Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

The Interrelation of State and Civil Society in Japan : A Case Study of Two Contemporary NGOs, Japan Platform and IMADR

Margaryan, Sara (2004)
Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies, Lund University
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to examine the type of relations existing between the state and civil society in Japan. The main concern of the researcher was to discover particular cases where NGOs have been successful in influencing governmental policies. The paper presents a case study of two contemporary organizations, Japan Platform and IMADR, which have similar spheres of activities but can be distinguished by their different relations with the Japanese government. The data has been collected through interviews with NGO representatives and government officials, as well as literature reviews.

The results of the study show that the state of civil society, though still being rather fragile, has made a shift towards becoming more active and... (More)
The aim of this paper is to examine the type of relations existing between the state and civil society in Japan. The main concern of the researcher was to discover particular cases where NGOs have been successful in influencing governmental policies. The paper presents a case study of two contemporary organizations, Japan Platform and IMADR, which have similar spheres of activities but can be distinguished by their different relations with the Japanese government. The data has been collected through interviews with NGO representatives and government officials, as well as literature reviews.

The results of the study show that the state of civil society, though still being rather fragile, has made a shift towards becoming more active and less dependent on the government in certain issues. It has been found out that the spheres of activities of the NGOs play a significant role in either success or failure to influence the governmental policies. Cooperation with the government, despite giving advantages in terms of funding and freer access to different areas of activity, also represents obstacles such as the limitation of autonomy and mistrust from other non-governmental organizations. Religious and racial neutrality and non-involvement in conflicts are the main advantages of the Japanese civil sector, which will allow it to preserve their impartial stand and relative independence from the state. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Margaryan, Sara
supervisor
organization
year
type
H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
subject
keywords
Japan, state, civil society, NGO, government policy, Japan Platform, IMADR, Social sciences, Samhällsvetenskaper
language
English
id
1331393
date added to LUP
2005-12-28 00:00:00
date last changed
2005-12-28 00:00:00
@misc{1331393,
  abstract     = {{The aim of this paper is to examine the type of relations existing between the state and civil society in Japan. The main concern of the researcher was to discover particular cases where NGOs have been successful in influencing governmental policies. The paper presents a case study of two contemporary organizations, Japan Platform and IMADR, which have similar spheres of activities but can be distinguished by their different relations with the Japanese government. The data has been collected through interviews with NGO representatives and government officials, as well as literature reviews.

The results of the study show that the state of civil society, though still being rather fragile, has made a shift towards becoming more active and less dependent on the government in certain issues. It has been found out that the spheres of activities of the NGOs play a significant role in either success or failure to influence the governmental policies. Cooperation with the government, despite giving advantages in terms of funding and freer access to different areas of activity, also represents obstacles such as the limitation of autonomy and mistrust from other non-governmental organizations. Religious and racial neutrality and non-involvement in conflicts are the main advantages of the Japanese civil sector, which will allow it to preserve their impartial stand and relative independence from the state.}},
  author       = {{Margaryan, Sara}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{The Interrelation of State and Civil Society in Japan : A Case Study of Two Contemporary NGOs, Japan Platform and IMADR}},
  year         = {{2004}},
}