National Trust

What is the National Trust?

Forest Oyatsu
The first property in Japan
Kamakura, Forest Oyatsu

The National Trust is a citizen's movement that aims to protect places of beautiful natural scenery, historical buildings and its environment by purchasing or receiving the as donations. And the National Trust seeks to preserve, manage, and open these assets to the public, thus ensuring that they can be passed on to future generations.


The Association of National Trusts in Japan
Protects the Nature and Historical Environments Nearby.

The Association of National Trusts in Japan was founded in September 1992 as a non-profit corporate body authorized by Ministry of the Environment, succeeding the mission and the activities of the Society Promoting National Trusts in Japan which had been established in February 1983 as an organization to promote public understanding on the national trust movement, and to coordinate activities of the related organizations throughout Japan.


Widespread National Trust
Source: National Geographic Japan

Since then, the Association has played a leading role to strengthen relationship among and between national trusts in Japan, and has worked hard soliciting the government for a more favorable tax treatment for acquisition of properties on a commercial basis or by means of gift or donation. Among others, the Association has rendered every possible assistance towards those who have newly initiated a national trust movement, and has thus greatly contributed to the development or expansion of national trust movements in Japan. In the recent years, the Association has been promoting international exchange such as organizing working holidays under the auspices of the National Trust in Britain, or international symposiums.