51³Ô¹ÏÍø

Tag - crowdfunding

 
Menu
Search
 
July 24, 2026
 

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

CROWDFUNDING

The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ?115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 10, 2026
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm¡¯s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ?115.16 billion.
Norihide Fukushima, a cardiovascular surgeon and director of the Japan Critical Care Jet Network, speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Monday.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Apr 1, 2026
¡®Doctor jet¡¯ transportation service for critically ill children seeks support amid funding shortfall
The Japan Critical Care Jet Network, based in Osaka Prefecture, is seeking to raise ?200 million ($1.25 million) to maintain its service for severely ill pediatric patients.
The city of Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, used a crowdfunding-style hometown donation program to help fund fireworks during the Matsue Suigosai festival held in August.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society / FOCUS
Sep 29, 2025
Crowdfunding-style hometown donations gain traction in Japan
Such initiatives set clear fundraising targets and deadlines to solicit contributions to address specific local challenges.
Hokkaido University Museum professor Yoshitsugu Kobayashi holds a news conference in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Dec. 18 about the launch of a crowdfunding campaign for dinosaur fossil excavation surveys.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Feb 16, 2025
Crowdfunding raises ?8.3 million for dinosaur fossil excavations
Through his excavation surveys, a Hokkaido University Museum professor aims to find out how dinosaurs survived cold winters and how they traveled to and from Asia.
Jiro Hamazumi (right), deputy secretary general of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, holds a news conference on Thursday.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Nov 16, 2024
Nihon Hidankyo¡¯s crowdfunding campaign achieves initial goal on first day
The amount of donations collected under the campaign surpassed ?10 million shortly past 11 p.m. Friday Japan time. Donors reached about 1,400 people.
Aiko Kato (left) touches the stump of a sacred tree at Sakataru Shrine in June in Noto, Ishikawa Prefecture, which was cut off after it fell down due to the Jan. 1 earthquake
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society
Sep 13, 2024
Crowdfunding for damaged Noto shrine raises 10 times target
The shrine offered gifts to donors, including a special soda infused with the essence of its fallen sacred tree.
Hisashi Takazawa, the fifth-generation owner of Takazawa Candle, has put up messages of support from crowdfunding backers on the window of the temporary shop for his business in Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture. The Noto Peninsula earthquake caused the roof of its original storefront to collapse.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society
Jul 8, 2024
Crowdfunding boosts post-quake rebuilding efforts in Noto
Some 330 projects related to the Noto Peninsula earthquake had been launched on three platforms by the end of May, raising a total of around ?1.39 billion ($8.7 million).
The National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo's Ueno district
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Science & Health
Nov 6, 2023
Japan¡¯s national science museum holds record crowdfunding campaign
The institution has raised ?920 million through the 90-day campaign, with 57,000 members of the public chipping in.
A popular dinosaur exhibit at the National Museum of Nature and Science in Ueno, Tokyo
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Science & Health
Aug 9, 2023
Crowdfunding success at Japan science museum sends mixed message
While such initiatives provide much-needed cash, they are also a sign of limited government funding for science.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Science & Health
May 29, 2023
Doctors in Japan turn to crowdfunding to continue stroke treatment trial
The trial for the drug to treat acute stroke sufferers has hit a snag due to surging import costs, with the price of a vial going from ?300,000 to ?1.6 million.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / FOCUS
Nov 14, 2022
Crowdfunding helping plug gap in government funding for academic research
The fundraising mechanism has also come into wider use in the nation¡¯s medical community, with some cases of research gathering pace after collecting large amounts of financial support.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 18, 2021
Singapore bloggers turn to crowdfunding to pay defamation bills
Blogs provide an avenue for government criticism in a country that ranks among the worst in the world for press freedom.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
May 1, 2021
Tokyo¡¯s restaurants have a story to tell. Somekind Japan¡¯s ¡®Take away Tokyo¡¯ series helps them do it.
With the purchase of a book written by and about their favorite restaurants, foodies can support local establishments and learn more about the people behind them.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 5, 2020
NPO Animator Supporters seeks to ensure anime talent get their fair share
After seeing his friends struggle in the anime industry, founder Jun Sugawara opened a dorm for rookie animators and started crowdfunding projects to provide fair wages.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Media / Japan Pulse
May 23, 2020
Crowdfunding campaigns offer hope to ailing firms facing COVID-19 insolvency
Communities rally behind their favorite establishments, but can they save them all?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 14, 2020
Kazuhiro Soda shows how streaming could help save cinema with online release of ¡®Zero¡¯
With COVID-19 having hit Japan¡¯s independent film industry hard, filmmakers such as Kazuhiro Soda are looking for new ways to reach their audiences.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
May 8, 2020
Live music needs structural change to survive COVID-19
With footfall having dropped dramatically at Japan¡¯s live music venues, many are turning to crowdfunding. But whether this will help mid-sized spaces remains to be seen.
CULTURE / Film
Apr 30, 2020
Independent cinema campaign meets donation goal
A crowdfunding campaign to save art houses reaches its donation goal as Japan¡¯s film industry grapples with the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak.
CULTURE / Film
Apr 16, 2020
The race to save Japan¡¯s independent cinemas
As Japan¡¯s film industry feels the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, campaigners take to crowdfunding to help save smaller cinemas.
Japan Times
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Regional voices: Chubu
Jan 31, 2020
Japanese turn to crowdfunding to pay for public-interest lawsuits
When a Nagoya-based citizens group calling for the decommissioning of an over 40-year-old nuclear power plant kicked off a crowdfunding campaign in October to cover costs for ongoing litigation, it successfully raised about ?3.7 million, 1.5 times the target amount, in about two months.
Japan scientists identify clusters of protein believed to trigger Alzheimer¡¯s disease
A team of researchers said they found a ¡°seed¡± that accelerates the amyloid beta accumulation process in the brain, naming it ¡°Peak 1 amyloid beta,¡± as seen in a mouse's brain.
Indian brothers make manga debut in Japan
Two Indian brothers made their manga debut in Japan with "Kung Fu Kung Fool" ¡ª an action-comedy series that follows the adventures of a notorious thief and a young boy.
Japan weighs regulating Pokemon cards amid trading mania
A Pokemon event is held in Jakarta on July 11
Low-income families in Japan cut food and air conditioning during summer break
Yumiko Watanabe, the chairperson of nonprofit Kidsdoor, explains the results of a survey in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on July 1.
Iran strikes on CIA facilities prompt questions about possible Russian role
Iranian drones are displayed in an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on Jan. 13, 2025.U.S. officials have acknowledged that Russia has ?provided targeting ?and other support for Iran in its drone strikes on U.S. targets in the Persian Gulf region.
The sci-fi sensibilities of electronic trio Black Boboi
Black Boboi was formed in 2018 when solo artists Julia Shortreed, Utena Kobayashi and Ermhoi came together under Kobayashi¡¯s newly founded label, Bindividual.
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
Okayama-born singer-songwriter Kaze Fujii has carved out a distinctive place in Japanese pop since his major-label debut in 2019.
Can Japanese comedy get laughs in English? Yoshimoto Kogyo lets the jokes rip
Wes-P has millions of followers and his viral clips made him recognizable out of Japan.
The 180-day locals: Life on Japan¡¯s digital nomad visa
Christopher Flinn works remotely from Tokyo earlier this month. Japan issued 646 digital nomad visas in 2025, but tourism officials are hoping to increase that figure in the coming years, with Japan's relatively cheap cost of living and the weak yen seen as potential draws for young professionals.
Japan reveals hint of new defense spending target in fiscal blueprint
The Self-Defense Forces' Type 16 mobile combat vehicle fires during a joint live-fire drill with U.S. Marines as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on June 28.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

For many people, utility poles and power lines have become such a familiar part of Japan¡¯s landscape that they often go unnoticed.
Why Japan¡¯s utility poles won¡¯t be disappearing anytime soon
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE 51³Ô¹ÏÍø

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER