A Better Future for the Planet Earth
About the Foundation & Afterword (2012-2016)
Mission
The Asahi Glass Foundation strives to contribute to the creation of a society that can transmit the genuine wealth of human civilization by supporting advanced research in the fields of science and technology and by recognizing efforts to solve environmental issues that call for global solutions.
Programs
1. Research Grant Program
Grants are awarded to researchers at universities in Japan and in Thailand and Indonesia. To date, the Foundation has awarded ¥9.8 billion in research grants for approximately 7,900 projects.
2. Commendation Program
Awarding of the Blue Planet Prize, an international environmental award, and the annual survey on the global environment, have been conducted since 1992. Based on the results of the survey, the Environmental Doomsday Clock is reset every year.
History
The Asahi Glass Foundation was established in 1933 as the Asahi Foundation for Chemical Industry Promotion, to commemorate the 25th anniversary (in 1932) of the founding of Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. Over most of its first half-century, the Foundation focused primarily on fostering research in the field of applied chemistry.
In 1990, the foundation undertook an overall redesign of its programs, expanding the scope of its activities and establishing its commendation program. At the same time it was renamed the Asahi Glass Foundation. Since then, the activities of the foundation have focused on its grant-awarding and commendation programs.
Milestones
| 1933 | The Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. donated \500 thousand and established the Asahi Foundation for Chemical Industry Promotion. |
|---|---|
| 1934 | The Asahi Foundation for Chemical Industry Promotion recognized as a nonprofit organization and its basic endowment increased to \1 million. The Foundation began providing research grants to university researchers in the field of applied chemistry. |
| 1945 | Last grants were awarded for the year prior to all activities being suspended at the end of World War II. |
| 1955 | Research grant program restarted. |
| 1961 | The Foundation changes its name to the Asahi Glass Foundation for Industrial Technology. |
| 1982 | The Foundation started a research grant program for Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. |
| 1988 | The Foundation started a research grant program for Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia. |
| 1990 | To support the expansion of its activities, the Foundation made a full revision of its article of association and changes its name to the Asahi Glass Foundation. |
| 1992 | Awarding the Blue Planet Prize awards commenced. Annual survey Questionnaire on Environmental Problems and the Survival of Humankind started. |
| 1997 | The Foundation issued A Better Future for the Planet Earth, a publication commemorating the fifth anniversary of the Blue Planet Prize. |
| 2002 | Published Toward the Future of the Blue Planet -10-Year History of the Blue Planet Prize. 10th Anniversary commemorative lectures Toward the Future of the Blue Planet held. |
| 2006 | Special Round Table Conference on Global Environment Problems started. |
| 2009 | Published Our Vision: Conditions for Survival (in Japanese and English, successively in Chinese through 2011). The Foundation transitioned into a Public Interest Incorporated Foundation. |
| 2010 | The Kondo Grant, an environmental research grant program commenced. Published Conditions for Survival - Toward a Solar Energy-Based Society Full of Vibrant Life (in Japanese and English) and its popular edition containing the abstract summary in Japanese. |
| 2011 | Publication of Conditions for Survival in other languages (Chinese and Korean in 2011, and Arabic in 2012) started. Symposium Conditions for Survival held. |
| 2012 | The Foundation started research grant program for King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Thailand. The Blue Planet Prize laureates jointly presented a paper titled Environment and Development Challenges: The Imperative to Act. |
| 2013 2014 |
Published Environment and Development Challenges: The Imperative to Act. |
| 2017 | +25 years commemorative conference of the establishment of The Blue Planet Prize held. |
Financial Information
Statements of Changes in Financial Position (Million Yen)
| FY2012 | FY2013 | FY2014 | FY2015 | FY2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic endowment | 23,002 | 21,449 | 25,722 | 21,196 | 29,299 |
| Special & other assets | 2,752 | 2,840 | 3,173 | 2,902 | 3,608 |
| Total (Net Worth) | 25,754 | 24,290 | 28,894 | 24,097 | 32,906 |
INTRODUCING THE ASAHI GLASS FOUNDATION (2012)
A Quest for Securing the Blue Planet
Directors and Councillors
February, 2018
Directors
| Chairman | |
|---|---|
| Kazuhiko Ishimura | Chairman & Representative Director, Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. |
| Senior Executive Director | |
| Kunihiko Adachi | Former Deputy General Manager, Technology Office of Glass Company, Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. |
| Trustees | |
| Yoshiki Chujo | Professor, Kyoto University |
| Yoshihiro Hayashi | President/ Director General, National Museum of Nature and Science; Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo |
| Kimihiko Hirao | Director, RIKEN Advanced Institute for Computational Science; Former Executive Vice President, The University of Tokyo |
| Hiroshi Ishiwara | Professor Emeritus, Tokyo Institute of Technology |
| Tisato Kajiyama | Chairman, Board of Trustees, and President Fukuoka Women's University; Professor Emeritus, Former President, Kyushu University |
| Shinichi Kawakami | Exective Offiser, General Manager, General Affairs Division Asahi Glass Co.,Ltd. |
| Yukiharu Kodama | President, The Mechanical Social Systems Foundation; Former Administrative Vice-minister of International Trade and Industry |
| Takamitsu Kumasaka | Chairman & CEO, THE SANKEI SHIMBUN |
| Keisuke Kutira | Former President, Seikei University |
| Masayoshi Mishina | Professor, Ritsumeikan University; Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo |
| Hideo Miyahara | Professor Emeritus, former President, Osaka University; |
| Akio Morishima | Director General, Japan Environment Association; Professor Emeritus, Nagoya University |
| Ryoji Noyori | Director-General, Center for Research and Development Strategy, Japan Science and Technology Agency |
| Kenjiro Omura | Professor Emeritus, University of Tsukuba |
| Takuya Shimamura | Member of the Board, President & CEO, Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. |
| Sawako Shirahase | Professor, The University of Tokyo |
| Katsuhiko Shirai | Honorary Advisor, Waseda University |
| Hiroshi Yoshikawa | Professor, Rissho University; Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo Principal Fellow, Japan Science and Technology Agency; |
| Hiroyuki Yoshikawa | Member of Japan Academy; Former President, Science Council of Japan; Former President, The University of Tokyo |
| Auditors | |
| Katsunori Nagayasu | Senior Advisor, The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd.. |
| Takashi Terashima | Former Corporate Auditor, Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. |
| Tatsuo Wakabayashi | Chairman, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation |
Afterword
The Blue Planet Prize was established in 1992, the year of the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, and celebrated its 25th year in 2017.
Over these past 25 years, awareness around the world about global environmental issues has increased, and the ranking of countries influencing the global environment has also changed with China becoming the world’s largest emitter of carbon dioxide.
While seeking international agreement to preserve the global environment, it has deteriorated. It’s true that we could not move quickly because of the time it takes to coordinate among countries, but this does not mean that we are completely lost, as Professor Robert Watson told us at the 25th anniversary symposium held on September 8, 2017.
Many countries recognized the critical phase of the global environment, which prompted them to sign the Paris Agreement in 2015. Although within two years, the United States stated its intention to withdraw from the agreement, all of the other signatories, including China, the largest carbon dioxide emitter, have remained.
Even in the United States, some states and cities made the announcement that they would follow the agreement. This shows that awareness about the global environmental issues has been shared beyond the boundaries of international politics.
Over the past 25 years, people around the world have cooperated in solving global environmental issues as individuals.
The Asahi Glass Foundation is also working harder in the hope that the Blue Planet Prize will contribute to such activities to save the global environment.
Kunihiko Adachi
Senior Executive Director,
Asahi Glass Foundation