AP Bank is a Japanese
non-profit organization
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
dedicated to
renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy ...
and environmental projects, founded in 2003.
AP Bank's seed money was provided by
record producer
A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...
Takeshi Kobayashi
(born June 7, 1959), is a Japanese keyboardist, lyricist, composer, arranger, and record producer. History
Kobayashi started his professional career in the late 1970s. After working in the backing bands for singers such as Yosui Inoue, Misato Wa ...
, musician
Kazutoshi Sakurai
is a Japanese musician. He composes and writes almost all of the songs for his band Mr. Children, in addition to writing lyrics and singing for his solo project group Bank Band. In 2006, Sakurai ranked No. 8 in HMV's "Top 30 Best Japanese Singe ...
and composer and musician
Ryuichi Sakamoto
is a Japanese composer, pianist, singer, record producer and actor who has pursued a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). With his bandmates Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, Sakamoto inf ...
. It channels its finance to small-scale sustainable projects that would otherwise struggle to receive loan funding. Beneficiaries have ranged from a recycling program in the far south of
Kyushu
is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surroun ...
,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, to the construction of an eco-resort in the
Marshall Islands
The Marshall Islands ( mh, Ṃajeḷ), officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands ( mh, Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ),'' () is an independent island country and microstate near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the Internati ...
.
AP Bank holds its own festival since 2005. ''AP Bank Fes'' raises awareness about environmental issues such as recycling and global warming, with all profits from the festival going to fund more projects at AP Bank.
History
The concept for AP Bank arose out of a series of seminars in 2002 by the members of composer
Ryuichi Sakamoto
is a Japanese composer, pianist, singer, record producer and actor who has pursued a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). With his bandmates Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, Sakamoto inf ...
's ''Artists Power'', a project started in 2001 by Sakamoto and
Takuro of
Glay
Glay (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese rock band, formed in Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan, in 1988. Glay primarily composes songs in the rock and pop genres, but they have also arranged songs using elements from a wide variety of genres, includi ...
to engender more financial responsibility amongst musicians.
Seminar organiser and music producer Takeshi Kobayashi invited members to learn from experts about citizen's banks, where money is used according to the depositor's wishes as opposed to
regular banks where depositors rarely know how their deposits are used.
Presenter Yu Tanaka, executive director of non-profit organization the Mirai Bank, established in 1994,
encouraged the members to start their own citizen's bank
in order to invest in wind turbines.
In June 2003 AP Bank was officially founded
as a non-profit bank able to offer loan financing, with a goal of tackling environmental problems. It was started with an initial investment of ¥100 million (approx. US$952,000
) each from music producer Takeshi Kobayashi, musician
Kazutoshi Sakurai
is a Japanese musician. He composes and writes almost all of the songs for his band Mr. Children, in addition to writing lyrics and singing for his solo project group Bank Band. In 2006, Sakurai ranked No. 8 in HMV's "Top 30 Best Japanese Singe ...
and composer
Ryuichi Sakamoto
is a Japanese composer, pianist, singer, record producer and actor who has pursued a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). With his bandmates Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, Sakamoto inf ...
. A former manager from one of Japan's largest regular banks,
Mitsui Sumitomo also joined as a key member of the team.
AP Bank, which operates as a lender with low interest rates, began receiving applications for loans online from May 1, 2004, receiving 75 applications in its first month
and granting 14 in its first year worth a total of approximately ¥50 million (US$476,000).
Initial projects were asked to reach requirements such as not lasting longer than 10 years and requiring not more than ¥5 million ($47,600). The annual interest rate was set at of 1% and examples of those that were first accepted included a forest revival project in
Kagoshima
, abbreviated to , is the capital city of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Located at the southwestern tip of the island of Kyushu, Kagoshima is the largest city in the prefecture by some margin. It has been nicknamed the "Naples of the Eastern wor ...
, a bicycle rental service using abandoned cycles in
Yokohama
is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...
, the use of bio-gas from kitchen refuse in
Saitama, and the construction of an eco-resort in the
Marshall Islands
The Marshall Islands ( mh, Ṃajeḷ), officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands ( mh, Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ),'' () is an independent island country and microstate near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the Internati ...
.
"AP Bank" took its name from Sakamoto's ''Artists Power'' but also stands for ''Alternative Power''.
AP Bank initially operated only on its founding member's capital, refusing to accept investment from the general public, in order to test the initiative.
Funding is generated by regular releases by Sakurai's Bank Band, which performs and releases CDs and DVDs in collaboration with a wide range of guests artists. Further funding is generated by AP Bank's own ''AP Bank Fes'', ''AP BANG! Tokyo Creators' Meetings'' and ''Yoyogi Village''.
At the 2008
MTV Video Music Awards Japan
The MTV Video Music Awards Japan (MTV VMAJ for short) are the Japanese version of the MTV Video Music Awards.
Like the MTV Video Music Awards in the United States, in this event artists are awarded for their songs and videos through online votin ...
on May 31,
U2's
Bono
Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by his stage name Bono (), is an Irish singer-songwriter, activist, and philanthropist. He is the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band U2.
Born and raised in Dublin, he attended M ...
presented
Kazutoshi Sakurai
is a Japanese musician. He composes and writes almost all of the songs for his band Mr. Children, in addition to writing lyrics and singing for his solo project group Bank Band. In 2006, Sakurai ranked No. 8 in HMV's "Top 30 Best Japanese Singe ...
and Kobayashi Takeshi with the 'Rock The World' award for their work creating AP Bank. Bono commented; "I am honored for my message to be passed on here. It is a prize suitable for the party who keeps reciting a wonderful message that all can resonate through rock, named the 'Rock The World Award'". Sakurai accepted, commenting "I think this award could be won thanks to the endorsement of AP Bank by all artists."
On November 18, 2011, Kobayashi opened ''Yoyogi Village'', a mini-town featuring shops by Kurkku, organic restaurants and cafes, a bookstore, travel agent, garden and an all-night music bar. Kobayashi commented that ""There is no philosophy or vision within the government at the moment, so the private sector has to lead when it comes to selling ecology and the economy."
In 2012, ''AP Bank Fes'' expanded to three festival sites and was joined by its first international artist,
Jason Mraz
Jason Thomas Mraz (; born June 23, 1977) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He rose to prominence with the release of his debut studio album, ''Waiting for My Rocket to Come'' (2002), which spawned the single " The Remedy (I Won't ...
, a strong supporter of
Farm Aid
Farm Aid is an annual benefit concert held for American farmers.
History
On July 13, 1985, while performing at the Live Aid benefit concert for the 1983–1985 Ethiopian famine, Bob Dylan made comments about family farmers within the United S ...
.
Aims
AP Bank's original website stated its purpose as "AP Bank's main loan targets are small businesses that ordinary people can manage, not large business entities. As in the case of renewable energy - often described as "decentralized energy" because it is generated locally - a variety of ideas appropriate to each community are needed to improve its environment. By supporting small projects being attempted by people in their own communities, we hope to encourage more people to think that they can change society through their own efforts. The result will be another, new type of future."
AP Bank is also committed to the idea of "eco-resonance"—fostering eco-awareness.
Kobayashi has described in a 2007 interview with ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' that "money for the sake of money isn't great, but money is a tool, and people can use it as a community."
Kazuyuki Tsuchiya of the green group A Seed Japan has said of AP Bank that "I think that because they started this movement, it's helped ordinary folks become aware of environmental problems and finance."
Key members
is a well-known music producer, lyricist, composer and keyboardist. He is best known for his work with the popular band
Mr. Children
, commonly referred to by their contracted nickname , are a Japanese pop rock band formed in 1989. Consisting of Kazutoshi Sakurai, Kenichi Tahara, Keisuke Nakagawa, and Hideya Suzuki, they made their major label debut in 1992. They are one of t ...
. In 1996, he teamed up with
Shunji Iwai
is a Japanese film director, video artist, writer and documentary maker.
Life and career
Iwai was born in Sendai, Miyagi, Japan. He attended Yokohama National University, graduating in 1987.
In 1988 he started out in the Japanese entertainment ...
to create the music for the film ''
Swallowtail Butterfly
Swallowtail butterflies are large, colorful butterflies in the family Papilionidae, and include over 550 species. Though the majority are tropical, members of the family inhabit every continent except Antarctica. The family includes the large ...
'' with
J-pop
J-pop ( ja, ジェイポップ, ''jeipoppu''; often stylized as J-POP; an abbreviated form of "Japanese popular music"), natively also known simply as , is the name for a form of popular music that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1 ...
singer
Chara. He also composed songs for
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, Black comedy, dark humor, Nonlinear narrative, non-lin ...
's ''
Kill Bill
''Kill Bill: Volume 1'' is a 2003 American martial arts film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It stars Uma Thurman as the Bride, who swears revenge on a team of assassins (Lucy Liu, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah, and Vivica A. Fox) an ...
'' Vol.1 (2001). Kobayashi is perhaps the most active leader of AP Bank.
is primarily known as the lead member and composer for his band
Mr. Children
, commonly referred to by their contracted nickname , are a Japanese pop rock band formed in 1989. Consisting of Kazutoshi Sakurai, Kenichi Tahara, Keisuke Nakagawa, and Hideya Suzuki, they made their major label debut in 1992. They are one of t ...
. In 2006, Sakurai ranked #8 in HMV's "Top 30 Best Japanese Singers of All Time".
In 2009, he was selected as one of the Young Global Leader Honorees at the World Economic Forum.
is a
Japanese musician, activist, composer, record producer, writer, singer, pianist, and actor, based in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
and
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
. He began his career in 1978 as a member of the pioneering
electronic music
Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...
group
Yellow Magic Orchestra
Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO for short) is a Japanese electronic music band formed in Tokyo in 1978 by Haruomi Hosono (bass, keyboards, vocals), Yukihiro Takahashi (drums, lead vocals) and Ryuichi Sakamoto (keyboards, vocals). The group is conside ...
(YMO),
where he played keyboards and was an occasional vocalist.
Sakamoto was the originator of the concept of Artists' Power, a project by various artists to promote renewable energy started in 2001.
Sakamoto stepped back from regular involvement in AP Bank after its initial set-up due to his living in New York rather than Japan where AP Bank is primarily active.
Key projects
AP Bank Fes
The first AP Bank Fes took place from July 16 to 18 2005 in
Kakegawa
is a city in western Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 117,925 in 45,519 households. The total area of the city is .
Geography
Kakegawa is in the coastal plains of southwest Shizuoka Prefecture. It is border ...
,
Shizuoka
Shizuoka can refer to:
* Shizuoka Prefecture, a Japanese prefecture
* Shizuoka (city), the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture
* Shizuoka Airport
* Shizuoka Domain, the name from 1868 to 1871 for Sunpu Domain, a predecessor of Shizuoka Prefecture
...
as a multi-purpose outdoor festival, featuring live performances but also a wide variety of areas to teach about environmental issues such as sustainable development, natural farming and renewable energy issues like solar power. It features a marketplace selling various natural goods as well as relaxation areas and a natural food court. ''AP Bank Fes'' encourages the audience to bring their own cutlery to the event, while the waste generated is separated into nine categories so that most can be recycled.
''AP Bank Fes'' expanded to three festival sites in 2012, including
Hyogo and
Miyagi Miyagi may refer to:
Places
* Miyagi Prefecture, one of the 47 major divisions of Japan
* Miyagi, Gunma, a village in Japan, merged into Maebashi in 2004
*Miyagi District, Miyagi, a district in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan
Other uses
* Miyagi (surna ...
Prefectures.
The main festival site is provided by the
Yamaha Yamaha may refer to:
* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services, established in 1887. The company is the largest shareholder of Yamaha Motor Company (below).
** Yamaha Music Foundation, an organization estab ...
Corporation and led to an initiative called Japan Natural Energy "Green Power Certificate" to provide "green power" for other music events at the site. It is expected to conserve 500,000 kWh of electricity and reduce 230 tons of emissions per year at the site.
Funds raised from the festival, which attracts around 60,000 people, and resultant CDs and DVDs, are donated to AP Bank. The live shows are structured with
Kazutoshi Sakurai
is a Japanese musician. He composes and writes almost all of the songs for his band Mr. Children, in addition to writing lyrics and singing for his solo project group Bank Band. In 2006, Sakurai ranked No. 8 in HMV's "Top 30 Best Japanese Singe ...
's Bank Band as the main performer, featuring various guests vocalists, which have included;
![Jason Mraz 2011](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Jason_Mraz_2011.jpg)
* 2005 -
Salyu
is a Japanese singer, produced by Takeshi Kobayashi. She debuted in 2000 as the fictional singer Lily Chou-Chou for the film ''All About Lily Chou-Chou'', and later debuted as a solo artist in 2004. She is best known for her charity single colla ...
,
Chara,
Every Little Thing,
Hitoto Yo
is a Japanese-Taiwanese pop singer. Her mother is Japanese and her father is Taiwanese. She can speak three languages: Japanese, English, and Mandarin. Tae Hitoto is her older sister. Her name Hitoto is not her real surname, it is her mother's ...
, Tortoise Matsumoto (
Ulfuls
is a Japanese rock band from Osaka. The band name Ulfuls is derived from a misreading of the word "soulful," found on the cover of one of the band members' favorite records. They were signed by Toshiba-EMI in 1992, but after 15 years they transfe ...
),
Mika Nakashima
is a Japanese singer and actress. Five of her studio albums, one of her mini-albums and one of her compilation albums have reached number one in Japan's Oricon album chart. She also embarked on an acting career, most notably as Nana Osaki in the ...
etc.
* 2006 -
Kobukuro
, a Japanese band, formed in 1998 and made its major label debut in 2001. The name is a portmanteau of the two family names, Kentarō Kobuchi and Shunsuke Kuroda.
Members
*
*
The band's visual appearance is unusual; there are only two people, ...
,
BoA
Kwon Bo-ah (; born November 5, 1986), known professionally as BoA, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer and actress. One of the most successful and influential Korean entertainers, she has been dubbed the " Queen of K- ...
,
Bonnie Pink
, known by her stage name Bonnie Pink, is a Japanese singer-songwriter and musician. She writes and composes all her songs, and plays guitar and piano. Asada has said that the name Bonnie Pink is random and has no special meaning; she chose it b ...
,
Miki Imai,
Remioromen
is a Japanese rock band, formed by Ryōta Fujimaki, Keisuke Maeda and Osamu Jingūji in 2000.
History
Remioromen was formed in December 2000 with their current three person line up. They say that the name of the band has no real significance as ...
,
Quruli
is a Japanese music group formed in 1996. As of March 2021, the lineup consists of Shigeru Kishida and Masashi Sato. Their music is produced and distributed by Victor Entertainment.
Career
After meeting at "Rock Commune," Ritsumeikan Universit ...
,
Kreva
Kreva ( be, Крэва, ; lt, Krėva or Krẽvas; pl, Krewo; russian: Крéво) is a township in the Smarhon District of Grodno Region, Belarus. The first mention dates to the 13th century. The toponym is derived from the name of the Krivi ...
etc.
* 2007 -
Ai, Depapepe,
Ulfuls
is a Japanese rock band from Osaka. The band name Ulfuls is derived from a misreading of the word "soulful," found on the cover of one of the band members' favorite records. They were signed by Toshiba-EMI in 1992, but after 15 years they transfe ...
,
Rip Slyme
Rip Slyme (often stylized as RIP SLYME) is a Japanese hip hop group. In its best known incarnation, it was primarily composed of four MCs (Ryo-Z, Ilmari, Pes & Su) and a DJ, Fumiya. Pes and Su have since parted ways with the group. Their soun ...
, Kumi Koda
, known professionally as , is a Japanese singer from Kyoto, known for her urban and R&B songs.
After debuting with the single "Take Back" in December 2000, Koda gained fame in March 2003 when the songs from her seventh single, "Real Emotion ...
, Sukima Switch
is a Japanese rock/jazz fusion duo consisting of core members , born May 9, 1978, and , born February 25, 1978, formed in 1999. Formerly with BMG Japan (bought by SMEJ in early 2009), they signed with Sony Music Japan's Ariola Japan label in Se ...
(cancelled due to typhoon) etc.
* 2008 -
Glay
Glay (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese rock band, formed in Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan, in 1988. Glay primarily composes songs in the rock and pop genres, but they have also arranged songs using elements from a wide variety of genres, includi ...
,
My Little Lover
My Little Lover is a J-Pop, Japanese pop group belonging to the Avex Trax label as of the single and the album ''Akko''. Previous releases were under Toy's Factory. The group has had several members, but currently only Akko (Akamatsu Akiko 赤 ...
,
Ayaka Hirahara
is a Japanese pop singer. She was affiliated with the Dreamusic label until 2013 when she moved to Universal Music Japan.
Biography
Hirahara comes from a musical family; her father, Makoto Hirahara, is a saxophone player, her grandfather, T ...
,
Chihiro Onitsuka
(born October 30, 1980) is a Japanese singer-songwriter.
In 2000, Onitsuka released her debut single "Shine" and gained recognition when its follow-up "Gekkou" became a hit. ''Insomnia'', her first studio album, released in the following yea ...
,
Yuzu
Yuzu (''Citrus junos'', from Japanese or ) is a citrus fruit and plant in the family Rutaceae of East Asian origin. Yuzu has been cultivated mainly in East Asia, though recently also in New Zealand, Australia, Spain, Italy, and France.
I ...
,
Aska etc.
* 2009 -
Juju,
Kumi Koda
, known professionally as , is a Japanese singer from Kyoto, known for her urban and R&B songs.
After debuting with the single "Take Back" in December 2000, Koda gained fame in March 2003 when the songs from her seventh single, "Real Emotion ...
,
Yuna Ito
is an American-born former singer and actress who was active in Japan.
She was born in Los Angeles and was raised in Hawaii. Ito made her musical debut in Japan with the single, "Endless Story", which was used as one of the theme songs for the ...
,
Ai Otsuka
is a Japanese singer-songwriter from Suminoe-ku, Osaka, Japan. She is a popular artist on the Avex Trax label and is best known for her 2003 hit "Sakuranbo", which stayed in the Top 200 Oricon Weekly Singles Chart for 103 weeks.
A piano player ...
,
Eikichi Yazawa
is a Japanese singer-songwriter, and a prominent figure in Japanese popular music. Yoko Yazawa of The Generous is his daughter. He has been nicknamed as Ei-chan (永ちゃん), Boss or The King of Rock.
Biography
Sources:
1949-1967: Early Lif ...
,
Porno Graffitti
, also known as , are a Japanese rock band from Onomichi (formerly Innoshima), Hiroshima Prefecture. The band got their name from the album ''Pornograffitti'' by the band Extreme. They currently record under the SME Records label and their ag ...
etc.
* 2010 -
Cocco
is a female Japanese pop / folk rock singer.
Early life
Cocco went to many ballet auditions, hoping to become a professional ballerina. She went to singing auditions to earn the traveling expenses for a ballet audition in Tokyo. She did not ...
,
Mongol800
is a Japanese three-piece punk rock band from Urasoe, Okinawa, Japan formed in 1998. When the members were aged 19, the band released their first album. In 2001, despite low commercial attention, they sold over two-million records from the alb ...
,
Puffy,
Dragon Ash
is a Japanese rap rock group founded in 1996 by Kenji "KJ" Furuya and Sakurai Makoto.
They were one of the first groups to popularize hip hop in Japan. Dragon Ash is a member of Mob Squad, which is an affiliation with the bands Source and En ...
,
Toshinobu Kubota
is a Japanese singer, songwriter, musician, music producer, and radio personality. He has produced six million-seller records and thirty-three Top 40 singles during his career. Kubota is currently part of Sony Music Japan. In addition, he has co ...
,
Funky Monkey Babys
is a Japanese band formed in 2004 under the record company Dreamusic Incorporated.
Their music is mostly hip hop, but is also inspired by pop and rock music. All members in the group are from Hachiōji, Tokyo. They are known for featuring c ...
etc.
* 2011 -
Hitoto Yo
is a Japanese-Taiwanese pop singer. Her mother is Japanese and her father is Taiwanese. She can speak three languages: Japanese, English, and Mandarin. Tae Hitoto is her older sister. Her name Hitoto is not her real surname, it is her mother's ...
,
Shikao Suga
is a Japanese musician and singer-songwriter from Tokyo known for writing the theme songs for several anime, movies and commercial ads. His name in kanji is . He uses katakana as his professional name.
Prior to career
Suga went to Kosei Gakue ...
.
Minmi
Michiko Evwana (born December 8, 1974), better known by her stage name , is a Japanese hip-hop and reggae musician,, United Daily News (in Chinese), August 22, 2008 as well as a singer-songwriter and record producer. She is the first soca ar ...
,
Naoto Inti Raymi
, better known by his stage name , is a Japanese singer-songwriter and composer. He was born in Mie Prefecture in Japan and later grew up in Chiba Prefecture.
For two years from 2001, he used his given name Naoto as his stage name. In 2001, whil ...
,
Sukima Switch
is a Japanese rock/jazz fusion duo consisting of core members , born May 9, 1978, and , born February 25, 1978, formed in 1999. Formerly with BMG Japan (bought by SMEJ in early 2009), they signed with Sony Music Japan's Ariola Japan label in Se ...
,
Bonnie Pink
, known by her stage name Bonnie Pink, is a Japanese singer-songwriter and musician. She writes and composes all her songs, and plays guitar and piano. Asada has said that the name Bonnie Pink is random and has no special meaning; she chose it b ...
etc.
* 2012 -
Jason Mraz
Jason Thomas Mraz (; born June 23, 1977) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He rose to prominence with the release of his debut studio album, ''Waiting for My Rocket to Come'' (2002), which spawned the single " The Remedy (I Won't ...
,
Ken Hirai
is a Japanese R&B and pop singer. Since his debut, Hirai has worked as a model, actor, composer, lyricist, singer, and brand ambassador.
During his career, Hirai has released 45 singles and nine studio albums as of January 2019.[Crystal Kay
is a Japanese singer, songwriter, actress and radio host.
After releasing her first single, "Eternal Memories" (1999), Crystal Kay gained fame for her third studio album, '' Almost Seventeen'' (2002), which debuted at number 2 on the Japanese ...]
,
Spitz
Spitz (derived from the German word ''spitz'' 'pointed') is a type of domestic dog characterized by long, thick, and often white fur, and pointed ears and muzzles. The tail often curls over the dog's back or droops. While all of the breeds rese ...
,
Monkey Majik
Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as the simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes, which constitutes an incomple ...
,
Def Tech
Def Tech is a Japanese pop band signed to 2VOX Ltd, an independent label.
Career
Jesse, the vocalist from Rize, named the band, the members of which did their own songwriting, arranging, and production. Def Tech had the 3rd best-selling alb ...
etc.
AP BANG! Tokyo Creators' Meeting
AP Bank organises an all-night club event for artists, musicians, and other creative people calle
AP BANG! Tokyo Creators' Meeting The purpose is to make people think about the environment, through creations and performances for a younger crowd that might typically have less interest or knowledge of environmental concerns.
Vol.1 took place over three days at
Studio Coast in
Shin Kiba, Tokyo, from March 16-18th 2007 and featured art directors, filmmakers, web designers and copywriters as well as performing acts such as
Seamo
is a Japanese hip hop recording artist better known by his stage name Seamo (シーモ ''Shīmo''). He made his debut in 2004 using the alias , but later changed his name to Seamo. He made his solo debut in 2005 with the Japanese record label ...
,
Kyōko Koizumi
(born February 4, 1966) is a Japanese singer and actress. She is signed to Victor Entertainment.
Career
In 1981, Kyoko Koizumi participated and won the Star Tanjo! programme and released her 1st single in March 1982. She gained her first num ...
and
Ayaka
, known simply as Ayaka, is a female Japanese singer, songwriter and record producer formerly signed to Warner Music Japan. Born in Osaka, she moved to Tokyo to pursue a singing career. She married actor Hiro Mizushima on February 22, 2009.
B ...
.
Eco-reso web
AP Bank operates an extensive network of websites and blogs called
eco-reso web' (エコレゾ ウエブ). Initially a web magazine that communicates about events in Japan and around the world relating to the environment by means of news articles, videos and illustrations, ''eco-reso web'' now includes a wide range of web pages on various ecological, environmental, eco-farming and sustainable development issues.
Kurkku
''Kurkku'' is a Tokyo-based project owning several shops under the theme "future-oriented living that is comfortable and good for the environment". ''Kurkku'' sells food and clothing and AP Bank provides conceptual input and assistance.
Kurkku's main restaurant and cafe are located in Harajuku.
''Code kurkku'', serving Italian-style food
prepared by executive chef Yasuhiro Sasajima, whose Kyoto restaurant Il Ghiottone is said to "serve the finest Italian cuisine in all of Western Japan",
and is housed within the Yoyogi Village complex.
Yoyogi Village
Combining elements of many of AP Bank's projects, Yoyogi Village is perhaps its most open to the general public, aiming to break the perception that environmentally friendly products are bland or boring.
It was built in order to reinvigorate
Yoyogi
is a neighbourhood in the northern part of Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan.
Geography
The area encompassed by Yoyogi is typically defined two ways:
* Only the five Yoyogi .
* The former , corresponding roughly to the area south of National Route 20 (K ...
on the old site of the 19th century Yoyogi village, before the rise of the neighboring districts
Shinjuku
is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative centre, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world (Shinjuku Station) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administration ...
and
Harajuku
is a district in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Harajuku is the common name given to a geographic area spreading from Harajuku Station to Omotesando, corresponding on official maps of Shibuya ward as Jingūmae 1 chōme to 4 chōme. In popular refer ...
led to the areas decline.
Yoyogi Village consists of the two zones surrounding a central landscaped garden by
Seijyun Nishihata featuring trees from Spain, Chile, Brazil and Mexico.
The village consists of a wide range of stores, cafes and restaurants as well as a travel agent, massage parlor and gardens. The Container Zone is made from old shipping containers and sells fashion from
organic cotton
Organic cotton is generally defined as cotton that is grown organically in subtropical countries such as India, Turkey, China, and parts of the USA from non-genetically modified plants, and without the use of any synthetic agricultural chemicals ...
farms in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
at One Mile Wear, houses the Pour-kur bakery, organic Drink & Soup Kurkku Lab, Roots & Beat Coffee and Tako Yoyogi izakaya and hosts the Blind Gallery.
The Village Zone hosts ''The Music Bar'' designed by Kobayashi and fellow producer
Shinichi Osawa
, also known by his stage name Mondo Grosso, is a Japanese musician, DJ, record producer and composer currently signed onto Avex Trax's Rhythm Zone label. Previously he was signed to Sony Music Japan's FEARLESS RECORDS division and released albu ...
, VIP areas and the Code Kurkku dining and terrace area with discounted organic food prepared by Kyoto chef Yasuhiro Sasajima. The land in the center of Tokyo has been leased for an initial ten years, with a view to building more villages in the future.
AP Bank Fund
In July 2007, the Niigata
2007 Chūetsu offshore earthquake
The ) was a powerful magnitude 6.6 earthquake that occurred 10:13 local time (01:13 UTC) on July 16, 2007, in the northwest Niigata region of Japan. The earthquake, which occurred at a previously unknown offshore fault shook Niigata and neig ...
hit Japan's
Niigata Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture in the Chūbu region of Honshu of Japan. Niigata Prefecture has a population of 2,227,496 (1 July 2019) and is the List of Japanese prefectures by area, fifth-largest prefecture of Japan by geographic area ...
, at the same time as the AP Bank Fes'07 music festival was taking place - itself cut from three days to one due to a typhoon. As a result of these two catastrophes, ''AP Bank Fund'' was created to provide funds for disaster relief, separate from AP Bank's regular lending operations. The ''ap bank fund'' was created in September 2007, and in June 2008 it provided relief funds for victims of the
2007 Chūetsu offshore earthquake
The ) was a powerful magnitude 6.6 earthquake that occurred 10:13 local time (01:13 UTC) on July 16, 2007, in the northwest Niigata region of Japan. The earthquake, which occurred at a previously unknown offshore fault shook Niigata and neig ...
, a devastating
cyclone in Myanmar, and another major
earthquake in Sichuan,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
.
See also
*
Lists about renewable energy
Renewable energy is generally defined as energy that comes from resources which are naturally replenished on a human timescale, such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves, and geothermal heat.Omar Ellabban, Haitham Abu-Rub, Frede Blaabjerg, ''Ren ...
*
Renewable energy commercialization
Renewable energy commercialization involves the deployment of three generations of renewable energy technologies dating back more than 100 years. First-generation technologies, which are already mature and economically competitive, include b ...
*
Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published a special report on ''Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation'' (''SRREN'') on May 9, 2011. The report developed under the leadership of Ottmar Edenhofer ...
*
Solar power in Japan
Solar power in Japan has been expanding since the late 1990s.
The country is a major manufacturer and exporter of photovoltaics (PV) and a large installer of domestic PV systems, with most of them grid connected.
Japan has a solar irradiance of ...
*
Tetsunari Iida
Tetsunari Iida (, ''Iida Tetsunari''; born 1959, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan) is director of the Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies in Japan. Following the Fukushima nuclear disaster, he is calling for a decrease in Japan's reliance on nucl ...
References
{{Reflist, 2
External links
AP Bank Official WebsiteAP Bank Fes Official WebsiteAP Bank Fes Official TwitterAP BANG! Tokyo Creators' Meeting Eco-ResoYoyogi Village
Organizations established in 2003
International renewable energy organizations
International Renewable Energy Agency