Global solidarity? Philanthropic legitimacy, environmental justice, and vulnerabilities in Japanese foundations

This article examines how Japanese philanthropic foundations define and implement environmental solidarity through a comparative qualitative analysis of the Nippon Foundation, the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, and the Toyota Foundation. Based on institutional documents, interviews, and participant observation, it conceptualizes solidarity as a mode of governance rather than a normative ideal. The findings show that these foundations privilege biophysical and technically manageable vulnerabilities while overlooking structural environmental injustices. As a result, environmental justice is reframed as a managerial project centred on resilience, risk management, and institutional cooperation, with participation remaining largely instrumental. By promoting narratives of regional cooperation and shared responsibility, these organizations strengthen both their moral legitimacy and Japan’s humanitarian soft power in the Asia-Pacific. The article argues that environmental solidarity is a political process through which philanthropic actors shape whose vulnerabilities are recognized, whose knowledge is valued, and which forms of environmental justice become actionable.