further ac-

various aspects of a long-term transformation taking place atcelerate this tendency. This is not only happening in Japan

July, 2021

3

［April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021］

The Challenges the
Toyota Foundation
Tackled in FY 2020

Looking Back the Toyota Foundation’s FY 2020
［April 1 to June 6］

The International Grant Program
Call for Proposals［April 4 to June 8］

The Grant Program for Community Activities in Japan
Call for Proposals

2020

4

2021

5

6

7

8

9

10

In fiscal 2020, the Toyota Foundation (TF/the Foundation) made grants through the two Special Subjects:

11

12

1

2

3

［October 1 to December 4］“Co-Creating New Society with Advanced Technologies” and “Migrants and Japanese Society,” and through

Co-Creating New Society with Advanced Technologies
Call for Proposals

the ongoing two programs with a public call for proposals: “Grant Program for Community Activities in Japan” and “International Grant Program,” as well as through the two programs without publicly calling for［September 7 to November 21］

proposals: “Communication with Society Program” and “Initiative Program.” Meanwhile, the grant offering

Migrants and Japanese Society Call for Proposals

for the Research Grant Program was suspended, and the Foundation decided to review the past grant offerings and project results of this program so far.

Below is the outline of the respective grant programs:

Programs with a public call for proposals

The Specific Subject

Co-Creating New Society with
Advanced Technologies

The TF called for research projects
dealing with societal changes andchallenges posed by such newtechnologies as represented by AI

The International Grant Program

Programs with closed application process

The Grant Program for

The TF provided grants to projects for“grassroots-level exchanges and problem-

The TF conducted “Survey Grant”

solving across national boundaries by

for investigations designed for

local practitioners from more than two

implementing projects in Japan andcountries,” which deal with common“Nurture Grant” for projects aimed atissues in East Asia, including Japan, andproblem-solving in local communities

Southeast Asia.

and fostering such problemsolvers there; and also implemented

The Specific Subject

Migrants and JapaneseSociety

The TF made grants to projects for
conducting investigations, surveys,
and practices that were expected
to contribute to building an overall

the “Program for Boosting Civic

The Research Grant Program

The Initiative Program

The Communication with Society Program

The TF proactively discovered and supported projects

The TF aims to communicate and disseminate results anddeemed conducive to the development of new grant pro-methods of the past grant projects to society in a high-grams in the future – the very purpose of this program –impact way. Specifically, it selected candidate projects

such as through making grants to projects aimed at help-

through mid-term and final monitoring, presented anding boost the non-profit sector, including NPO capacity

publicized such projects to society effectively throughbuilding, to joint grants with other donors, and to projects

efforts of the grantees and the TF’s Program Officers.

Community Activities in Japanconsidered worthy of support from private grant-making
foundations.

Participation” within the framework of
the Initiative Program.

The TF suspended a public call for
proposals in fiscal 2020, but decided
to explore a new grant theme for fiscal
2021 while reviewing the past activitiesof this grant program.

system for accepting foreigners.

45Grant Results() Fiscal 2019

Number ofApplications

Number of Grants

Value of Grants(¥ Million)

Budget(¥ Million)

Acceptance Rate
(%)

34
（32）

6
（7）

40.0
（40.0）

40.0（40.0）

17.6（21.9）

things. As such, the program called for high-minded proj-

in society; and (3) a project that can help build an interna-

ects designed to tackle issues such as how to better use

tional network of mainly young researchers across thedigital technologies including AI, how such technologies

boundary between humanities and sciences.

transform our society, and how humans and society shouldlook like in the future.

As for public calling for proposals, besides public orientation meetings, the Foundation held a webinar-style, open

In an effort to provide greater support during the projectworkshop “Advanced Technologies and Society in the Ageperiod, a new condition was added to the application re-of the Coronavirus” and uploaded its edited video on its

quirements beginning in fiscal 2020; the project’s repre-

YouTube channel. The members of grant-awarded projects

sentative’s main place of residence should be in Japan.

for both “Co-Creating New Society with Advanced Tech-

Other requirements remain the same as in the previous

nologies” and “Research Grant Program” were invited as

years; the representative must be 45 years old or younger,panelists to discuss how to utilize advanced technologies

and joint research projects by cross-sectional and interdis-

to tackle difficulties caused by COVID-19, what to bear in

ciplinary teams can qualify.

mind in doing so, and how technology, humans, and nature
can co-exist in society. Active discussions by these grant-

The Special Subject

Co-Creating New Society with
Advanced Technologies
Overview

Program Title

This program was launched in fiscal 2018 as a Special
Subject with a public call for proposals, as part of the Re-

Call for Proposals

Project Period
One to three years beginning April 1, 2021
Total Amount of Grants
Forty million yen in total, up to five to ten million yen per
project

6

ees proved to be a good opportunity for deepening thethe main scope of a project should not be about techno-

understanding of this program with a public call for pro-logical development per se, 1) but about bridging different

posal.

fields and sectors, 2) contributing to international research
and activities, 3) and spelling out methods for disseminat-

In the end, the number of applications received totaled 34,

ing results. Moreover, as in the previous years, three ap-

roughly about the same as in the previous fiscal year. The

proaches were also taken into consideration: (1) a project

number of grant-awarded projects was six, a decrease bythat can examine societal impact of cutting-edge technol-

one from the previous year. And yet, what was uniqueogies both academically and theoretically from a mid- toabout those selected projects was that many of them were-long-term perspectives; (2) an applied research project

aimed at exploring the feasibility of and challenges broughtthat can verify, based on on-the-ground experience, how

on by advanced technologies in real-life situations on the

cutting-edge technologies can be utilized in social life andground.

what kind of challenges such technologies will bring about

Co-Creating New Society with Advanced Technologies

October 1 to December 4, 2020

Also, as in the previous years, the requirements were thatsearch Grant Program. In fiscal 2019, as the Special Subject was upgraded to a new grant program, the “Co-Creating New Society with Advanced Technologies” Program

Comments
Comments by Selection Committee Chair

has since become independent of the Research Grant Program and has been operated as an autonomous program.

Hideaki Shiroyama

The Toyota Foundation Research Grant Program estab-

34 applications with a broad range of content, and finallylished Co-Creating New Society with Advanced Technolo-

selected six projects.

In principle, the grant-making framework for this Special

gies as a Special Topic in fiscal 2018. In the face of emerg-

Subject program remains in line with that of the previous

ing advanced technologies like AI, the objective is to

The projects selected can be roughly divided into three categories.

fiscal year. In fiscal 2020, too, the Foundation publicly

support research that deals with questions based on the

The first category of projects examine the possibilities andcalled for research projects that deal with fields focused on

perspective of the users of advanced technology, such as

challenges of using advanced technology in specific set-social challenges arising from the rise of advanced tech-

how these technologies should be handled in society andtings. This year, two projects related to medical and welfare

nologies – cutting-edge technologies against the backdrop

what kind of vision there should be for human society in theservices were selected. These projects are D20-ST-0017

of the so-called Digital Revolution, including AI, Internet of

future. This year the Research Grant Program conducted“Community Development Using Advanced Technology inThings (IoT), Big Data, Robotics, Block-chain, among otherits third call for proposals for this Special Topic, received

a Depopulated and Aging Area: Action research on sup-7

porting the elderly using social robots as part of a compre-

List of Grants

nology in the process of human resource development.

hensive community care system,” Kimihiko Daimon (Chief
Examiner, Longevity Long-term Care Division, Izu City Hall,

The third category of project will attempt to develop a pro-

Shizuoka Prefecture) and D20-ST-0030 “Study of the Glob-gram to comprehensively examine the ethical, legal andal Situation of Drug-resistant Bacteria and the Impact ofsocial challenges involved in introducing advanced tech-

Introducing an AI-based Bacterial Diagnosis Assistancenology into society. D20-ST-0024 “A Vision of “MELSIT”:

System into Clinical Laboratories,” Tatsuya Yamada (Direc-

Co-constructing models of multidisciplinary “ELSI Talents”

tor, GramEye Inc. / Undergraduate, Faculty of Medicine,(MELSIT) and collaborative designing for the next MELSIT

Osaka University). Both of these projects also have distinc-development,” Yusuke Shikano (Specially Appointed Fel-

tive characteristics in terms of their research structures.

low, Research Center on Ethical, Legal and Social Issues,

The former project is led by the employee of a local gov-

Osaka University) falls into this category. This ambitious

ernment, which is a user of technology, and is an attempt

project will seek to link MELSIT development to ordinary

to solve local issues by bringing together a variety of ex-

programs based on the actuality of ethical, legal and social

perts. On the other hand, in the latter project, a student

issues in corporate workplaces in collaboration with spe-

who has started up his own business will boldly tackle thecific corporate activities.

global issue of drug-resistant bacteria.

Conclusion

The other projects in the first category are D20-ST-0034

This year more projects in the first category of projects“The Promotion of eSport Science: Toward the social im-

which examine the possibilities and challenges of using

plementation of next-generation sport created by the fu-

advanced technology in specific settings were selectedsion of sport science and ICT,” Takashi Matsui (Assistant

than in previous years. Leading-edge issues are often em-

Professor, Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences/Researchbedded in specific settings and so, in that sense, working

and Development Center for Sport Innovation, University

in collaboration with the frontline is desirable. On the otherof Tsukuba) and D20-ST-0009 “Practical Application of ahand, given that the nature of the grant program is to pro-

Fraudulent Accounting Detection AI Model for Sound Cap-

vide grants for research rather than grants for practice, it isital Market Formation: Fusion research that adds the per-hoped that the projects will explore more deeply the ques-

spective of a practitioner to the three areas of accounting,tion of how to position the issues in such frontline settings

law, and statistics,” Koken Ozaki (Associate Professor,

and the response to them in the context of the wider soci-Faculty of Business Science, University of Tsukuba). The

ety in general. In doing this, it is thought that ideologicalformer is a project that will seek to develop the area ofand philosophical issues can also be confronted as front-

eSports, which are games that utilize information technol-line issues. In that sense, we look forward to project pro-ogy. The latter project will try to apply AI to detect fraudu-

posals that combine the first and second categories or thelent accounting. The distinctive characteristic of the latterfirst and third categories in the future.

project is that it will not simply develop an AI model, but＊ Special Topic“Co-Creating New Society with Advanced Technologies”

will also seek to address the prerequisites (development of
a common cross-sectoral concept of fraud, etc.) for utiliz-*Note: The project titles among other things on this list are those at the time of grant approval.

Grant Number

Project Title
Project Leader

Position, Organization

Grant
Amount(Yen)Practical Application of a Fraudulent Accounting Detection AI Model for Sound Capital

D20-ST-0009

Market Formation: Fusion research that adds the perspective of a practitioner to the threeareas of accounting, law, and statistics

6,000,000

Koken Ozaki, Faculty of Business Science, University of Tsukuba/Associate Professor
Community Development Using Advanced Technology in a Depopulated and Aging Area:

D20-ST-0017

Action research on supporting the elderly using social robots as part of a comprehensive
community care system

Kimihiko Daimon, Longevity Long-term Care Division, Izu City Hall, Shizuoka Prefecture/Chief

9,200,000

Examiner

A Vision of “MELSIT”: Co-constructing models of multidisciplinary “ELSI Talents” (MELSIT) and

D20-ST-0024

collaborative designing for the next MELSIT development

Yusuke Shikano, Research Center on Ethical, Legal and Social Issues, Osaka University/

5,000,000

Specially Appointed Fellow

Study of the Global Situation of Drug-Resistant Bacteria and the Impact of Introducing an AI-

D20-ST-0030

Based Bacterial Diagnosis Assistance System into Clinical Laboratories

Tatsuya Yamada, GramEye Inc./Director,(Faculty of Medicine, Osaka University)/

6,800,000(Undergraduate)

D20-ST-0033

Research on Practical IoT Education Curriculum at Kosen
Osamu Saito, CO-Works Co.,Ltd./Engineer

5,200,000

The Promotion of eSport Science: Toward the social implementation of next-generation sport

D20-ST-0034

created by the fusion of sport science and ICT

Takashi Matsui, Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences/Research and Development Center for

7,800,000

Sport Innovation,University of Tsukuba/Assistant Professor

has been separated from Research Grant Program of the Toyota
Foundation since 2019.

ing such a model in society through collaboration with diverse experts and stakeholders.
The second category of project is concerned with information technology functioning as advanced technology education. D20-ST-0033 “Research on Practical IoT Education
Curriculum at Kosen,” Osamu Saito (Engineer, CO-WorksCo., Ltd.) falls into this category. Faced with limited information technology human resources in regional areas, thedistinctive features of the project are that it will try to develop human resources through regional colleges of technology (Kosen) as well as aiming for collaboration between
technical colleges and local elementary and secondary
education rather than being confined to colleges of tech-

89Grant Results＊1() Fiscal 2019

Number ofApplications

Number of Grants

Value of Grants(¥ Million)

Budget(¥ Million)

Acceptance Rate
(%)

75
（90）

6
（7）

50.0
（45.0＊1）50.0（40.0）

8（7.8）

The budget was increased five million yen in fy2019

cepting foreigners. The program also aims to achieve theSpecial Subject, the Foundation streamed on its YouTube

following three targets through implementing the selectedchannel a five-part online luncheon seminar series “Learning

projects.

from Each Other in the Age of COVID-19: Human Mobility
and the Future of Multicultural Society” from September• To study any changes and impacts on Japanese society

2020 through March 2021. In these online seminar sessions,from an increase in migrants, and consider what kind of

the grantees of the two grant-awarded projects discussed

response measures are possible

the impact of COVID-19 on their projects, changes and is-• To identify factors behind various issues facing migrants,

sues related to international human mobility and sharing ofand present and implement measures for improvement

their knowledge and experience, in line with the keywords of• To create a common platform for solving problems by“Medical Care and Nursing Care” and “Information and In-

connecting those grassroots supporters of migrants withstitution.” They received comments from experts for further

other stakeholders such as researchers, government

discussions and accepted comments and questions fromworkers, local community members, and other parties

online viewers during the live streaming. The Foundation

concerned

also created 12-minute digest versions of the first to thefourth sessions, and even streamed the seminar in English

The Special Subject

Migrants and Japanese Society
Overview

The Foundation started accepting applications in Septem-

with an English subtitle for the sake of disseminating infor-ber 2020, and held online orientation meetings on the appli-

mation globally about lesser-known situations in Japan.

cation guidelines in which a total of over 200 participants
attended. At the same time, prior consultations were con-

In fiscal 2021, the third year of this program’s operation, too,ducted online for more than 40 times. As a result, the Foun-

the Toyota Foundation will continue to accept applications

dation received 75 proposals from around Japan by theunder the same theme. While continuing to monitor thedeadline in mid-November. Finally, six projects were select-

progress of the approved projects individually, the Founda-

ed and approved for grants through deliberations by the Se-tion will share and disseminate insights gained from such

lection Committee and the Board of Directors.

projects through organizing symposiums and report-backmeetings as well as participating in conferences.

As joint efforts of the International Grant Program and thisProgram Title
Migrants and Japanese Society
Call for Proposals
September 7 to November 21, 2020
Project Period
Two or three years beginning May 1, 2021
Total Amount of Grants

ignated areas such as elderly care and construction, Japan
quickly shifted the focus of discussion from whether or not it
should accept foreigners towards how best it can accept

Comments

them.
With this in mind, the Foundation gathered information from

Comments by Selection Committee Chair

front-line supporters and researchers, and designed thisprogram based on the recognition that foreigners should be

Akihiko Tanaka

accepted as co-members contributing to the development

The Toyota Foundation publicly solicited applications forto informationof Japanese society. As such, revisiting the issue of foreign

the FY2020 Special Subject “Migrants and Japanese Soci-(3) Examination of human and other resources in support ofmigrants in a broader framework and creating an environ-ety.” The grant program will be given to projects that study

the care and support systems for foreign residents

The Special Subject “Migrants and Japanese Society,” ament enabling everyone to demonstrate their abilities andany of the five issues below and implement measures to(4) Attracting skilled human resources from abroad

grant program launched in fiscal 2019, marked its second

skills to the fullest, will be conducive to the happiness of alladdress these issues (for example, building a mechanism(5) Lessons from insights and experiences gained throughpeople living in Japan, including migrants. Based on thisor system to solve an issue or improve a situation) during

Japanese companies’ overseas operations

awareness, the Foundation set five challenges including thethe grant period.

Fifty million yen in total, up to five to ten million yen per
project

year of operation in fiscal 2020.

This fiscal year, among applications addressing issues (4)This grant program came as the Japanese government an-

creation of the environment allowing migrants to fully utilize

nounced its policy in the spring of 2019 to accept as many

their abilities and skills. This program is thus designed to(1) Creation of an environment for maximizing the skills andand (5), we also accepted applications focusing only on

as 340,000 foreigners over a five-year period. From themake grants to a survey, research, or effort that is expected

potential of foreign talentresearch and studies. Between September 7 and Novem-

viewpoint of supplementing the country’s workforce in des-to contribute to building a comprehensive system for ac-(2) Minimizing gaps among foreign residents in their accessber 21, 2020, we received 75 applications. During this pe-

1011

riod, the Foundation held two online briefings for potential
applicants over Zoom. After three members of the Selection Committee examined and evaluated the application
documents, the Committee met on February 1, 2021 andlocal governments.

capabilities. This project therefore addresses issue (1) asof foreign nationals in Japan will likely increase again. As

well as issue (4).

the number of foreign nationals approaches the past level

D20-MG-0022 Kumiko Sakamoto (Representative, Network for intercultural and inclusive society / Chairman,

Comments

and beyond, Japanese society should become moreamenable to foreign residents than in the period before thechose six grant candidates to receive a total of 50 million

Aidensha)

It is our pleasure to have selected high quality projects that

pandemic. A qualitative improvement is necessary. We

yen.

In recent years, it has been pointed out that, worldwide, theaddress issues (1), (2), and (3) this year, too. We are grati-

must resolve a variety of challenges related to the accep-

The following is an outline of the candidate projects.

early childhood environment is especially important for the

fied to have found and selected a project that focuses ontance of foreign nationals that have become clear during

development and growth of children. However, in Japan at

health care for foreign nationals amid the COVID-19 pan-the COVID-19 pandemic and ensure that Japan is a society

D20-MG-0004 Takashi Moriya (Professor, Ritsumeikan

present, there are very few studies on the actual situation

demic. We also find it a positive trend that the increasing

where foreign nationals are able to live comfortably andUniversity)of childcare and childcare support for parents of children

numbers of applications are made by networks of civic

actively participate. Our expectations are that the projects

This project will conduct fieldwork and a detailed survey ofwith foreign roots during this period compared to after

groups. Unlike last year, we are able to select projects ad-

selected last year that are being executed now and theJapanese companies that employ advanced IT personnel

commencing school. In this project, the Network for Inter-dressing issues (4) and (5) squarely. We are happy that the

projects chosen as candidates for grants this year will con-in Vietnam, Thailand, and India. It aims to build a model for

cultural and Inclusive Society, which consists of 14 civic

successful projects related to issues (4) and (5) emphasize

tribute to the enhancement of the quality of systems formindset reforms, cross-cultural management, and humangroups in the three prefectures of Aichi, Gifu and Mie, will

not just research but also implementation.

accepting foreign human resources into Japanese society.

resources management for accepting foreign nationals. It

survey the situation of administrative services for childcare

actively addresses issue (5). The project team includes

from pregnancy to preschool to create a more desirable

We hope that the world will survive the COVID-19 pandem-

both researchers and practitioners. The research plan isenvironment for parents of children with foreign roots. The

ic and return to normal soon. In that process, the number

well-prepared. They also plan to disseminate their research

project will contribute to addressing issues (1), (2) and (3).

results. We expect that companies seeking to employ for-The results that the project will produce are expected toeign nationals can obtain useful knowledge from the proj-

also be useful outside the three prefectures that are being

ect.

studied.

D20-MG-0017 Tamotsu Nakasa (Chair, SHARE (Ser-D20-MG-0028 Hideomi Yamada Assistant Manager, in-vices for the Health in Asian & African Regions))

List of Grants

ternational medical center, The University of Tokyo

This comprehensive project plans to address issues (1), (2)Hospitaland (3). As the COVID-19 pandemic affects Japan, theIn this project, health care professionals who have been

project seeks to establish a system providing accurate in-involved in health care for residents originally from foreign

formation and appropriate consultation to migrant commu-

countries and who have worked to build a medical inter-

nities, ensure their access to health organizations andpreter accreditation system will provide on-the-job training

medical institutions and search for a pathway toward theto enhance the skills of medical interpreters. The project

establishment of a safe and secure medical system. This

will address issues (2) and (3). In the previous fiscal year,

project is organized jointly by NGOs and other organiza-

the Toyota Foundation selected a grant project promoting

tions that provide medical support to migrants and re-"easy Japanese" at medical institutions. However, highly

searchers engaging in area studies. Amid the ongoingskilled medical interpreters remain necessary for advanced

COVID-19 pandemic, it is expected to provide the neces-

medical care. This project is expected to contribute tosary support to foreign residents and help establish safer

training medical interpreters to enable them to be more ef-

and more secure health systems.

fective, highly skilled interpreters.

D20-MG-0018 Atsushi Takeda (Associate Professor,

D20-MG-0072 Shingo Ashizawa (Professor, Faculty of*Note: The project titles among other things on this list are those at the time of grant approval.

Grant Number

Project Title
Project Leader

Grant

Position, Organization

A Survey of Japanese Companies Abroad: Changing Attitudes, Building a CrossCultural

D20-MG-0004

Management and Human Resources Model, and Transferring it to Japan to Accommodate
Foreign Human Resources

8,300,000

Takashi Moriya, Professor, Ritsumeikan University
Supporting migrant communities in accessing information and developing pathways for
D20-MG-0017 testing, diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19
Tamotsu Nakasa, Chair, SHARE (Services for the Health in Asian & African Regions)7,800,000

International Joint Project toward the Construction and Deployment of "Multicultural Regional
D20-MG-0018 Vitalisation Models" based on Skilled Migrants' Entrepreneurship and Investment
Atsushi Takeda, Associate Professor, Faculty of Industrial Sociology, Ritsumeikan University

9,000,000

Creating a society where anybody can give birth and raise children without worries:

investigation on conditions of foreign parents raising children from pregnancy to pre-school
D20-MG-0022 nurturing
Sakamoto Kumiko, Representative, Network for intercultural and inclusive society / Chairman,
Aidensha

Faculty of Industrial Sociology, Ritsumeikan University)

Global and Regional Studies, Toyo University)

This international joint project aims to identify elements of

The purpose of this project is to build a system and frame-

success in the entrepreneurship and investment made bywork for accurately evaluating the qualifications, educa-

foreign residents in Niseko and Kutchan in Hokkaido, Sen-tional backgrounds and careers of foreign human capital.

dai in Miyagi, Hakuba in Nagano, Kyoto in Kyoto, Beppu in

Europe, Canada and Australia have systems called the for-

Oita and Fukuoka in Fukuoka. It is expected that the proj-

eign credential evaluation (FCE) and National Qualificationect can provide models for regional revitalization throughFramework (NQF). This project aims to propose a mecha-

Hospitalforeign entrepreneurship and investment. The project ad-nism equivalent to these systems that is expected to makedresses issue (4). It plans to prepare a handbook, "multi-

Japan's acceptance of foreign human capital more sys-

Strategic approaches for a social infrastructure to invite foreign human capital –Establishingcultural regional revitalization models," and is expected totematic and strategic. This mechanism is also expected to

produce results that are useful for stakeholders, including

enable foreign human capital to develop and increase their

12

Amount(Yen)

8,800,000

Road to a diverse society for all patients: Improving the quality of medical interpreters by

D20-MG-0028

D20-MG-0072

establishing an OJT training system at medical institutions

Hideomi Yamada, Assistant Manager, International Medical Center, The University of Tokyoa Japanese Qualification Framework (JQF) and utilizing Foreign Credential Evaluation (FCE)systems

7,100,000

9,000,000

Shingo Ashizawa, Professor, Faculty of Global and Regional Studies, Toyo University

13Grant Results() Fiscal 2019

Number ofApplications

Number of Grants

Value of Grants(¥ Million)

Budget(¥ Million)

Acceptance Rate
(%)

140
（147）

9
（9）

70.0
（70.0）

70.0（70.0）

6.4（6.1）

In fiscal 2020, the International Grant Program carried on

originally supposed to bring together various members fromwith its basic theme and purpose from the previous year;

multiple countries in one place, and disseminated the proj-

learning from each other through mutual exchanges amongects’ outcomes on their websites or via social networks as

on-the-ground practitioners from East Asia, including Ja-

opposed to publishing them in the form of brochures. Aspan, and Southeast Asia, thereby finding a way to resolve

such, various efforts were seen made to disseminate infor-

common challenges or, at least, improve the situation.

mation to the wider public.

As in the previous fiscal year, the program’s grant amountAs the Program Officers couldn’t visit in person the actual

totaled 70 million yen. But the priority area or the sub-theme,

sites of the grant-awarded projects, the Foundation reliedwhich had been set until fiscal 2019, was not specified thisprimarily on online tools to communicate with its grantees

time. There were 140 applications, roughly about the sameand to help disseminate the information about thelevels as in fiscal 2019 when the new requirement of limiting

grant-awarded projects. As part of such efforts, the Founda-

the representatives’ place of residence to Japan led to a de-tion streamed a five-part online luncheon seminar seriescrease in the number of applications. Of these numbers,“Learning from Each Other in the Age of COVID-19: Humannine applications were adopted.

Mobility and the Future of Multicultural Society” from September 2020 through March 2021. (For more details, see

The International
Grant Program

Total Amount of Grants

Cultivating Empathy Through Learning from Our

Seventy million yen in total

Neighbors: Practitioners' Exchange on Common Issuesa) One-year project: Up to five million yen

in Asiab) Two-year project: Up to ten million yen
Required elements for ProjectTransnational, Cross Sector, Mutual Learning, Foresight＊1 East Asia: Japan, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, South Korea,
Mongolia
Southeast Asia: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar,

Target Countries*1

East and Southeast Asia

Call for Proposals
April 1 to June 6, 2020

descriptions about the online seminar in the Special Subject

from several countries to interact directly with one another in“Migrants and Japanese Society” )person, nearly all its projects were subject to the restrictions

Overview

Program Title

Since the International Grant Program requires practitionerson people’s movement by the pandemic, forcing the Foun-

For fiscal 2021, the Foundation plans to offer a “two-year

dation to extend the grant period and revise the activities.

grant” framework that requires direct interaction throughWhile the members of the grant-awarded projects said theymutual visits, just as has hitherto been done, and a “one-were unable to proceed with their projects for more than halfyear grant” framework that allows interaction done only on-a year and were struggling to keep their members engaged

line. The Foundation remains committed to disseminating

and motivated, they also made positive remarks about on-

the insights of the grantees and creating a platform for shar-line exchanges and events that were less costly and allowed

ing their experiences through various media formats, while

for easy participation by many. They voiced hopes for con-providing grants to contribute to finding solutions to com-tinuing hybrid-type activities, enabled by the strengths of

mon challenges and improving such situations in Asia

online tools, even after the pandemic comes to an end. The

through flexible approaches.

grantees held an international symposium online, which wasComments

the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vietnam

Comments by Selection Committee Chair
This is the second time for me to provide commentary on

was abolished. This is mainly because there was overlap-

selection results, after I did so for the selection in fiscal 2019.

ping goals and details between Area A and the special sub-Project Period
One or two years beginning November, 202014

Shigeto Sonoda

ject program newly included in fiscal 2019 “Migrants andIn fiscal 2019, the prioritized area (Area A) “Multicultur-

Japanese Society”. Additionally, the previous fiscal year’s

al Inclusion in Communities” was set and applicants were

scheme caused some confusion: some applied to the Openrequired to choose either Area A or the other field, OpenField (Area B) although the features of their proposal corre-

Field (Area B). This fiscal year, the prioritized area (Area A)

sponded to the prioritized area (Area A), and vice versa. The

15

abolition of the prioritized area allows applicants to freely
choose common issues in Asia and envisage exchange andthe selection committee is better able to examine applications straightforwardly.

Table 1: Distribution of the nationalities of applicants
for fiscal 2019 and 2020
Nationality

2019

2020

Japan

105

103

2

Indonesia

863There are no changes in the five grant policies (1. Great

Chaina05significance for society, 2. Anticipating internal and exter-

Malaysia

94

nal issues, 3. Future-oriented, 4. Sustainable and develop-

South Korea

64able, and 5. Expected to have a ripple effect) and the four

Taiwan43elements that the foundation adopts during the selection ofThailand

1

2

India

0

2

projects.
The overall budget remains the same, 70,00,000 yen (https://www.toyotafound.or.jp/international/2020/).

Overview of Applications
This year, the open call for proposals began in April as usual. At first, we feared that the number of applications would
drop drastically because of the COVID-19 pandemic. We
expected that applicants would have difficulty designing
mutual exchange while moving across borders was limited
due to the pandemic. However, we received 140 applications, which was a small decrease from 147 in fiscal 2019.
That is, there only appeared to be a minimal impact from thepandemic.
In the previous fiscal year, the foundation newly requested
that applicants have their main residence in Japan as a condition for application. This greatly affected the proposition

Fig. 1: Number of targeted countries/regions that werestated in applications in 2019 and 2020

Unknown

02

United States

1

1

Nepal

0

1

Sudan

0

1

Czech Republic

01

Bangladesh

1

1

The Philippines

2

1

Myanmar

2

1

Mongolia

11

United Kingdom

2

1

Canada10Singapore

10

Sri Lanka

2

0

Chile

1

0

Total

147

140

55

5
9+
6

1

5

Malaysia

4

1

4
3

7

2
1

8

2
1

33

Vietnam

26
26

Myanmar23
25

17

Cambodiaregions are listed in descending order of25
21

Taiwan56

Japan & Southeast Asia

Others32

Japan & East Asia &Southeast Asia

Japan & East Asia

20

15

21

Laos

14
7

Singapore73

3

Hong Kong
East Timor

Note: Combinations ofco u n t r i e s / re g i o n s a reof number of applications■ 2019applicants by nationality for fiscal 2020.

Macao

0
0

■ 20201274Bruneifor fiscal 2020.

Note: Countries/regions are listed in descending order of number of113

listed in descending order

19

6
7

Mongolia

36

34

16
16

ChainaFig. 2: Combination of targeted countries/regions thatwere stated in applications for 2019 and 2020

23

19
22

South Korea

number of applications for fiscal 2020.

42

29
24

The Philippines

Note: Numbers of targeted countries/

42

37
35

Thailand5031

Indonesia

20

12
3

111
111

Japan

64
60

46

4

Fig. 3: The number of targeted countries/regions thatwere stated in applications for 2019 and 2020

Note: Targeted countries/regions arelisted in descending order of number
of applications for fiscal 2020.

(Excluding countries/regions outside East and Southeast Asia)of the nationality of applicants. A bit more than one thirdof all applicants were Japanese prior to the change. In thetionally, more applications focused on Japan and Southeast

ity, conservation of cultural properties, tourism, education,member gave a weight on a smaller number of the projects

previous fiscal year, Japanese applicants exceeded 70%,

Asia while less targeted Japan and East Asia.

poverty and disparities, disaster prevention, food safety,

that he or she strongly recommended and added their own

resource management, community construction, and aging.

personal comments. If a member had any question about

Selection process and results

the proposal or expected difficulties in the implementationand the number of applicants with Malay, Indonesian or Philippine nationality decreased significantly. The distribution ofThis fiscal year again, three applications only targeted one

the nationalities of applicants is similar to that of the previ-

country as shown in Figure 1. The committee excluded themous fiscal year (see Table 1). This year, there were Chinese

because they did not consider transnationality, one of the

The selection committee was made up of four members in-cated the questions/concerns to the applicants and asked

applicants, unlike the previous fiscal year, but the number

four aforesaid elements.

cluding the committee chair. Two of them have continued

for replies.

of the proposal, he or she informed the POs who communi-in their positions from the previous fiscal year, while the re-of applicants holding Southeast Asian nationalities dropped
again. Despite these minor changes, the composition of ap-

Figure 3 shows the distribution of targeted countries/regions

maining two were newly appointed. The selection process

At the end of the selection process, the results of the re-plicants did not change very much: more than 70% of thestated in applications. The number of applications targeting

was almost the same as in the previous fiscal year.

views by the four committee members were summarized,

applicants were Japanese this fiscal year.

Japan was 111, similar to the previous fiscal year, which re-and a selection committee meeting was held. They dis-

flects the large number of applications from Japanese ap-

First, three program officers (POs) from the Toyota Foun-cussed the 22 applications that at least one of the four

Judged by the number of targeted countries/regions (seeplicants. Looking closely at the proposed projects targeting

dation closely reviewed 140 applications individually. They

members had recommended. Each member explained why

Fig. 1) and the combinations (see Fig. 2), more applicants

both Japan and Southeast Asia, more proposals targeted

eliminated those applications which did not satisfy four el-he or she recommended or did not recommend the project.

combined Japan and one of the Southeastern countries

Indonesia while less focused on Malaysia: there were slightements before they asked each committee member to in-

They discussed any disagreements and adjusted differenc-

while less applicants combined three countries or more cov-changes within the applications involving Southeast Asia.

spect the remaining applications.

es in opinions. They chose candidates tentatively in light ofthe previous year. Many of the applications focused on fea-

Applications were found to describe diverse projects, which

The four committee members read the applications careful-decision, having considered the balance between themes

sibility although the number of large-scale proposals cover-contained many different factors, such as multicultural co-ly, and each recommended ten projects as planned based

and among targeted countries or regions, budget distribu-

ing nine countries or more increased from zero to five. Addi-

existence, gender, environmental preservation, sustainabil-on the number of selected projects in previous years. Eachtion and others.

the responses from applicants. Then, they made the final

ering Japan, East Asia, and Southeast Asia, compared with

16

17

Nine projects were selected, the same as in the previous

time. It is a shame because environmental preservation istee if applicants understood the foundation’s missions andfiscal year. The selection rate was a low 6%, as usual.

still important, even during the pandemic.

characteristics and the goals of the International Grant Pro-

Introducing Adopted Projects

gram, even if the applicants have not received the Toyota

The following introduces two projects that received relatively

had participated in explanatory meetings and detailed con-better evaluation among the adopted projects.

sultations with POs. Applicants for the next fiscal year are

The projects selected for this fiscal year have the following
characteristics.
Firstly, many of the projects target a small number of coun-

Foundation’s grant in the past, if for instance, the applicants

encouraged to take this point into account.
Yuko Shirai, "Sustainable Cross-Border Community Development

the general trend found in most applications. As explainedand Management in the East-West Economic Corridor in the

below, Ms. Yuko Shirai proposed a project targeting Laos,time of COVID-19"

The number of applications did not decrease as expect-

Thailand, and Myanmar, and Mr. Ken Ito focused on theCountries: Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar

ed even as the world faces the pandemic. It is because a

Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia. These two applicants

The project aims to nurture cross-border capacity throughcertain amount of projects had been planned, and existingtarget Southeast Asia, excluding Japan. All other projects

mutual learning in two communities at the border betweensocial capital was used. The pandemic will affect the imple-

employ a combination of Japan and Southeast Asia and/or

Laos and Thailand and the border between Thailand andmentation of selected projects directly or indirectly. There-a country/countries other than East Asia. In other words, in

Myanmar, focusing on the East-West Economic Corridor

fore, the representatives of the selected project should op-

the end, no projects targeting East Asia were selected evenbetween Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar. It presents varied

though some of the 22 final candidate projects did target

ideas that allow community members to understand prob-

East Asia. In fiscal 2019, two projects targeting Japan, Eastlems caused by borders and learn to solve them. The project

Asia, and Southeast Asia were selected. The projects select-is designed to involve officials of local and central govern-

ed this fiscal year do not include that combination of areas.

ments as well as local researchers. It stems from discussion

Conclusion

The proposal is found to be timely because the world has
had to close borders because of the pandemic, and people

unable to travel between Japan and their home countries,

beyond the local residents can probably learn something. It

Vietnam or Nepal, due to the pandemic. The project pro-would be a better project if it pursued the impact on soci-posed by Ms. Kanako Kusanagi aims to review education in

ety beyond academic disciplines, such as practical regional

Japan, Indonesia, and Malaysia in the face of the COVID-19

development.

D20-N-0017

D20-N-0036

pandemic, consider what an ideal form of global citizenshipeducation would be as desired in children's education, and

Ken Ito, "Accelerating Cross-Border and Cross-Sector

give concrete suggestions. Ms. Eri Yoshimura tries to sup-Collaboration Through Social Investment"

port immigrants during the pandemic through the training

Countries: Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailandof young human resources, linking Thailand with Japan. All

The project aims to invite ten policy makers/third sectorof these proposals were based on projects that had been

managers to a Policy Leadership Lab led by Asian Venturecarried out, assumed the use of the existing networks, andPhilanthropy Network (AVPN) from Philippines, Indonesia,

sought transborder solidarity during the pandemic.

and Thailand and activate social investment in such regions
through activities. The well-formulated project was evalu-

Thirdly, there is the tendency towards a higher selection rate

ated highly, being very forward-looking. It does not try to

for applicants who had done projects with grants from thedevelop social investors directly but encourage important

Toyota Foundation. Of the 140 applications, 21 proposals

policy leaders to better understand and support social in-were made by those who had received grants from the foun-vestment as an indirect approach. The applicant has a sat-dation in the past. Three of the 21 proposals were selected:

isfactory track record, including involvement in joint projects

the rate of selection is 14.3% On the other hand, six propos-

in progress with The Rockefeller Foundation and the BMW

als (5%) were selected from 119 applications made by thoseFoundation Herbert Quandt.

who had not received grants from the foundation: there is agreat difference between the two groups.

Strong outcomes are possible if they make full use of the

D20-N-0070

involve diverse sectors.

projects relating to environmental protection or sustainability when previously such projects had been selected every

18

Applications strongly appealed to the selection commit-

challenging projects will not be envisioned. It is possible todetect issues shared by Asian countries and carry out speducting activities. Therefore, the current situation seems tocompletely hinder the future growth and development of theInternational Grant Program, because of the restrictions on
free travel.
Hopefully, the coronavirus pandemic will end soon.

Project Title
Project Leader

Grant

Position, Organization

Visual Ethnography of International Students’ Migration to Japan—Deepening a Mutual
Understanding and Cultivating Empathy Towards a Creation of an Inclusive Society
Dipesh Kharel, Researcher/Filmmaker, The University of Tokyo

Sustainable Cross-Border Community Development and Management in the East-West
Economic Corridor in the time of COVID-19

Yuko Shirai, Research Fellow, Research Institute for Humanity and Nature
Building a support system for migrant health among urban communities during a pandemic
through mutual understanding and collaboration by cross-disciplinary young professionals
Eri Yoshimura, Senior Manager, Health and Global Policy InstituteAmount(Yen)

8,500,000

9,000,000

8,500,000

Toward Building Multicultural and Resilient Societies—Nurturing Empathic, Responsible andD20-N-0084

Engaged Global Citizens in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Japan in the Post-COVID-19 Pandemic

Kanako Kusanagi, Assistant Professor, Advanced School Education and Evidence-based

8,000,000

Research (CASEER), Graduate School of Education, University of Tokyo

D20-N-0095

D20-N-0101

D20-N-0111

D20-N-0126

internal and peripheral networks of AVPN and try hard toThis fiscal year, the selection results did not include anysocial capital from being generated. If this is the case, new,*Note: The project titles among other things on this list are those at the time of grant approval.

Grant Number

posed producing an ethnographic film featuring the students

ters. It will exhaust social capital, and worse, prevent new

List of Grants

on experience operating past projects.
addressing the current pandemic. Mr. Dipesh Kharel pro-

The prolonged pandemic will limit opportunities for encoun-cific actions to solve these issues while traveling and con-tries combining Japan and Southeast Asia. This reflects

Secondly, the selection results included multiple projects

erate projects carefully.

D20-N-0138

Accelerating Cross-Border and Cross-Sector Collaboration Through Social Investment
Ken Ito, Director, East Asia, Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN)

Educational leader development program between Japan and Cambodia by designing soft
skills training through tackling global social issues

Hiroe Sugawara, Board of director/ Steering Committee, International NGO SALASUSUCIOR Project to Prevent Online Radicalization among Youths—Creating a Link between
Indonesia and Japan

Yosuke Nagai, Representative Director, Specified Non-Profit Organization Accept International
Revitalizing Tea Industry Community through Gastronomical Tea Tourism

Amnaj Khaokhrueamuang, Associate Professor, School of Management and Innovation,
University of Shizuoka

Creating "New culture" through community art projects by Indonesian workers and local
people in rural Japan

Yuichi Watanabe, Secretary General, The Laboratory for Global Dialogue

9,000,000

4,500,000

5,000,000

8,500,000

9,000,000

19

The Research Grant Program

The Grant Program forCommunity Activities in Japan

Overview
Overview
The fiscal 2020 was designated as a year to overview andings due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and not to hold areflect on the program, “Exploring New Values for Society”

scheduled symposium for overviewing and reflecting onthat had been in place for nine years, and to study plans for“Exploring New Values for Society” and simply published aa new grant program. More specifically, the Foundation

report instead. As it was difficult to offer occasions to inter-

conducted a survey covering all the past grantees (operat-

act with one another face-to-face, the Foundation began

ed by the Japan Research Institute, Ltd.), had the program

to hold online café meetings for grantees to communicate

evaluated by external experts, and compiled a report about

with each other for better networking. Grantees of the Re-

the survey and assessment of its results. Moreover, thesearch Grant Program and the Special Subject “Co-Creat-

Survey Grant

theme that “Sustainable Community Created together withFoundation discussed the role of the Research Grant Pro-

ing New Society with Advanced Technologies” were invited

Nurture Grant

Forerunners for Future through Vital Problem-Solving

gram in its overall grant structure. While the Grant Program

to serve as panelists, and participation was also encour-for Community Activities in Japan and the International

aged from among grantees of the Grant Program for Com-

Grant Program are designed to support practical activities,

munity Activities in Japan and the International Grant Pro-

the Foundation came to reconfirm that the Research Grant

gram. These efforts led to creating a platform where

Program was intended to support research activities offer-researchers and practitioners met and held frank discus-

Survey Grant: One year, beginning October 1, 2020

semination and Advocacy Grant,” which had been limited

ing ideas and perspectives that could underpin such prac-sions. These meetings were held a total of 13 times in fiscal

Nurture Grant: Two years, beginning October 1,2020

to the past grantees, was abolished and integrated into

tical activities.

2020 and were well received. The Foundation thus plans tooffer such occasions in the next fiscal year as well.

In fiscal 2020, too, the Foundation decided to cancel the
grant-awarding ceremony and research report-back meet-

20

Program Title

In fiscal 2020, the Grant Program for Community Activities

Creating Sustainable Communities with Future Leaders:in Japan carried on from the previous fiscal year with thebuilding a problem-solving system*This program is limited to activities in Japan.

Grant Category

Call for Proposals
April 10 to June 8, 2020
Project Period

Total Amount of Grants
Survey Grant: Up to one million yen per projectNurture Grant: No limitation

same viewpoints and priority areas -- “building a problem-solving structure” and “nurturing problem-solvers.” Assuch, the Foundation continued to make grants under the

Structure Open to Neighborhood.” Meanwhile, the Foundation changed the start of proposal-accepting period/
grant-offering period (from October/April to April/October)and revamped the grant-making framework as well. “Dis-“Communication with Society Program” which is without apublic call for proposal. Instead, the Foundation provided
grants in the following two categories: “Survey Grant” for aseries of investigation activities leading to strategic plan-

21

Grant Results() Fiscal 2019

Number ofApplications

Number of Grants

Value of Grants(¥ Million)

Budget(¥ Million)

Acceptance Rate(%)

Survey Grant

90 (105)

13 (16)12.75（15.98）20.0（20.0）

14.4 (15.2)

Nurture Grant

141 (228)

9 (11)

68.40（81.83）80.0（80.0）

6.4 ( 4.8)

Total

231 (333)

22（27）

81.15（97.81）100.0（100.0）

9.5（8.2）ning for project implementation; and “Nurture Grant” forvember, giving them an opportunity to communicate withbuilding a problem-solving structure and nurturing prob-

the staff members about the grants guidance. The session

lem-solvers in partnership with diverse stakeholders.

also allowed grantees to compare notes about the implementation of their projects, going forward, and interact

As for a public call for proposals, the COVID-19 outbreakwith one another.

made it difficult to hold orientation meetings on the application guidelines in partnership with intermediate organi-

When looking back at the overall operations of this pro-zations that support nonprofits countrywide, and thus on-gram in fiscal 2020, the Foundation often had to review its

line meetings were held six times. This first attempt atconventional methods including in-person meetings andholding online meetings made it all the more challenging tosite visits, and to move many of its activities online such as

discover prospective projects in each regional bloc andthe selection committee meetings and follow-ups forhave an in-person-like interactive communication, but at

grantees (monitoring, training and report-back meetings,

the same time, these online meetings eliminated the needetc.), on top of the orientation meetings discussed above.

for travel-related burden and geographical limitations interms of venue locations, thereby lowering the hurdle to

While it is necessary to fully recognize the significance ofparticipation in orientation meetings. As a result, there

understanding and insights to be gained from real, hands-

were applications from nearly 50 people, the maximum ca-

on experiences on the ground, the Foundation would likepacity, at all the online meetings.

to further promote its activities, with a commitment to help
step up diverse projects aimed at building more sustain-

Upon closing the application, a total of 231 proposals wasable communities across Japan, while engaging actively inreceived: 90 proposals for “Survey Grant” and 141 propos-

creating opportunities for interaction and learning via on-

als for “Nurture Grant.” Contrary to active participation inline, just as seen in the recent growth of virtual tours on athe online orientation meetings, the number of proposals

pilot basis.

The Initiative Program
概 要
Overview

dropped by about 100 from 333 proposals in fiscal 2019 to
231 proposals in fiscal 2020 due to insufficient communi-

In this fiscal year, too, the Foundation made grants to a

In particular, Readyfor’s initiative “the COVID-19 Relief

cation about the change in the application period coupledvariety of projects ranging from projects aiming to advanceFund,” to which our grant was provided, collected dona-

with the impact of growing COVID-19 infections.

the non-profit sector to collaborative grants with other do-tions totaling about 726 million yen, far surpassing the ini-

nor organizations to projects worthy of support fromtial target amount of 100 million yen, from 20,468 people

grant-making foundations.

during a three-month period from April 3 to July 2, 2020.

In the screening stage, the Foundation assessed and deliberated on the proposals in accordance with requirements

The collected amount was provided in the form of grants toof the priority areas and screening standards along with theSpecifically, grants were provided to a research mission on

125 entities -- individuals, groups, organizations, medical

levels of the past grant-awarded projects. As a result, thethe U.S. non-profit organization system by the Japan As-

institutions, and municipal governments -- that are en-Foundation decided to make grants worth 81.15 million

sociation of Charitable Organizations, to the running costs

gaged in preventing the spread of the coronavirus.

yen in total, shy of 100 million yen though, to a total of 22

of initiatives -- “the COVID-19 Relief Fund” as well as “theprojects: 13 projects for Survey Grant and 9 projects for

SOS fund for protecting people’s lives and hearts” --Nurture Grant.

launched by Tokyo-based cloud funding firm Readyfor, Inc.
in the midst of a growing spread of the new coronavirus,

The grant-awarding ceremony was normally scheduled toand to a research activity seeking to identify reasons be-take place at the start of the grant period, but it was can-hind low Covid-19 infection counts in Vietnam. As such,celled this fiscal year as well due to the impact of thethe Foundation prioritized providing grants to such proj-

COVID-19 pandemic. Still, the Foundation organized anects worthy of the support from the private grant-making

online Kick-Off training session for grantees in early No-

foundation.

22

23

List of Grants*Note: The project titles among other things on this list are those at the time of grant approval.

Grant Number

D20-PI-0001

D20-PI-0002

D20-PI-0003

D20-PI-0004

Project Title
Representative

Photo Report 2020

Grant

Amount(Yen)

Organization

The COVID-19 Relief Fund

Special Subject

10,000,000

Haruka Mera, READYFOR, Inc. CEO
A U.S. research mission on “the operations and situation surrounding non-profit organizationsin the U.S.”

Takako Amemiya, The Japan Association of Charitable Organizations
Learn together for constructing community which is stronger than COVID-19 and further
emerging infectious diseases

Toshie Manabe, NAGOYA CITY UNIVERSITYCOVID-19: SOS Fund for Protecting Physical and Mental Health
Haruka Mera, READYFOR, Inc. CEO

Migrants and Japanese Society❶ Conducted a five-part online luncheon seminar series

2,000,000“Learning from Each Other in the Age of COVID-19: Human Mobility and the Future of Multicultural Society,”
jointly-organized with the International Grant Program.

9,14,0000

10,000,000

The image shows a digest version of the four seminars.

❷ Published in May 2021 a book “How to respond to❶foreign residents in the frontline of healthcare – Not justuse English but use Easy Japanese” as the outcome of
the fiscal 2019 grant-awarded project “Implementationand dissemination of “plain Japanese” training for healthcare professionals and students through a workshop assisted by foreign residents in a community” (representa-

The Communication withSociety Program

tive: Professor Yuko Takeda, D19-MG-0035).

❸ Organized an online workshop that brought together❸

all the grantees in fiscal 2020. The members of all the six❷

projects presented their overviews, and the Selection
Committee Chair Akihiko Tanaka and the grantees fromfiscal 2019 attended the online event and actively compared notes with each other.

Special Subject

Overview
This grant program, without a public call for proposals (orGrant Program for Community Activities in Japan, the“invited application” basis), is designed to present andFoundation made grants in this fiscal year as well to a proj-

disseminate widely to society the results and methods ofect that develops the program “A KidZania for children withthe past projects in all the grant program categories in adisabilities,” which allows children with disabilities andhigh-impact way.

their parents to watch freely videos featuring working disabled people nationwide, and that provides children withAs the next level of a project supporting the employment

disabilities with opportunities to find their future goals.

of people with disabilities, which was supported under the

Co-Creating New Society with Advanced Technologies
Research Grant Program❶ All in-person meetings were cancelled due to the spreadthe “Co-Creating New Society with Advanced Technolo-of the new coronavirus pandemic, and online meetings ex-gies” Program. Under the theme of “co-creation” among

clusive for grantees were held instead. The Foundation or-

technologies, people, and nature, the participants dis-ganized lunch-time meetings for grantees to exchange

cussed how a relationship between new technologies andopinions casually while enjoying their drinks so that theysociety should look like in the age of Covid-19.

were able to build a cross-disciplinary network, a unique❸ As the Research Grant Program’s theme of “Exploring

feature common to the Toyota Foundation grant programs.

New Values for Society” came to its end after a nine-year❷ There are growing expectations for the use of advanced

List of Grants

period from fiscal 2011 through fiscal 2019, the past Selec-

technologies, including AI, as part of measures to deal withtion Committee Chairs, Professors Toshio Kuwako andthe spread of the new coronavirus. Given such a trend, theHideaki Shiroyama, were asked to reflect on the achieve-

Foundation held an online workshop for those grantees ofments of the past nine years.

*Note: The project titles among other things on this list are those at the time of grant approval.

Grant Number

Project Title
Representative

Grant
Organization

Amount(Yen)

Developing a program for passing on from one generation of people with disabilities to the

D20-SC-0001

next generation (A KidZania for children with disabilities) – an attempt to help parents ofchildren with disabilities no longer feel the pressure “I can’t die before my child.”
Kumi Katsuda, FP Corporation24

9,500,000

❶

❷

❸

25

Accounting Report❶❸

Balance Sheet❷

Grant Program for Community Activities in Japan❶ A scene of the Kick-Off training session for fiscal 2020

first time and took advantage of the online settings to bring“Survey Grant” and “Nurture Grant” held in November,

together various speakers from around Japan.

2020. Training sessions and other occasions had been

❸ This photo shows a rare visit to the project siteheld in in-person settings, but they were all carried out on-(D18-L-0134 Ashiu mountain village revitalization council inline in fiscal 2020. As such, it felt difficult to provide oppor-

Kyoto Prefecture) in the summer to autumn of 2020, whentunities for promoting interaction among grantees.

Covid-19 infections were slowing down temporarily. The

As of March 31, 2021

Account(Unit: Thousand Yen)

Fiscal 2020

Fiscal 2019

Fiscal 2018

Ⅰ Assets
1. Current assets
Cash and deposits

489,417515,873494,412

project representative Mr. Masaki Aota and its core mem-Accounts receivable

67,62971,77776,389(D18-PI-0013), a Yokohama-based non-profit organization

ber Ms. Aya Otaki briefed on the progress of their project

and a grantee of the “Program for Boosting Civic Participa-

and also gave a tour of their activity area in Miyama town,

Other

4,754

5,420

6,420

tion,” was also held online in fiscal 2020. And yet, the on-

Nantan City, Kyoto Prefecture.

561,800

593,070

577,221

International Grant Program

Basic funds

25,143,378

24,760,421

25,065,779

Specified assets

17,865,256

15,071,986

15,224,879❶ More than 80 participants from three countries took part

Other fixed assets

49,86050,97353,162

Total fixed assets

43,058,494

39,883,380

40,343,820

Total assets

43,620,294

40,476,450

40,921,041

2020. Thanks to the use of the online tools, the representa-

1. Total current liabilities

400,121476,072445,881tives and team members of grant-awarded projects were

2. Total fixed liabilities

75,687

77,69982,065475,808

553,771

527,946

20,729,569

17,934,796

18,084,179（3,000,000）（3,000,000）（3,000,000）（17,729,569）（14,934,796）（15,084,179）

22,414,917

21,987,884

22,308,916（22,143,378）（21,760,421）（22,065,779）

（0）

（0）

（0）

Total net assets

43,144,486

39,922,680

40,393,095

Total liabilities and net assets

43,620,294

40,476,450

40,921,041❷ A symposium organized annually by NPO Internship Lab

line symposium was organized as a two-day event for the

Total current assets
2. Fixed assets

in online meetings for the granted projects. They later disseminated the contents of the discussions through its
newsletters in several languages to share information
widely.

❷ Workshops for the program’s grantees had been held in

Ⅱ Liabilities

face-to-face settings, but they were held online in fiscal

able to participate from overseas and presented a total of

Total liabilities

nine-awarded projects.

❸ The Foundation held a five-part online luncheon seminar

Ⅲ Net assets

series called “Learning from Each Other in the Age of
COVID-19: Human Mobility and the Future of Multicultural
Society.” A full version (about 90 minutes), a digest version❶(about 10 minutes), and a digest version with English
voice-over and subtitle are all available on the Foundation’s official YouTube channel.

1. Designated net assets(Amount from above allocatedto basic funds)(Amount from above allocatedto specified assets)
2. General net assets(Amount from above allocatedto basic funds)(Amount from above allocatedto specified assets)

❷

26

❸

27

Accounting Report

Officers and Trustees

Statement of Changes in Net Assets

Directors and Auditors

April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021

Account(Unit: Thousand Yen)

Fiscal 2020

Fiscal 2019

Fiscal 2018

Ⅰ Changes in general net assets(1) Ordinary profit

643,379

673,289

711,597(2) Ordinary expenses

609,253

688,963698,551

Current changes in ordinary profit prior to profit/loss appraisal

34,126▲15,674

13,046

Profit and loss appraisal

392,907▲305,358▲37,332

Current changes in ordinary profit

427,033▲321,033▲24,286

0

0

0

0

0

0

Current changes in extraordinary profit

0

0

0

Current changes in general net assets

427,033▲321,033▲24,286

Balance at beginning of the fiscal year
in general net assets

21,987,884

22,308,916

22,333,202

Balance at end of the fiscal year in general net assets

22,414,917

21,987,884

22,308,916(2) Extraordinary expenses

Current changes in designated net assets

2,794,773▲149,383▲518,217

Balance at beginning of the fiscal year
in designated net assets

17,934,796

18,084,179

18,602,396

Balance at end of the fiscal year in designated net assets

20,729,569

17,934,796

18,084,179

Ⅲ Balance at end of the fiscal year in net assets

Occupation

Name

Occupation

Chairman

Former Executive Vice President,
Toyota Motor Corp.

Yuko Arimori

Chairman, Special Olympics
NipponPresident

Executive Director and Vice President, The University of Tokyo

Mitsuhisa Kato

Chairman, Toyota Central R&D
Labs., Inc.

Shinichi Kitaoka

President, Japan International
Cooperation Agency( JICA)

Nobuyuki Koga

Chairman, Nomura Holdings,
Inc.

Masashi Haneda
Managing Director(full-time)

AkihiroYamamoto
Director

Chairman, The Japan Federationof Engineering Societies

Hiroyuki SakakiManaging Director, Toyota
Technological Institute

Director

Operating Officer, Toyota Motor
Corp.

Shoichiro Toyoda

Honorary Chairman, Toyota
Motor Corp.

Shigeru Hayakawa

Vice Chairman, Toyota Motor
Corp.

Kayoko Hayashi

President, Tokyo University ofForeign Studies

Shin-ichi Hirano

Chair Professor, Shanghai Jiao
Tong University

Koichi Fukaya

Former Executive Chairman,
DENSO Corporation

Masanori Mitsui

Chairman, Daihatsu Motor Co.,Ltd.

Naoko Munakata

Advisor, Dai-ichi Life ResearchInstituteSenta Morioka

Former Vice Governor, Aichi
Prefecture

Shinji Yazaki

President, Yazaki Corporation

Yasuhiko Sato

Director

Atsushi Seike

Director

Akihiko Tanaka
Director

Ⅱ Changes in designated net assets

Kanetaka
Hisatsune
Director

Hiroshi Yoshikawa

Auditor

43,144,486

39,922,680

40,393,095

Masahide Yasuda
AuditorFusahiro
Yamamoto

28

As of March 31, 2021

Name

Jyunichi Sato

2. Changes in extraordinary profit(1) Extraordinary profit

As of March 31, 2021

Nobuyori Kodaira

1. Changes in ordinary profit

Trustees

President, Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation for Private
School of Japan
Adviser for Educational Affairs,
Keio University
President, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies
Chairman, Toyota Dealers Association

President, Rissho University

Audit and Supervisory Board
Members, Toyota Motor Corp.

Certified Public Accountant

29

The Toyota Foundation Shinjuku Mitsui Building 37F, 2-1-1 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 163-0437, Japan

https://www.toyotafound.or.jp/english/

THE TOYOTA FOUNDATION