Though there is now a substantial body of research on the relationship between nonprofits and the state, examples from non-Western countries have been lacking in the nonprofit literature in English. This paper attempts to fill this gap using nonprofit cases in three key districts in Fukushima after the Great East Japan Earthquake. By focusing on these cases, this study captures the complex nature of the relationship between the nonprofit sector and state in Japan during a period of increased activity of both the nonprofit sector and the state. The idea of the nonprofit sector, state, and market as relatively separate and with different interests, influences discussions on themes related to the nonprofit sector (e.g., business-like behavior). The study suggests how the Japanese case can contribute in uncovering assumptions that are embedded in the existing understanding of the nonprofit sector, based primarily on Western examples.

尽管现在有大量关于非营利组织与国家之间关系的研究，但英语非营利文献中一直缺乏来自非西方国家的例子。本文试图通过东日本大地震后福岛三个重点地区的非营利案例来填补这一空白。通过关注这些案例，本研究揭示了在非营利部门和国家活动增加时期日本非营利部门和国家之间关系的复杂性。非营利部门、国家和市场相对独立且具有不同利益的观念影响了与非营利部门相关的主题（例如，商业行为）的讨论。