Published June 2020 1 Profile
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 and outstanding students as well as by recognizing efforts to solve environmental problems that call for global solutions.
History
The Asahi Glass Foundation began in 1933 as the Asahi Foundation for Chemical Industry Promotion, to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary (1932) of the founding of Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. (currently, AGC Inc.). For over more than half a 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 the commendation program. At the same time it was renamed the Asahi Glass Foundation. In 2018, the Foundation took over the scholarship program due to a merger with the Asahi Glass Scholarship Foundation (AGSF). AGSF was established in 1957. Later renamed the Asahi Glass Foundation, it has been granting scholarships to Japanese students, offering scholarships to international students from Thailand and Indonesia since 1990 and then to those from China and South Korea since 2008. From 2012, it offered scholarships to high school students who had suffered hardship caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake (now discontinued).
Milestones
1933 The Asahi Foundation for Chemical Industry Promotion 2006 Special Round Table Conference on Global Environment was established to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Problems started. founding of Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. 2008 ‘Continuation Grants for Young Researchers’ and 1934 The Foundation was recognized as a non-profit ‘Continuation Grants for Outstanding Projects’ were organization and began providing grants to university integrated into the research grant program. researchers in applied chemistry. 2009 The corporate status of the Foundation was converted 1957 Asahi Glass Scholarship Foundation (AGSF) was into a Public Interest Incorporated Foundation established to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the The Foundation published “Our Vision: Conditions for founding of Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. Survival” and subsequently issued English, Chinese, 1958 AGSF began the scholarship program for Japanese Korean, Arabic and French versions of the publication. students. 2010 The Kondo Grant, an environmental research grant 1961 The Foundation was renamed the Asahi Glass Foundation program commenced. for Industrial Technology. The Foundation published “Conditions for Survival - 1982 The Foundation started a research grant program for Toward a Solar Energy-Based Society Full of Vibrant Life.” Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. 2011 The Foundation organized the Symposium“Conditions 1988 The Foundation started a research grant program for for Survival.” Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia. 2012 The Foundation started research grant program for King 1990 The Foundation was renamed the Asahi Glass Foundation. Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Thailand. AGSF began a scholarship program for international The Blue Planet Prize laureates jointly presented students in Japan. a paper titled “Environment and Development 1991 The Foundation extended its field of the research grant Challenges: The Imperative to Act.” program of natural sciences, in addition to applied AGSF began a scholarship program for students who chemistry. suffered damage caused by the Great East Japan 1992 The Foundation commenced awarding of the Blue Planet Prize. Earthquake. Annual survey Questionnaire on Environmental Problems 2013 The Foundation started a research grant program for and the Survival of Humankind started. researchers at technical colleges. The Foundation began a research grant program for the 2014 The Foundation published “Environment and fields of humanities and social sciences. Development Challenges: The Imperative to Act.” 1993 Inaugural seminar held to present findings from Asahi 2017 The Foundation organized +25 years commemorative Glass Foundation-assisted research, now an annual event. conference of the establishment of The Blue Planet Prize. 1994 The Foundation published its 60 year records of the Foundation's history. 2018 The Foundation took over the scholarship program due 1997 The Foundation published “A Better Future for the Planet to a merger with AGSF. Earth.” Since then, the publications are made every 5 years. 2020 A new program ‘Research Grants for Sustainable 2002 The Foundation organized the 10th anniversary Future’ started. The Foundation started a research grant program for commemorative lectures “Toward the Future of the Blue Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Vietnam. Planet” and published “Toward the Future of the Blue Planet -10 Year History of the Blue Planet Prize.”
1 Programs
Research Grant Program Scholarship Program Commendation Program
Grants are awarded to The scholarship program is Awarding of the Blue Planet Prize, researchers in universities in for Japanese and international an international environmental Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, and students in designated graduate award, and the annual survey on Vietnam. To date, the Foundation schools in Japan. To date, a total the global environment, have been of 3.2 billion yen in scholarships conducted since 1992. Based has awarded ¥10.8 billion in has benefited 3,800 Japanese on the results of the survey, the research grants to approximately students and 280 international Environmental Doomsday Clock is 5,300 projects. students. published every year.
Since 2018, the Foundation has focused on activities in the research grant program, the scolarship program, and the commendation program.
Financial Information
Net assets as of February 29, 2020: ¥29.3 billion Total ordinary expenditures (Fiscal 2019): ¥874 million
Directors & Councillors (as of June 1, 2020) Directors Hiroshi Yoshikawa President, Rissho University; Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo Chairman Hiroyuki Yoshikawa Takuya Shimamura Senior Fellow, Japan Science and Technology Agency; Representative Director, President & CEO, AGC Inc. Member of Japan Academy; Former President, Science Council of Japan; Senior Executive Director Former President, The University of Tokyo Hiroyuki Watanabe Former Executive Officer, General Manager of New Product R&D Center, Technology General Division, Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. Auditors Trustees Katsunori Nagayasu Yoshiki Chujo Senior Advisor, MUFG Bank, Ltd. Professor Emeritus, Kyoto University; Director for Digital Monozukuri Takashi Terashima Education & Research Center, Hiroshima University Former Corporate Auditor, Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. Yoshihiro Hayashi Tatsuo Wakabayashi President/ Director General, National Museum of Nature and Science, Japan; Senior Advisor, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo Kimihiko Hirao Councillors RIKEN Advisor, RIKEN Center for Computational Science; Masuo Aizawa Research Director, Fukui Institute for Fundamental Chemistry, Kyoto University Professor Emeritus, former President, Tokyo Institute of Technology Tisato Kajiyama Yoshinori Hirai Chairman, Board of Trustees, and President Fukuoka Women’s University; Representative Director, Executive Vice President & CTO, AGC Inc. Professor Emeritus, Former President, Kyushu University Kenichi Iga Yukiharu Kodama Professor Emeritus, former President, Tokyo Institute of Technology Advisor, The Mechanical Social Systems Foundation; Former Administrative Vice-minister of International Trade and Industry Michiko Imai Takamitsu Kumasaka Director, Le Verseau Inc. Senior Adviser, THE SANKEI SHIMBUN Ryozo Kato Keisuke Kurita Former Ambassador to the United States of America Ken Kobayashi Former President, Seikei University Chairman of the Board, Mitsubishi Corporation Masayoshi Mishina Hiroshi Komiyama Visiting Professor, Ritsumeikan University; Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo Chairman, Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc.; Former President, The University of Tokyo Akio Morishima Kenji Matsuo Director General, Japan Environment Association; Senior Advisor, Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Company Professor Emeritus, Nagoya University Shinji Miyaji Norihiro Nakai Representative Director, Senior Executive Vice President, CFO & CCO, Professor, Tokyo Institute of Technology AGC Inc. Ryoji Noyori Mamoru Mohri Director-General, Center for Research and Development Strategy, Chief Executive Director, Astronaut, National Museum of Emerging Japan Science and Technology Agency Science and Innovation Tadashi Otsuka Keiko Nakamura Professor, Waseda University Honorary Director General, JT Biohistory Research Hall Katsuhiko Shirai Shigeo Nishimura Honorary Advisor, Waseda University Professor Emeritus, Kyushu University Seigo Tarucha Hideaki Omiya Deputy Center Director, RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science; Senior Executive Adviser, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. Visiting Professor, Tokyo University of Science Hitoshi Osaki Izumi Washitani Special Advisor to the President, National Institutes for the Humanities; Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo Former Commissioner for Cultural Affairs Niro Shimada Former Chief Justice, the Supreme Court of Japan
2 2 Research Grant Program
The Asahi Glass Foundation supports original research in the natural sciences that seeks to build the foundations for the next generation society, as well as original research in the humanities and social sciences that contributes to sustainable solutions for the critical issues that confront society.
Research Grants in Japan
Applications for research grants for 2021 in Japan are accepted for the four programs outlined below.
Program Overview (in Japan) 【Eligibility】 Full-time researchers in universities in Japan, including their affiliated research laboratories and technical colleges who are playing a leading role in research. Fixed-term researchers may apply under guidelines provided by the Foundation. 【Program and Categories】 ▶Research Encouragement Grants: Supporting program for basic and embryonic research proposals by young researchers
1【Research Encouragement Grants】 2【Research Grants for Sustainable Future】
Physics & Chemistry & Life Sciences Information Sciences Architecture & Humanity & Environmental Urban Engineering Social Sciences Field Research Born 1975 or later Born 1975 or later ◎Amount granted per project： ◎Amount granted per project： 2 million or less 2 million or less Proposed Research ◎Research Term:1-2 Years ◎Research Term:1-2 Years To support basic and embryonic research ideas by young researchers Born 1975 or later ※We will notify from the foundation to those who are eligible ◎Amount granted ◎Amount granted ◎Amount granted per project： per project： per project： 【Continuation Grants】 ¥0.5-1.5 million ¥0.5-1 million ¥0.5-1million Research Term: Research Term: Research Term: For researchers who have completed grant research ◎ ◎ ◎ from our Foundation in the past three years 1-2 Years 1-2 Years 1-2 Years 3 4 Continuation Grants for Continuation Grants for Developmental Research Young Researchers Outstanding Projects To support further development based on basic research Born 1974 or later ◎Amount granted per project： ◎Amount granted per project： ◎Amount granted ◎Amount granted ◎Amount granted （Experiment） ¥8-14 million per project per project per project （Experiment） ¥6 million or less ： ： ： （Survey） ¥5 million or less ¥2-4 million ¥2-3 million ¥2-4 million （Survey） ¥3 million or less ◎Research Term: 3-4 Years ◎Research Term: ◎Research Term: ◎Research Term: ◎Research Term: 3 Years 2-4 Years 2-4 Years 2-4 Years
Overseas Research Grants
We support a wide field of research proposals from basic to applied stage at Chulalongkorn University (CU), King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT) in Thailand, Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) in Indonesia, and Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST) in Vietnam.
3 Research Grant Presentation Ceremony & Seminar on Research Findings (Japan, Thailand, Indonesia & Vietnam) In Japan, the presentation ceremony takes place in June each year with a seminar of findings in July-August. In Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam both the ceremony and the seminar of findings are held in June-September.
Japan CU(Thailand) KMUTT(Thailand) ITB(Indonesia)
Selection Committee (May, 2020)
Chemistry & Life Sciences Architecture & Urban Engineering Masayoshi Mishina Visiting Professor, Ritsumeikan University; Norihiro Nakai Professor, Tokyo Institute of Technology Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo Kaori Fujita Professor, The University of Tokyo Kazunori Kataoka Director General, Innovation Center of Nano Hiroto Takaguchi Professor, Waseda University Medicine, Institute of Industry Promotion- Kawasaki; Professor, The University of Tokyo Takashi Kato Professor, The University of Tokyo Humanity and Social Sciences Professor, Waseda University Seijiro Matsubara Professor, Kyoto University Tadashi Otsuka Professor, Keio University Makoto Nishiyama Professor, The University of Tokyo Norichika Kanie Professor, Doshisha University Shin-ichi Ohkoshi Professor, The University of Tokyo Ikuya Sato Professor, Kyoto University Setsuhisa Tanabe Professor, Kyoto University Chieko Umetsu Manabu Tokeshi Professor, Hokkaido University Environmental Field Research Physics & Information Sciences Izumi Washitani Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo Seigo Tarucha Deputy Center Director, RIKEN Center for Makoto Kato Professor, Kyoto University Emergent Matter Science Atsushi Tsunekawa Professor, Tottori University Mutsuko Hatano Professor, Tokyo Institute of Technology Toshihiro Itoh Professor, The University of Tokyo (Underlining denotes committee chairs) Hiroshi Saito Professor, The University of Tokyo Koki Takanashi Professor, Tohoku University
3 Scholarship Program
The Asahi Glass Foundation provides scholarships to outstanding students to foster superior human resources who are responsible for advancing and improving industries, economics and society. Program Overview 【Applying for Scholarship】 Entries are accepted only through recommendation from the designated graduate schools from January to May every year. Direct application from the student is not accepted. 【Scholarship Program for Japanese Students】 (15 students each per year) Scholarship for Japanese students in the master's and doctoral course in designated graduate schools in Japan. Master Students: 75,000 yen / month, Doctor Students: 100,000 yen / month.
【Scholarship Program for International Students in Japan】 (14 students per year) Scholarship for international students from the Kingdom of Thailand, Republic of Indonesia, People's Republic of China, Republic of Korea who are enrolled in the master's and doctoral courses in designated graduate schools in Japan. All the students: 100,000 yen / month. 【Scholarship Program for Students affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake】 (now discontinued) Scholarship for high school students in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures who were affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake. High school students: 200,000 yen / year, University students: 300,000 yen / year.
4 4 Commendation Program: The Blue Planet Prize
The Blue Planet Prize is an annual award given in recognition of individuals and organizations that have made major contributions towards the resolution of global environmental problems. The Foundation wishes to express its appreciation for the achievements of the winners, as well as to encourage the search for solutions to environmental issues throughout the world.
The Blue Planet Prize logo symbolizes energetic human activity to protect the Earth. The blue and white wavy background the figure represents the water and atmosphere on Earth. Earth, human, and space are combined into this symbol using light blue, expressing glittering water and flowing air.
Outline
Nominations are solicited between August and October of each year from nominators in Japan and overseas. As a general rule, two recipients are chosen each year. In June of the following year, the winners are announced and are invited to Tokyo in the autumn for the awards ceremony and commemorative lectures. Each recipient is presented with a certificate of merit, a commemorative trophy and ￥50 million in prize money.
Fields for Recognition With the view of furthering the vision of a sustainable society, the Blue Planet Prize recognizes outstanding individuals or organizations that have contributed significantly to building new ideas, scientific understanding or countermeasures and practical activities related to environmental conservation and restoration of the Earth’s environment.
Laureates
1992 Dr. Syukuro Manabe (USA) 2001 Lord (Robert) May of Oxford (Australia) 2012 Professor William E. Rees (Canada) International Institute for Dr. Norman Myers (UK) and Dr. Mathis Wackernagel Environment and Development (UK) 2002 Dr. Harold A. Mooney (USA) (Switzerland) 1993 Dr. Charles D. Keeling (USA) Professor J. Gustave Speth (USA) Dr. Thomas E. Lovejoy (USA) IUCN—The World Conservation 2003 Dr. Gene E. Likens (USA) and 2013 Dr. Taroh Matsuno (Japan) Union (headquartered in Switzerland) Dr. F. Herbert Bormann (USA) Professor Daniel Sperling (USA) 1994 Professor Dr. Eugen Seibold Dr. Vo Quy (Vietnam) 2014 Prof. Herman Daly (USA) Prof. Daniel H. Janzen (USA) (Germany) 2004 Dr. Susan Solomon (USA) and Costa Rican National Bio- Mr. Lester R. Brown (USA) Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland (Norway) diversity Institute (Costa Rica) 1995 Dr. Bert Bolin (Sweden) 2005 Professor Sir Nicholas Shackleton(UK) 2015 Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta Mr. Maurice F. Strong (Canada) Dr. Gordon Hisashi Sato (USA) FBA FRS (UK) 1996 Dr. Wallace S. Broecker (USA) 2006 Dr. Akira Miyawaki (Japan) Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs (USA) The M.S. Swaminathan Dr. Emil Salim (Indonesia) Research Foundation (India) 2016 Mr. Pavan Sukhdev (India) 2007 Professor Joseph L. Sax (USA) Prof. Markus Borner (Switzerland) 1997 Dr. James E. Lovelock (UK) Dr. Amory B. Lovins (USA) 2017 Prof. Hans J. Schellnhuber Conservation International 2008 Dr. Claude Lorius (France) (Germany) (headquartered in the USA) Professor José Goldemberg (Brazil) Prof. Gretchen C. Daily (USA) 1998 Professor Mikhail I. Budyko (Russia) 2009 Professor Hirofumi Uzawa (Japan) 2018 Prof. Brian Walker (Australia) Mr. David R. Brower (USA) Lord Nicholas Stern of Brentford (UK) Prof. Malin Falkenmark (Sweden) 1999 Dr. Paul R. Ehrlich (USA) 2010 Dr. James Hansen (USA) 2019 Prof. Eric Lambin (Belgium) Professor Qu Geping (China) Dr. Robert Watson (UK) Prof. Jared Diamond (USA) 2000 Dr. Theo Colborn (USA) 2011 Dr. Jane Lubchenco (USA) 2020 Prof. David Tilman (USA) Dr. Karl-Henrik Robèrt (Sweden) Barefoot College (India) Dr. Simon Stuart (UK)
5 Award Ceremony Commemorative Lectures (Tokyo/Kyoto) The winners are invited to Tokyo for the award Each winner gives a lecture, followed by a question ceremony and commemorative lectures in the autumn. and answer session with the audience.
Lecture
Dr. Yoshikawa introduces award winners Question and answer session
Questionnaire on Environmental Problems 5 and the Survival of Humankind
Global measures are essential for the preservation of the Earth’s natural environment. These measures in turn require greater understanding among people all over the world to resolve environmental problems and for the fostering of 地球環境の悪化に伴って回答者が人類存続に対して cooperative relationships among people. With this purpose in mind, since 1992 the Foundation has annually surveyed government環境危機時 and private-sector organizations計 worldwide® through 抱く危機感をits "Questionnaire， 時計の針で表示する「環境危機時計 on Environmental Problems®」を and the Survival of Humankind." The views and comments of the experts who独自に設 respond 定し， 毎年危機感の認識調査をしています。are compiled, analyzed, and published.
The Environmental Doomsday Clock Each year the Foundation conducts a survey on the sense of crisis felt by respondents about the survival of the human race as the global environment continues to deteriorate, gauging the responses with the time expressed on the hands of the Environmental Doomsday Clock created環境危機時刻の経年変化 by the Foundation. In 2019, the average time of the Environmental Doomsday Clock for the whole world was 9:46, which was one minute earlier than in 2018. The time in 2018 represented the highest sense of environmental crisis since the survey began in 1992, and the time in 2019 was virtually unchanged.
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Facts about the Survey 各地域の危機時刻 Survey period: Each year, the survey is conducted April through June. Respondents: Respondents are environmental experts, including members of governmental organizations, academic and research institutions, NGOs, and corporations registered in the Asahi Glass Foundation database. 東欧・旧ソ連 西欧 9:13 6 10:06 北米 アジア 10:30 9:38 中東 日本 9:45 9:39 中米 アフリカ 9:36 8:59 オセアニア 南米 10:31 9:38
■は昨年より時刻が進んだ地域・国 ■は昨年より時刻が戻った地域・国
※環境危機時計®を含む「地球環境問題と人類の存続に関するアンケート」の調査結果、 報告書は旭硝子財団ホームページに掲載しています。http://www.af-info.or.jp Published June 2020