On April 1, 2018, the public offering of the 3rd KAGAWA Toyohiko Prize was launched.

See the column “Father of Japanese Co-operative Movement” on our HISTORY page to learn more about KAGAWA Toyohiko (an internal link)

The Kagawa Toyohiko Prize was founded in 2016 from the residual assets of the Matsuzawa Consumer Co-op which was founded in Setagaya-Ku Tokyo, under the guidance of Kagawa Toyohiko (Father of the co-op movement in Japan) in 1947 with about 500 to 600 members at its peak time. However, the co-op was dissolved in 2004 due to aging and a decrease in membership.

Following the dissolution and with the intention of paying tribute to Kagawa Toyohiko, the residual assets were donated to "Kagawa Toyohiko Archives & Resource Center" for the purpose of passing down his faith and practices to future generations.

A public offering and a prize award is made once a year by the Kagawa Toyohiko Archives & Resource Center which targets groups or individuals who have developed or working on pioneering projects to solve social problems in Japan or in abroad for more than 3 years irrespective of nationality.

The first recipient of the award was Mr. OKUDA Tomoshi Chairperson of a non-profit organization “Houboku“ in Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture. Started with the support of street dwellers in the 1980s, the organization is currently providing support to elders in isolation, children of families receiving public assistance.

The second recipient was Ms. YONEYAMA Keiko Chairperson of a certified NPO“Food Bank Yamanashi”. The food bank was established in 2008,  to utilize excess food for welfare activity, to work as a nutrition safety net.

Food Bank Yamanashi has been working closely with private enterprizes, local governments, and private schools. It is called the “Yamanashi Model” and drawing attention from other food banks nationwide.

This year is the third time of the public offering and application deadline is the end of August 2018. Selection will be made by a “selection committee” including external experts. Results of the selection and information regarding winners of the award will be made public through the website of Kagawa Toyohiko Archives & Resource Center.

The official website of Kagawa Toyohiko Archives & Resource Center (an external link)