Re-conceptualizing Corporate Social Responsibility in Japan

In the wake of the devastation of the March 2011 disaster, the ideals of what economic prosperity and social inclusivity should constitute have become the subject of debate in Japan. As a part of this, the hitherto prevailing approach to CSR as being primarily concerned with the amelioration of environmental impacts, ensuring legal compliance and donating money to social causes has been criticised as an inadequate response to the issues currently being faced in Japan. This study will present an overview of the prevailing conceptualisation of CSR in Japan and a historical overview of the conditions under which it has developed, introduce three new models of the social role and responsibility of corporations – the “new public commons,” “business continuity” and the “value co-creating company” proposed by the government of Japan, the Keidanren and the Keizai Doyukai respectively – that have emerged in recent years, and present case studies illustrating how two major global corporations based in Japan – the Bridgestone and the Sumitomo Corporations – manage their CSR initiatives in order to embed them as an integral part of their business models.