ABSTRACT
Japan experienced a drastic change in social welfare and health care for the elderly in the 1980s. For years, almost all social and health services had been provided through the government, but the system was not flexible enough to respond to changing needs of seniors and their caregivers. In the 1980s, Japanese volunteers undertook the leadership to change the situation. They designed new social welfare and health care services with the goal of providing services of good quality, while retaining the role of advocate for seniors and their caregivers. The efforts of these volunteers have been boosted by a wide range of public support, especially after Japanese society recognized the contribution of volunteers in the turmoil of the Great Hanshin Earthquake. This led to the passage of the Nonprofit Organization (NPO) Law in the Diet. The process of establishing an NPO system in Japan is continuing as people gradually become aware of serious dilemmas and problems in Japanese voluntary activities. Some people are concerned that Japanese NPOs might be abused by the government to organize voluntary organizations for the purpose of implementing Kaigo Hoken (Long-Term Care Insurance). Other people are afraid that some for-profit organizations might use NPOs as channels to recruit seniors as customers of their businesses.
