APA strives to be a driver of change for the creation of a better future.

The world and media are changing at a bewildering pace. Society is evolving faster than it ever has before. But where is our society heading? The photographic images of advertising have long linked the senders and receivers of information as a common international language transcending words. And with the further internationalization of society and orientation towards the visual, advertising images are expected to play a role of growing importance. Advertising photographers see themselves in a forefront field. They are excited to be playing an active part during the first decade of the 21st century.

The Japan Advertising Photographers’ Association (APA) was founded as an organization of professional advertising photographers in 1958. Since then, the APA has been providing training and education programs for advertising photography both at home and abroad. In keeping with the trends in the field of advertising photography-a rising concern about the photographic images used and a growing demand for active participation in society-the APA was incorporated on December 4, 1989. Since then, the APA has been working to meet the demands of the times by contributing to the development of society and culture. The association now runs a variety of business programs, both to help its members enhance their technical skills in photographic representation, and to reinforce their role within society.