Offender rehabilitation in Japan has flourished through the altruistic spirit and humanity of volunteers. In a speech commemorating the system's 75th anniversary, Toyota Vice Chairman Shigeru Hayakawa recounted how Akio Toyoda transformed the company by "getting people to engage with each other."
Reference: Toyota’s involvement in offender rehabilitation.
In 1937, Risaburo Toyoda (first president of Toyoda Automatic Loom Works and Toyota Motor Co.) became a commissioned juvenile probation officer, one of the forerunners of today’s hogoshi. He also served as vice president of the Japan Hogoshi Federation and president of the Chubu Region Hogoshi Federation.
Together with fellow hogoshi Tojiro Okamoto, Risaburo also provided private land and funding for the establishment of what is now the Toyogaoka* Gakuen, a juvenile training school in Toyoake, Aichi Prefecture (scheduled for closure at the end of FY2025).
*The name Toyogaoka combines “Toyo” from Toyoda and “Oka” from Okamoto with the “Ka (also read as Ga)” of Seinosuke Kato, a pioneer in Aichi Prefecture’s juvenile protection programs and the school’s administrator.Honorary Chairman Shoichiro Toyoda also worked tirelessly to develop the system, including serving as chairman of the Japan Rehabilitation Aid Association and helping to strengthen the Offenders Rehabilitation Facilities fund, set up in collaboration with the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren).
In addition, more than 100 companies belonging to and related to the Toyota Group support rehabilitation activities as members of the Aichi Prefecture Rehabilitation Aid Association.