ADRA Japan

In response to Japan's post-war recovery and economic development, ADRA Japan was launched on March 30, 1985.

ADRA Japan Overview

Country Office Location: Tokyo, Japan¹

Technical Sectors Capacity:

• Agriculture

• Disaster Risk Reduction

Emergency Management Capacity:

• Staff member trained as part of the regional Emergency Response Team

• Business Contingency Plan

• Domestic disaster response vehicle

• Emergency food stock for one week (domestic)

• Emergency Non-Food Items (NFIs) (domestic)

• NGO member of the SEMA Alliance, established by Yahoo! Japan to provide relief supplies (domestic)

• Medical volunteers (domestic)

Number of Staff: 16

Partnerships and Collaboration:

• ADRA Myanmar (education)

• ADRA Nepal (education and health)

• ADRA Zimbabwe (education)

• Social Emergency Management Alliance

• Japan NGO Initiative for Safety and Security

• Japan NGO Center for International Cooperation

• Japan Voluntary Organisations Active in Disaster

• Disaster Connection Japan Network

Linkages and Partnerships with the Seventh-day Adventist Church:

• ADRA Japan Board chair is the general secretary of the Japan Union Conference 

• Country director serves as a member of the Executive Committee of the Japan Union Conference 

• The ADRA Committee is one of the committees in the Japan Union Conference

Government Relations:

• Certified Non-Profit (valid as of April 2021)

Current Donors:

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs

• Japan Platform

• AEON Co., Ltd

• Latter-day Saint Charities

Amount of Funding Programmed in the Last Audited Year:

• USD $5,060,180

Summary: History Timeline²

• 1918: The Origins of ADRA (Beginning of Support Activities)
  ADRA, currently the world’s largest NGO with branches in around 120 countries, traces its roots to the efforts of Christian pastors.

• In 1918, following the end of World War I, Seventh-day Adventist pastors, alongside members of other churches, distributed relief supplies across European countries. This humanitarian work gradually expanded from Europe to the Middle East and Asia.

• 1945: Aid to Japan after WWII
  The pastors' relief efforts continued to grow, and after World War II, Japan received aid valued at the equivalent of 1 billion yen today. They also supported refugees affected by the Korean War (1950-1953) and the Vietnam War (beginning in 1955), marking the beginning of ADRA's global aid operations.

• 1956: Founding of Support Groups
  The Seventh-day Adventist Welfare Service (SAWS), an international aid organization that would eventually become ADRA, was established.

• 1983: Name Change
  The organization officially became the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA).

• 1985: Establishment of ADRA Japan
  In response to Japan's post-war recovery and economic development, Japan was eager to give back globally. This led to the founding of ADRA Japan (formerly known as ADRA International Relations Agency) on March 30, 1985.

• 1997: UN Consultative Status
  ADRA was granted consultative status by the United Nations Economic and Social Council, allowing participation in UN meetings and international conferences. This status enabled ADRA to collaborate with UN agencies and other NGOs to address global challenges.

• 2000: Rebranding of ADRA Japan
  The Japanese branch officially changed its name from "Adra International Aid Agency" to "ADRA Japan."

• 2004: Registration as a Japanese NPO
  After 19 years of operating as a voluntary organization in partnership with ADRA branches worldwide, ADRA Japan was recognized as a specified non-profit organization (NPO) by the Japanese Cabinet Office in April 2004.

• April 2016: Certification as a Certified NPO
  ADRA Japan was certified as a “Certified NPO” by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government after passing a rigorous screening process. Certified NPOs are considered to have a higher level of public benefit and undergo strict evaluations every five years. In November 2021, ADRA Japan successfully passed its renewal examination and retained its certified NPO status.

• Present Day
  More than 40 years after its founding, ADRA Japan has provided assistance to 67 countries and regions. With the support of countless individuals, ADRA continues to promote self-reliance and offer vital aid in disaster-stricken and developing areas worldwide. We are deeply grateful for this ongoing support.

Organization

During the post-World War II reconstruction period, Japan as a country received a variety of assistance from foreign countries, including Lara supplies. At that time, the Dorcas Society also delivered many relief supplies.

The Korean War triggered rapid economic growth in Japan, and by the end of the 1970s, Japan’s GDP was the second largest in the world. Japan, having experienced help from abroad, decided it was their turn to provide aid, and the World headquarters of ADRA in the United States made a proposal to Japan Union Conference (hereinafter referred as JUC) for the establishment of ADRA.

In January 1985, JUC decided to accept the call from the Far Eastern Division to Pastor Kiyoshi Fujita to serve as the assistant director of ADRA.³ Pastor Fujita began to serve as the country director of ADRA Japan.⁴

Beginnings

ADRA, the world’s largest NGO (non-governmental organization) with branches in approximately 120 countries, traces its origins to the efforts of Seventh-day Adventist pastors. In 1918, following World War I, these pastors, alongside leaders from other churches, distributed relief supplies to European nations, with their efforts gradually expanding to the Middle East and Asia. By 1945, after World War II, the pastors’ aid activities had grown significantly, and they provided aid worth 1 billion yen (in today’s value) to Japan. They also supported refugees affected by the Korean War (1950-1953) and the Vietnam War (beginning in 1955), marking the beginning of ADRA’s global humanitarian efforts.⁵

In the spring of 1985, the ADRA Kokusai Enjo Kiko (International Aid Organization) set up an office in a corner of JUC Yokohama office, staffed by Kiyoshi Fujita and his wife. With no support from JUC, they had to earn their own money, including their own salaries, by fundraising on their own. They made flyers and went out to the building districts of Tokyo to raise funds, but since they were not well known inside and outside the SDA Church, they could not gain trust simply by putting ADRA’s name out there, and many days went by without success. However, a turning point came when a major earthquake hit Mexico on September 19, 1985, which was widely covered by the Japanese media and raised expectations for ADRA as an international cooperation organization.

With the cooperation of mass media, 3 million yen (approximately US$15,000) was collected and sent to the affected areas.⁶

This was ADRA Japan’s first relief activity, and the amount was one-fourth of the total amount raised by the ADRA Network.⁷ Later, 5 million yen (US$25,000) was raised for a volcanic explosion in Colombia, and another 3 million yen was raised for famine relief in Africa, bringing the total amount of aid raised that year to 12 million yen (US$60,000).⁸

The first mass media coverage of ADRA Japan’s activities was through the Foreign Coin Project in 1986, which was followed by a series of major newspaper and television coverage, and over the next six months, 650 people donated funds. These donations were later used to support the dispatch of volunteer teams.

The first ADRA Japan newsletter was ADRA Today, published in June 1986, and it was printed quarterly and distributed to corporate supporters as well as personal supporters throughout Japan.

Although donations declined in 1986 and 1987, reaching around 5.4 million yen (US$33,750) and 5.8 million yen (US$48,300), these years were noteworthy in that ADRA Japan began to fund development assistance not only in emergency response. In addition, as the exchange rate of the Japanese yen against the U.S. dollar improved over the years, fundraising in Japan became more important.

From 1988, dispatch of the youth volunteer teams began, with about 20 to 30 university and high school students participating each time, led by Pathfinder Club counselors. The youths, who paid for their own travel and living expenses, stayed in the field for several weeks and worked together with community members to meet the needs of the field, and this became major program with ADRA Japan.⁹

The year 1995 was one of great change for ADRA Japan as it was the first time that they conducted a disaster relief project in Japan in the wake of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake that occurred on January 17. 5,000 plastic sheets were prepared to cover the damaged roofs of the houses. This was all done by volunteer members. ADRA Japan also provided 4,000 servings of miso soup every day at evacuation centers for about a month and a half. A total of 300 volunteers were involved in these activities.

Certifications

In the 19 years since its establishment, the ADRA Japan chapter has been functioning as a volunteer-based organization in partnership with ADRA chapters worldwide. On April 13, 2004, it was officially recognized by the Cabinet Office as a specified non-profit organization (NPO) and began its journey as a public service corporation. This enabled ADRA Japan to receive grants from Japan Platform (hereinafter referred as JPF), a grant-distributing organization that ADRA Japan staff also helped establish. The scale of the funding was gradually being expanded, and annual operating expenses exceeded 100 million yen for the first time in 2005. Although JPF funds are intended for emergency assistance and the main focus is to enable aid organizations to respond quickly after disasters, emergency conditions can persist for a long period of time in some situations. For instance, ADRA Japan’s projects for returnees in South Sudan, which began in 2006, is still ongoing in 2025 as support for South Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia.¹⁰

In April 2016, after undergoing a rigorous screening process, ADRA Japan was certified as a Certified Non-Profit Organization (Certified NPO) by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Certified NPOs are recognized for having a higher level of public benefit than regular non-profit organizations and are approved by prefectures. As of November 2021, only 2.4 percent of non-profits hold this certification. Certification must be renewed every five years, with operations undergoing strict review. ADRA Japan successfully passed the renewal examination in 2021, maintaining the Certified NPO status.¹¹

Role and Place in the Country

While ADRA Japan has provided assistance to victims of frequent natural disasters in Japan from time to time, in 2008, it began to work on “disaster prevention and mitigation,” especially in cooperation with other organizations, businesses, and government agencies to prepare for disasters. Staffs have participated in joint drills conducted by the government and private sector, and seminars were held for the public to educate them about disaster prevention and mitigation. This collaboration was well utilized in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011.¹²

On March 11, 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami hit eastern Japan. On the following day, ADRA Japan dispatched a survey team to Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures. The team then began relief activities from its base in Sendai Adventist Church, providing food at evacuation centers and removing mud from welfare facilities. At this time, it was significant that one of ADRA Japan’s staff members was able to effectively share information not only with ADRA, but also with other aid organizations by entering the government’s local response headquarters, taking advantage of the relationships that had been built up to that point.¹³

Since April 2011, ADRA Japan has been based in Yamamoto City, Miyagi Prefecture, and they have supported the town and the Council of Social Welfare in providing assistance to disaster victims. In Fukushima Prefecture, ADRA Japan provided home appliances to those who had to evacuate from areas contaminated by radiation due to the nuclear power plant accident as well as human resource development support for students, who will be responsible for the future of the region.

These activities were funded by over US$40,000 from the ADRA network, including Germany, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, as well as grants from JPF and donations from corporations and individual donors. The total number of beneficiaries soon reached 954,000.

Since 2011, floods have occurred almost every year in Japan. Whenever flooding occurred, ADRA Japan staffs were immediately dispatched to the disaster site and provided material support at evacuation centers, operational support at disaster volunteer centers, and material support to homebound evacuees in cooperation with other organizations. In addition, ADRA Japan provided psychosocial care to disaster victims by offering footbaths and a tea salon by using a disaster response bus purchased with funds from the ADRA network.

Recently, ADRA International and ADRA Japan continue to respond to the devastating earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula in Japan on New Year’s Day of 2024 that left more than 44,000 homes affected. Thousands of people are still living in evacuation centers and dire conditions.¹⁴

In addition to responding to disasters, ADRA Japan also works to raise awareness about disaster prevention and engages in activities to reduce the impact of disasters through seminars held at local churches and social welfare councils. ADRA Japan also works with local leaders to prepare for the earthquakes directly above its focus in Tokyo metropolitan area, which is a major threat there as well as the Tokai earthquake in Shizuoka Prefecture.

International Work

ADRA Japan has been operating for over 40 years, during which time they have provided aid to 67 countries and regions. With the support of many, ADRA Japan been able to offer assistance that helps people in disaster-affected areas and developing countries, promoting their self-reliance.¹⁵

Beginning with the first project to build a water supply facility in Sarawak, Malaysia, ADRA Japan dispatched a total of approximately 750 volunteers to Nepal, Vietnam, the Philippines, Mongolia, Russia, Micronesia, and other countries 37 times each year through 2007.¹⁶ Participants mainly constructed water supply facilities, school buildings, health care facilities, training facilities, and housing for leprosy patients, and they were also involved in school lunch programs as well as health awareness programs.

The financial resources to support these projects were raised through charity concerts and charity bazaars held since 1989. These efforts were supported by the dedicated service of musicians and Adventist church member volunteers.

In 1995, ADRA Japan dispatched a team of plastic surgeons to Nepal. Given the limited access to plastic surgery in Nepal at that time, a volunteer team consisting of a Japanese plastic surgeon, an anesthesiologist, nurse, a clinical engineer, a pharmacist, and a nutritionist was dispatched to Nepal for about two weeks to perform free surgery on patients with cleft lips and palates at the Adventist hospital in the Kavrepalanchok District. This project was conducted almost every year until 2019, treating a total of more than 1,000 patients. It also provided an opportunity for Japanese and Nepalese medical professionals to work together and share Japanese medical techniques.

ADRA Japan received a large amount of funding to implement various projects in Kosovo from 1999 to 2002, which was immediately after the Kosovo War. The project had the components that included the dispatch of emergency medical teams, housing repair, landmine education, school construction, and the dispatch of volunteers from Japan.

The School Rehabilitation Project, funded by the U.N. Human Security Fund, had a total budget of US$2.7 million. It benefitted 3,100 children and 152 teachers, and it was highly respected by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Japanese government.¹⁷

ADRA Japan has not provided only corporate help, but they have also assisted individuals. For example, in 2019 in collaboration with the Tokyo Adventist Hospital, ADRA Japan provided free surgery to a young girl who had suffered severe burns. This effort was later recognized with the Kosovo Presidential Medal “Saint Mother Teresa”.¹⁸

In 2006, ADRA Japan started receiving funds from the Grant Aid for Japanese NGO’s Projects of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)’s Grassroots Technical Cooperation Program (JICA Partnership Program), and implemented development projects in Nepal and Laos.

The availability of funding from multiple sources allowed the organization to hire full-time staff for each project. There were only two full-time staff, two part-time staff, and three interns in 2002, but it increased to 11 full-time staff and five interns in 2006. The number of staff continued to grow, reaching 25 in 2014.

As one of the supporting offices in the ADRA Asia Region, ADRA Japan makes every effort to contribute emergency funds to respond to natural disasters that occur in the Asian region. In recent years, ADRA Japan has responded to natural disasters in Mongolia, China, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, and other countries. In addition, ADRA Japan belongs to NGO networks for education, health, and domestic disaster response, exchanging information with other aid organizations, and responding to disasters in collaboration with them. Specifically, cooperation with local Adventist churches has been indispensable in the disaster response under the outbreak of COVID-19. SDA Church members have been appreciated by the people in affected areas through their activities to support victims in collaboration with ADRA Japan.¹⁹

The pattern of starting with emergency assistance, followed by reconstruction assistance and then development assistance, had taken root, and by 2024, ADRA Japan had been implementing education, health, and refugee assistance projects in collaboration with ADRA, implementing offices of Myanmar, Nepal, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Yemen, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Peru, Paraguay, and other countries.²⁰ Out of these projects, the emergency response to the Ukraine crisis since February 2022 has been noteworthy. ADRA Japan had been in contact with ADRA Ukraine since the outbreak of the crisis, and they were quick to launch fundraising activities to support their response, which has increased opportunities for ADRA Japan to be covered by the Internet and mass media, and this has increased the attention of the media. Donations totaling more than 700 million yen were collected from individuals and companies, which were used not only to assist displaced persons in Ukraine, but also to support refugees in neighboring countries such as Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Moldova, and Georgia. The strengths of the ADRA network were fully demonstrated in the initial response in each of these countries, and the speed and quality of the activities gained the trust of many donors. Since then, in cooperation with ADRA Slovakia, ADRA Japan supported help centers established and operated by refugees to sustain each other, and has been developing activities to reach out to people, especially young children and adolescents, and their parents, who are trying to move forward with hope in the midst of difficulties.²¹

Directors

Kiyoshi Fujita (1985-1996); Toshiya Tsukamoto (1996-2002); Mitsuo Chris Ishii (2002-2011); Yasunari Urashima (2011-2022); Yasuki Aoki (2022- )

Sources

ADRA. ADRA Asia Capacity Statement 2020. Accessed at https://adraasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/ADRA-Asia-Capacity-Statement-FINAL-2020.pdf.

“ADRA History.” ADRA Japan official website, https://www.adrajpn.org/history/.

ANN Staff. “ADRA Japan Coordinating with National Disaster Office.” Adventist News Network, March 11, 2011. Accessed April 7, 2025. https://adventist.news/news/adra-japan-coordinating-with-national-disaster-office.

Fujita, Kiyoshi. ADRA Passion. Tokyo, Kirisuto Shinbunsya, 2015.

ADRA in Europe and Adventist Review. “ADRA Slovakia and ADRA Japan Launch Cooperation.” Adventist Review, December 6, 2022. Accessed April 7, 2025. https://adventistreview.org/world/europe/adra-slovakia-and-adra-japan-launch-cooperation/.

“Japan: ADRA Continues Response in Tsunami Affected Region.” ADRA official website, March 15, 2011. https://adra.org/japan-earthquake-response.

“Japan’s Noto Earthquake: ADRA Mobilizes Urgent Relief and Recovery Efforts to Aid Japanese Communities.” ADRA official website, February 2, 2024. https://adra.org/japans-noto-earthquake-adra-mobilizes-urgent-relief-and-recovery-efforts-to-aid-japanese-communities.

Minutes of the Executive Committee of Japan Union Conference January 27, 1985 Resolution.

UNDP home page. Accessed February 12, 2022. https://www.jp.undp.org/content/tokyo/ja/home/presscenter/articles/2014/03/17/-.html.

Notes

1. This overview of ADRA Japan is found in: ADRA, ADRA Asia Capacity Statement 2020, page 14, accessed at https://adraasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/ADRA-Asia-Capacity-Statement-FINAL-2020.pdf.↩

2. From “Our Journey So Far,” ADRA Japan, accessed April 7, 2025, https://www.adrajpn.org/history/.↩

3. Minutes of the Executive Committee of Japan Union Conference January 27, 1985 Resolution.↩

4. Kiyoshi Fujita, ADRA Passion (Tokyo, Kirisuto Shinbunsya, 2015), 26.↩

5. “ADRA History,” ADRA Japan official website, https://www.adrajpn.org/history/.↩

6. ADRA Japan (1986), Wonderful First Year, ADRA TODAY, 1: 1.↩

7. Fujita, 43.↩

8. Wonderful First Year, ADRA TODAY, 1: 1.↩

9. Author’s personal knowledge from serving as ADRA Japan director from 2011 to 2022.↩

10. “ADRA History,” ADRA Japan official website, https://www.adrajpn.org/history/.↩

11. “ADRA History,” ADRA Japan official website, https://www.adrajpn.org/history/.↩

12. ANN Staff, “ADRA Japan Coordinating with National Disaster Office,” Adventist News Network, March 11, 2011, accessed April 7, 2025, https://adventist.news/news/adra-japan-coordinating-with-national-disaster-office.↩

13. “Japan: ADRA Continues Response in Tsunami Affected Region,” ADRA official website, March 15, 2011, https://adra.org/japan-earthquake-response.↩

14. “Japan’s Noto Earthquake: ADRA Mobilizes Urgent Relief and Recovery Efforts to Aid Japanese Communities,” ADRA official website, February 2, 2024, https://adra.org/japans-noto-earthquake-adra-mobilizes-urgent-relief-and-recovery-efforts-to-aid-japanese-communities.↩

15. “ADRA History,” ADRA Japan official website, https://www.adrajpn.org/history/.↩

16. Not including nursing students dispatch projects.↩

17. UNDP home page, accessed February 12, 2022, https://www.jp.undp.org/content/tokyo/ja/home/presscenter/articles/2014/03/17/-.html.↩

18. Embassy of Japan in Kosovo home page, “Thank You from Kosovo to Japan,” Meritorious Service Award Ceremony and Presidential Address at the Japanese Diet, accessed February 12, 2022, https://www.ks.emb-japan.go.jp/itprtop_en/index.html.↩

19. “ADRA Japan: Activities and Achievement,” ADRA Japan official website, https://www.adrajpn.org/work/.↩

20. “ADRA Japan: Activities and Achievement,” ADRA Japan official website, https://www.adrajpn.org/work/.↩

21. ADRA in Europe and Adventist Review, “ADRA Slovakia and ADRA Japan Launch Cooperation,” Adventist Review, December 6, 2022, accessed April 7, 2025, https://adventistreview.org/world/europe/adra-slovakia-and-adra-japan-launch-cooperation/.↩