Japan Research Institute

What Japan Research Institute does

Japan Research Institute (一般財団法人日本総合研究所, JRI) is a Tokyo-based general incorporated foundation and non-profit public policy think tank founded in August 1970 by private-sector leaders from business, academia, and government. Headquartered at JP Building in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo with a secondary education office in Nagoya, JRI employs 101-250 staff and operates with three stated principles: emphasis on neutrality and creativity, an innovative flexible research organization, and proactive international activity. The institute serves Japanese national and local government agencies as its primary customer segment, conducting commissioned policy research (受託調査研究) and autonomous research projects (自主研究プロジェクト) across domains including economy, industry, national land use, international relations, technology, environment, healthcare, welfare, gerontology, social infrastructure, IT, agriculture, and tourism. Over its 50+ year history, JRI has cumulatively completed more than 1,200 research projects.

JRI's core outputs include the long-running All 47 Prefectures Happiness Ranking publication series (biennial since 2012, with the 2024 edition being the 7th) supported by proprietary statistical indicators and subscription-style analysis-tool bundles. The institute has built out a multi-program portfolio through four wholly-owned subsidiaries and platforms: the Gerontology Promotion Organization (established October 2020), the Medical-Disaster Prevention Industry Creation Council (MDPC, secretariat role since February/April 2021) with 26 member companies, Nissoken Publishing (book distribution), and the Nagoya Education Division (medical/nursing/welfare training). Notable productized initiatives include high-function modular containers (Safe Japan Project, 2020) for fever testing and disaster response, deployed at Saitama Iwatsuki Hospital, Namiki Hospital in Tokorozawa, Roadside Station Inawashiro (first movable-container demonstration in June 2023), and Noto Peninsula earthquake shelter deployments (January 2024).

JRI's revenue model blends non-grant commissioned-research revenue from government ministries and municipalities, publication and analysis-tool licensing (the Happiness Ranking books plus analysis software bundles), professional-services revenue from education programs run through the Nagoya office, and a small amount of crowdfunding (e.g., ¥5.466M raised from 215 supporters for the Safe Japan Project). The go-to-market is direct sales-led, with JRI engaging national ministries (MHLW, MLIT), prefectural governments (Tokushima, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka), municipalities (Mima City), industry associations (Japan Medical Association, Japan Dental Association, Japan Civil Engineering Society), a cross-party parliamentary league, and a network of 26 medical-disaster prevention council member companies. Distribution channels beyond direct government engagement are limited; marketing relies heavily on Chairman Jitsuro Terashima's broadcast media presence and institutional content publishing.

Name

Japan Research Institute

Legal name

一般財団法人日本総合研究所

Website

https://jri.or.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Japan Research Institute (JRI) is a Tokyo-based, non-profit policy think tank founded in 1970 that conducts commissioned research for Japanese national and local governments across economic, social, healthcare, and disaster preparedness domains. It publishes the 47 Prefectures Happiness Ranking series.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Policy Research and Think Tank Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Economic Research, Statistics & Policy Advisory (BPADAMAJ), Industry & Sector Research (Syndicated/Custom) (BPAHALAE)

Keywords

• Policy research services
• Think tank analysis
• Public policy research
• Regional development consulting
• Social research consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Commissioned Research: Primary revenue stream from commissioned research projects (委託調査事業) for national and local government agencies. These projects cover policy analysis, social research, and strategic recommendations across multiple domains.
2. Publication Sales: Revenue from publishing books and analysis tools, including the '47 Prefecture Happiness Ranking' series and related research publications sold to government agencies, corporations, and academic institutions.
3. Analysis Tool Licensing: Sales of data analysis tools accompanying publications, enabling users to conduct independent happiness ranking analysis using proprietary datasets.
4. Education Services: Educational programs and training services, particularly in gerontology and disaster prevention, conducted through the Nagoya office and various program partnerships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Japan Research Institute is a non-profit public policy think tank that delivers commissioned policy research, fact-finding surveys, and policy recommendations to national and local government agencies across domains including economy, industry, environment, healthcare, welfare, disaster prevention, and regional revitalization. Its most prominent standalone product is the periodic "All 47 Prefectures Happiness Ranking" publication and accompanying analysis tool, while it also operates industry platforms such as the Gerontology Promotion Organization and the Medical-Disaster Prevention Industry Creation Council, including the high-function "Life Container" deployment program.

Product overview

Japan Research Institute (日本総合研究所) is a public policy-oriented think tank that conducts research studies and policy recommendations rather than a technology product company. Its primary offerings include the '全47都道府県幸福度ランキング' (All 47 Prefectures Happiness Ranking) publication series, which provides happiness indicators and analysis tools for Japan's 47 prefectures. The institute also manages research initiatives such as the ジェロントロジー推進機構 (Gerontology Promotion Organization) and the 医療・防災産業創生協議会 (Medical-Disaster Prevention Industry Creation Council), along with the '命のコンテナ' (Life Container) project for movable high-functional disaster prevention containers. These are research and advocacy programs rather than commercial software products or platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ジェロントロジー推進機構: A platform for participation of all generations, promoting education, public opinion, and social initiatives in the field of gerontology, founded in October 2020.
• 医療・防災産業創生協議会 (MDPC)

Products and services

• All 47 Prefectures Happiness Ranking (全47都道府県幸福度ランキング) Periodic publication series (with companion analysis tool) that ranks Japan's 47 prefectures using objective statistical indicators of happiness and well-being, providing regional comparison metrics and an analysis toolkit for evidence-based regional policy-making.
• 命のコンテナ / High-Function Container System (Life Container) Portable, modular high-function containers designed for medical testing (fever inspection centers), disaster response, and welfare facility deployment, with integrated electricity, water, food, medical care, and sanitation capabilities. Targeted at hospitals, healthcare providers, and local governments for infection control and disaster preparedness.
• Government Commissioned Research (委託調査事業) Custom commissioned policy research, fact-finding surveys, and policy advisory services delivered to national ministries, prefectural governments, municipal authorities, and government-affiliated organizations across multiple domains including economy, industry, environment, healthcare, welfare, and disaster prevention.
• Gerontology Promotion Programs (ジェロントロジー推進機構) Educational programs, training services, and social participation initiatives in the field of gerontology, including the "経営創造型未来圏人材養成プログラム" executive training program, community ambassador programs, and high-school workshops operated from the Nagoya office for medical, nursing, welfare, and local government clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• 47 Prefecture Happiness Ranking used by over 22,795 data points for regional analysis
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• Hamamatsu City (浜松市)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 July 2022Comprehensive partnership agreement for regional revitalization research, policy recommendations, and personnel development. Hamamatsu serves as research field for various JRI initiatives.
• Japan-Vietnam Tea Culture Exchange Association (日越茶道・文化交流協会)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 November 2021Cultural exchange association established for Japan-Vietnam diplomatic relations 50th anniversary, with Chairman Terashima serving as special advisor. Promotes Japanese culture exchange and translation technology.
• Medical-Disaster Prevention Industry Creation Promotion Parliamentary League (医療・防災産業創生推進議員連盟)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2021Cross-party parliamentary league supporting council activities. Chairman Terashima serves as special advisor. Promotes national policy support for medical-disaster prevention industry.
• Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (国土交通省)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2021Government ministry collaborating on disaster prevention roadside station initiatives, container deployment guidelines, and regional resilience infrastructure projects.
• Japan Medical Association (日本医師会)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2021Long-standing cooperation partner in medical policy research and the Safe Japan Project. Provided support for fever inspection center development and medical-industrial collaboration initiatives since 2020.
• Japan Dental Association (日本医師会)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2021Partner in medical-disaster prevention industry creation, particularly for dental care services integration in disaster response and healthcare facility operations.
• Japan Civil Engineering Society (土木学会)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2021Co-founder of the Medical-Disaster Prevention Industry Creation Council, contributing engineering expertise for infrastructure and container system development.
• Medical-Disaster Prevention Industry Creation Council (医療・防災産業創生協議会)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2021Industry council established in April 2021 with approximately 26 member companies, promoting medical and disaster prevention as next-generation industries. JRI serves as secretariat. Led by Chairman Terashima.
• Tokushima Prefecture Mima City (徳島県美馬市)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Gerontology research partnership including chairman lectures, community ambassador programs, high school workshops, and regional welfare programs.
• Fukushima Comprehensive Disaster Response Training Organization (ふくしま総合災害対応訓練機構)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2020Collaboration partner in emergency fact-finding surveys and disaster response research, particularly for Fukushima region recovery and resilience initiatives.
• Disaster Prevention Roadside Station Inawashiro (道の駅猪苗代)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSelected as symbolic flagship project location for high-function container deployment. First implementation site for movable container demonstration projects since June 2023.
• Nissoken (日総研)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPublishing subsidiary handling book sales and distribution of JRI publications including the Happiness Ranking series and related research materials.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA): Japan's leading foreign policy think tank. Comparable as a nonprofit policy research foundation producing government-facing analysis, but specialized in diplomacy and international security rather than JRI's broader social-economic scope.
• National Institute for Research Advancement (NIRA): Japanese independent policy research organization focused on cross-cutting policy issues and proposals to government. Closely comparable in mission (objective policy research, commissioned studies, public recommendations) and nonprofit foundation structure.
• Nippon Institute for Research Advancement: Independent policy think tank producing cross-disciplinary research and policy proposals. Directly comparable in scale, mission, and nonprofit foundation structure, competing for similar government commissioned mandates.
• Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research: Independent Japanese policy think tank producing research and policy recommendations across economics, foreign policy, and social issues. Directly comparable to JRI as a privately funded, non-university-affiliated think tank competing for government commissions and public influence.

Broad incumbents

• Nomura Research Institute: Major Japanese research and consulting organization offering policy, economic, and IT consulting. Comparable in policy research and government advisory work, though much larger and IT-services heavy.
• Daiwa Institute of Research: Japanese economic and policy research arm of the Daiwa Securities Group. Comparable as a producer of syndicated economic research and policy analysis with government and corporate clients, though embedded in a larger financial services parent.
• Mitsubishi Research Institute: Large Japanese private-sector research and consulting firm covering policy, economic, energy, and sustainability topics. Comparable because it competes for the same government commissioned research mandates while operating a broader commercial consulting portfolio.
• Sumitomo Mitsui Research Institute: Japanese private research and consulting firm within the SMFG group. Comparable in producing policy-relevant economic and industry research for government and corporate clients, with a broader corporate parent.
• Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI): Government-affiliated policy research institute under METI producing economic, industrial, and trade policy research. Comparable in producing high-quality policy analysis for Japanese government, but with deeper government affiliation and larger mandate.

Emerging players

• The Asia Pacific Initiative: Independent Japanese think tank producing policy proposals on politics, economics, and security. Comparable in mission and independence, though smaller and more focused on international/regional issues.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/japan-research-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Japan Research Institute