The Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) and Non-Profit Organizations (NPOs) contributed remarkably to emergency relief activities during the Great East Japan Earthquake. The NGOs/NPOs were successful in coordinating with the government, private companies, the Council of Social Welfare and other NGOs/NPOs to provide substantial assistance to disaster survivors. The rise of the NGOs/NPOs in providing emergency relief assistance was a new phenomenon in Japan. This article attempts to analyze the reason behind such a rise.