About the Foundation

History

The foundation was established in a year of momentous change, 1989. In Japan, it opened with the end of the Showa period, and the ascension of a new emperor, the start of the Heisei Period. It closed with the fall of the Berlin Wall, an upheaval that changed the map of Europe and beyond. For many people, it was a year that ushered in a new era, new hopes.

For Japan, the 80s were a decade of heady economic growth, led by its export industries. But that success also triggered intense trade frictions and negative criticism, and we felt a pressing need to provide a more holistic perspective of our country—not just our technology and economic achievements, but the depth of the culture and its unique social institutions. TIFO was established with a straightforward mission, “to enhance understanding of Japan.”

During its initial phase, TIFO’s primary focus was on holding international symposia, collaborations in special exhibitions with leading museums outside Japan, donations of books for Japanese studies to university libraries overseas, and internship in Japan for students from Europe, the US and Asia.

The scope of our activities have expanded since then and today, our major activities are based on two pillars. Through grant giving, we support symposia organized by international educational institutions, academic societies and think tanks; events at museums around the world that showcase Japanese culture; research centered on Japan; and human resource development projects. Activities that TIFO itself initiates encourage next-generation leaders to cultivate an understanding of Japan, and promote research and publications on Japan.

In the 30 years since TIFO was founded, the world has changed, Japanese society too, and the need for mutual understanding and trust among nations and regions has grown stronger than ever. Aware of this, we constantly review how best to achieve our basic mission and priority themes. We are committed to maintaining an open stance and to considering and testing new perspectives and approaches. Through our activities, we will continue to contribute to the development/progress of global society.

Year	Global events		TIFO Activities
1989	Fall of the Berlin Wall; US and Soviet leaders declare the end of the Cold War	1989	TIFO is established on April 11, 1989
	Heisei Period starts in Japan
1990	Three Baltic countries gain independence from the Soviet Union; German reunification	1990	1st and 2nd TIFO symposiums held in Japan and France
			Japanese panels donated to Louvre Museum
1991	Dismantling of the Soviet Union	1991	3rd TIFO symposium held in London
			TIFO funds Japan-U.S. Media Conference
1992	Barcelona Olympic Games	1992	Japan-U.S. Metropolitan Exchange Symposium in Sendai
			Japanese books donated to National Library of Malaysia
1993	The European Community (EC) integrated market is established	1993	5th TIFO symposium held in Singapore
1994	North American Free Trade Agreement starts	1994	Joint symposium held with the Boston Society of Japan on "The Role of the Artist in Contemporary Japan"
			Grant support for information brochure of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
1995	Great Hanshin Earthquake	1995	Provides support to the University of Venice for a symposium on Japanese author Tanizaki Junichiro
1996	Atlanta Olympic games	1996	Supports Japanese taiko (drum) performance at the Singapore Japan Culture Festival
1997	Asian currency crisis	1997	Supports Japanese film and performing arts at the University of Pittsburgh
1998	France host the soccer World Cup	1998	EAJS(European Association for Japanese Studies) Fellowship starts
1999	Introduction of the euro,  European Union's (EU) single currency	1999	Scholarship for National University of Singapore provided
			Symposium held to commemorate the 10th anniversary of TIFO
2000	Sydney Olympic Games	2000	TIFO Symposium held at the Louvre Museum
2001	Terrorist attacks in the United States	2001	Supports exhibition on Ukiyoe in Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
2002	Japan and South Korea co-host the soccer World Cup	2002	"The Written Image" exhibition shown at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY
			"Kazari: Decoration and Display in Japan in the 15th - 19th centuries" shown at the British Museum
2003	Iraq War	2003	The 30th anniversary of the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Association held at Hanoi National University
			Symposium on "Reflections During 30 Years (1970-2000): Indonesia-Japan Relationship on Politics-Economy-Social, Culture and Language" held in Indonesia
2004	Sumatra earthquake and tsunami	2004	Symposium held to commemorate the 15 year anniversary of TIFO
			Japanese language education seminar at Old Japanese Students' Association, Thailand
2005	London terrorist attacks occur	2005	The Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, holds "Japan Problem Study Group"
			First International seminar at held Josai International University
			"Gagaku cource" starts at Institute for medeiaval Japanese Studies, Columbia University
2006	Germany host the soccer World Cup	2006	Supports a symposium held by University of Vienna on ukiyo-e caricatures
2007	Worldwide economic and financial turmoil as the U.S. sub-prime mortgage crisis hits	2007	Jawaharlal Nehru University International seminar on "India and Japan:Their Relationship in the New Era" held
			Workshop held on "tales of Ise" at University of British Columbia
2008	Benjing Olympic Games	2008	Completes conservation of The Mazarin Chest at Victoria & Albert Museum, U.K.
	Economic downturn precipitated by the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy		First Toshiba Youth Conference held
2009	Dubai debt crisis	2009	Symposium held to commemorate the 20 year anniversary of TIFO
			INALCO International symposium of Heian literature study in Paris
2010	Anti-government uprising occurs in Tunisia and ripples to other Arab countries	2010	International academic society for Asian community in Indonesia held
2011	The Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami	2011	"Chigusa & the Art of Tea" symposium held at Freer Gallery of Art and M. Sackler Gallery
	A histrical strong yen (yen to dollar exchange rate updating)		TIFO becomes public interest incorporated foundation
2012	London Olympic Games	2012	EIJS International Conference on "EU-Japan Relations: An Agenda for the Future" held
2013	Tokyo wins the right to hold the 2020 Olympics	2013	10th Toshiba Lecture Series (London and Norwich, UK) held at Sainsbury Institute, U.K.
	Mount Fuji registered as a World Natural Heritage Site		The 40th Anniversary of Japan-Viet Nam Diplomatic Relationship project held at Vietnam National University, Hanoi
2014	FIFA World Cup in Brazil	2014	Symposia and lectures held to commemorate the 25th anniversary of TIFO (U.S., Europe, Asia, Japan)
			First summer school held for students of Japanese Studies at Center for Japanese Studies, University of East Anglia
			First TOMODACHI Toshiba Science & Technology Leadership Academy held
2015	COP21 adopts Paris Agreement	2015	First Toshiba Youth Club Asia held
2016	Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games	2016	Symposium held to commemorate remodeling of Toshiba gallery at Victoria & Albert Museum
			Toshiba lecture series at Sainsbury Institute features Japanese robotics
			Massashusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) holds Japan Design Workshop on reginal communities
2017	NASA's Cassini spacecraft ends the mission of Saturn probe	2017	Workshop on India-Japan Partnership for Economic Development held at Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations
2018	Zero intraregional tariff of 10 ASEAN countries	2018	Cambridge University scholarship system starts
2019	Rugby World Cup in Japan	2019	The 30th  anniversary of TIFO (April 11th)
	Reiwa period to start in Japan
2020	Spread of COVID-19	2020	Shifted focus of its activities to on-line amid the pandemic
2021	Tokyo Olympic/Paralympic Game	2021	Sponsored EAJS Conference 2021