Development Education Association

What Development Education Association does

Development Education Association (DEAR / 開発教育協会) is a Tokyo-based Certified Non-Profit Organization (認定NPO法人) founded in 1982 that promotes development education (開発教育) in Japan. It serves educators, NGOs, local governments, corporations, students, and the general public through a combination of membership services, training programs, facilitator dispatch, and educational publications. Its member base comprises roughly 50 organizational members and approximately 600 individual members.

DEAR's core offerings include: the annual d-lab conference (in its 44th year in 2026, rebranded from the prior national research conference in 2018); the Global Express publication series providing rapid-response learning materials on current global issues; methodology guidebooks and curriculum resources; a facilitator dispatch (ファシリテーター派遣) service that places trained practitioners into schools, workshops, and community programs; and member training, scholarships, and regional seminars. Its digital infrastructure centers on platform.dear.or.jp for member engagement and the publication program. The organization has historically maintained co-leadership roles within the NGO-JICA Council Task Force on Development Education, anchoring it within Japan's official international cooperation ecosystem.

DEAR operates a diversified non-profit revenue model combining individual membership dues (5,000-10,000 yen/year), organizational membership dues (20,000 yen/year), publication sales, fees from facilitator dispatch services, donations, and event/training fees. In 2022 it renewed its Mission, Vision, Values and Five Learning Goals to mark its 40th anniversary, and in 2026 it expanded programming with the NGO Study Program, a Development Education Researcher Training Scholarship, four-site regional seminars, and branded merchandise. Strategic priorities since 2020 include remote-work operations and digital content delivery, exemplified by the March 2026 rapid digital release of Global Express Issue 25 on the U.S.-Iran conflict.

Name

Development Education Association

Legal name

特定非営利活動法人 開発教育協会

Website

https://dear.or.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Development Education Association (DEAR) is a Tokyo-based Certified NPO, founded 1982, that promotes development education in Japan through training, facilitator dispatch, publications, and the annual d-lab conference, serving ~50 organizational and ~600 individual members across schools, NGOs, and local governments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Development Education Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Educational Support Services (611710), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

International Development & Donor-Funded Education Programs (EDADALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB), Institutional Capacity Building & Training (Workforce/Systems Strengthening) (BPADAEAC)

Keywords

• Development education programs
• Participatory learning workshops
• Educational material publishing
• Facilitator dispatch services
• Global citizenship education

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: Annual membership fees from individual members (8,000 yen regular / 6,000 yen students) and organizational members (20,000 yen). Revenue is recurring on an annual basis with fiscal year running April–March. Members receive the DEAR News newsletter, the academic journal 'Development Education', event discounts, and publication purchase discounts.
2. Publication and material sales: DEAR publishes and sells educational materials, handbooks, books, and DVDs directly through its website and at events. Books are not distributed through bookstores; orders are placed via web form or fax. Mail-order shipping fees apply (mail: 550 yen; parcel rates by region 770–1,650 yen). A portion of materials are also sold through educational material catalogs (Hillma, SQLabo).
3. Facilitator dispatch (講師派遣): DEAR dispatches trained facilitators to schools, corporations, NGOs, and community organizations to conduct development education workshops and programs. This service generates fees and is a core GTM and service delivery mechanism.
4. Donations: DEAR accepts one-time and recurring donations. Regular donors become 'DEAR Supporters'. As a certified NPO (認定NPO), donations are tax-deductible. Donations are acknowledged with a year-end receipt for income tax deduction purposes.
5. Training and event fees: Fees charged for workshops, seminars, and training programs organized by DEAR, including the annual d-lab national research conference, regional seminars, and introductory courses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

DEAR is a certified Japanese NPO that promotes development education through participatory learning workshops, the publication of educational materials and academic journals, and a facilitator dispatch service that sends trained instructors to schools, corporations, NGOs, and community organizations. The organization also operates the annual d-lab national research conference, regional seminars, the DEAR Platform web media community, and membership programs for individuals and organizations.

Product overview

Development Education Association (DEAR) operates as an educational NGO offering a multi-product portfolio centered on participatory learning and development education. The core offerings include: DEAR News (会報誌) and 開発教育 (機関誌) publications for ongoing education and research dissemination; Global Express (グローバル・エクスプレス) digital teaching materials addressing current global issues; and a comprehensive set of参加型学習・ワークショップ教材 for classroom and community workshops. These are supported by the DEARプラットフォーム online web media platform, the DEAR Express email magazine for information distribution, and instructor dispatch (講師派遣) services. DEAR also organizes the annual d-lab national research conference and the 学びあいフォーラム coordinator training program. The organization functions primarily as a direct-sale publisher with some catalog distribution through educational materials platforms like Hillma and SQLabo.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DEARプラットフォーム (DEAR Platform): A web media platform for learning, connecting, and participating in development education, operated by DEAR for practitioners to network and share practices.
• d-lab
• Global Express (グローバル・エクスプレス)

Products and services

• DEAR News Newsletter (会報) Quarterly newsletter published three times per year featuring themed articles, practitioner interviews, school reports, regional updates, and book reviews. Available to members for free; back issues sold for 500 yen (550 yen tax-inclusive) per issue.
• Development Education Academic Journal (開発教育 機関誌) Annual academic journal featuring research reports and practice examples on development education topics, distributed to members.
• Global Express Media Literacy Series (グローバル・エクスプレス) Series of rapid-response digital teaching materials addressing current global events from a development education perspective. Published within 10 days of breaking news, with facilitator guides and worksheets. Available via the DEAR online store.
• Participatory Learning Workshop Teaching Materials (参加型学習・ワークショップ教材) Teaching materials for participatory learning approaches including workshop facilitation guides, worksheets, photo sets, and video materials. Includes established materials such as '世界がもし100人の村だったら' (If the World Were 100 People) and '新・貿易ゲーム' (New Trade Game).
• DEAR Platform (DEARプラットフォーム) Web-based media platform for regional practitioners to share learning reports, event information, organizational profiles, and resources for sustainable regional development. Supports categorization by region, theme, and content type.
• DEAR Express Email Magazine (メールマガジン) Free monthly email newsletter delivered on the 1st of each month via the Mag2 system, covering event announcements, new publications, job postings, and development education news.
• Facilitator Dispatch Service (講師派遣サービス) Service that dispatches trained development education facilitators to schools, corporations, NGOs, local governments, and community organizations to conduct workshops and educational programs. Requests submitted via web form with published pricing guidelines.
• Development Education Introductory Course (開発教育入門講座) Monthly introductory seminars on development education concepts and practices, held regularly for prospective learners, educators, and practitioners.
• Manabia Forum (まなびあいフォーラム) Year-long forum program where groups engaged in sustainable society activities learn together to find directions for community improvement, including coordinator training, networking, and a structured facilitation methodology.
• d-lab National Research Conference (開発教育全国研究集会) Annual national research conference on development education featuring keynote sessions, workshops, and practice sharing, held annually across Japan since 1982 with the 44th edition scheduled for 2026.
• DEAR Membership Program Annual membership program with individual regular/supporting (8,000 yen), student (6,000 yen), and organizational (20,000 yen) tiers. Members receive the DEAR News newsletter, annual journal, event discounts, publication purchase discounts, and mailing list access. Fiscal year runs April-March.

Quantifiable outcome

• 74% of surveyed Japanese NGOs (79 out of 107) report conducting development education activities, indicating broad market adoption of DEAR's educational framework.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) / NGO-JICA CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016DEAR participates in the NGO-JICA Council, a formal dialogue mechanism between Japanese NGOs and JICA. DEAR co-led the 'Task Force for Promoting Development Education' (2016–2017) with JICA, conducting a national survey of development education activities among 107 NGOs and producing recommendations for enhanced cooperation. JICA provides funding and resource support for DEAR-led programs and training, while DEAR provides expertise and practitioner network access for JICA's public engagement goals.
• Shiga International Association (公益財団法人滋賀県国際協会)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerShiga International Association (SIA) hosts the 'International Education Research Group Glocal net Shiga' and has co-developed original development education teaching materials with DEAR, including 'Brazil Box', 'Non-literate Experience Game', 'What Happened? (disaster edition)', and 'Raishi-san's Meals card game'. SIA's representative has spoken at DEAR's relay talk series, and DEAR provides curriculum support and network access for SIA's regional programs.
• UK Manchester DEP (Development Education Project)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDEAR holds a licensing and co-development agreement with the UK-based Manchester Development Education Project (DEP Manchester), having translated and issued the Global Express series in Japan since 2002, with DEAR producing Japan-original editions under the same framework.
• Japanese NGOs and civil society organizations (~50 member organizations)coreOthersDEAR serves as the national hub for development education, with approximately 50 international cooperation NGOs, UN-affiliated organizations, and regional civic groups as organizational members. These members participate in DEAR's annual conferences, use its materials and training, and contribute to the national development education network.
• JICA regional desks (JICA地方デスク, including Shizuoka desk)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJICA's regional desks throughout Japan cooperate with local development education practitioners, including those connected to DEAR's regional network. The 2016 survey identified JICA regional cooperation as both a strength and an area requiring improvement, particularly regarding staff continuity and desk coverage.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Reality of Aid: International NGO-led cooperative producing independent analysis of development aid and donor practices. Shares DEAR's monitoring/analytical footprint around Japanese development cooperation and ODA, including the kind of NGO survey work DEAR did with JICA in 2016.

Broad incumbents

• Canadian Council for International Cooperation (CCIC): Canada's national umbrella coalition for international development NGOs, with comparable membership-network, JICA-equivalent (Global Affairs Canada) coordination, and policy advocacy functions to DEAR, but at substantially larger scale and on a for-impact member-funded model.
• North-South Centre of the Council of Europe: Lisbon-based Council of Europe entity coordinating global education and intercultural dialogue programs across 40+ European countries. Comparable to DEAR as a supranational development education hub running educator training, conferences, and policy advocacy at a much larger scale.
• Global Education Network Europe (GENE): Network of European ministries of education and national development education agencies coordinating global education policy. GENE is comparable to DEAR through its convening and policy role but operates at the European policy layer with government-backed funding rather than NGO-donation revenue.

Direct peers

• JANIC (Japan NGO Center for International Cooperation): Japan's primary NGO coalition/umbrella body coordinating international cooperation NGOs and civil society. JANIC shares DEAR's role as a national-level convening and policy advocacy platform for Japanese NGOs, making it the closest direct peer for network coordination, JICA-facing work, and member services.
• ACCU (Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO): Tokyo-based UNESCO-affiliated centre operating in cultural and educational programs across Asia-Pacific. ACCU is comparable to DEAR through its educational material production, teacher training, and focus on international understanding, and is a fellow Japan-based peer in the same niche.
• Manchester Development Education Project (DEP Manchester): A long-standing UK development education NGO that already co-publishes the Global Express series with DEAR under a licensing arrangement since 2002. Operates the same product category (rapid-response media literacy teaching materials) and provides the closest direct peer for content IP and methodology.
• APCEIU (Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding under UNESCO): A UNESCO Category II centre in Seoul delivering education for international understanding and ESD across the Asia-Pacific. APCEIU directly parallels DEAR's mandate — participatory learning, teacher training, curriculum development, and policy advocacy — at a regional rather than national scale.

Regional players

• Asia-Japan Women's Resource Center: Japan-based NPO with adjacent international cooperation and educational programming focused on gender. Comparable as a small Japan-based membership NPO engaged in international education and policy advocacy, though with a thematic rather than sector-wide remit.

Others

• ASC (Association for Solidarity with Countries in Crisis / Kınımızda Dayanışma Derneği) — note: replaced below with a more comparable peer:

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/ngoDEAR
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCTmHMIW_qwNO4OSElRoBgDg
• Facebookfacebook.com/ngoDEAR

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Development Education Association