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PART Recent Trends and Developments in Government Policies in Education, Science and Culture

Japan's cultural properties are indispensable for the Japanese people in gaining a proper understanding of the history and culture of their own country. They provide a basis for the further improvement and development of the cultural life of the nation.

In order to ensure the protection of these cultural properties, which are valuable national assets, the Ministry, under the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties, selects and designates certain important properties as National Treasures, Important Cultural Properties. Special Historic Sites, Special Places of Scenic Beauty, Special Natural Monuments, Historic Sites, Places of Scenic Beauty, Natural Monuments, Important Intangible Cultural Properties, Important Intangible Folk Cultural Properties, Important Intangible Folk Cultural Properties and Important Historic Structure Group Preservation Zones. In addition to the designation of these selected properties, the Ministry has also been taking various measures for preserving and utilizing these properties.

Further, the Ministry provides subsidies to the owners of designated cultural properties, as well as local governments and other bodies, for their expenditures for the custody, repair and disaster prevention of National Treasuries, Important Cultural Properties or other designated properties. It also subsidizes various programs for making historic sites and other designated sites public properties and putting them in good condition, for presenting and inheriting traditional performing arts, and for other relevant purposes. In addition, the Ministry has been endeavoring to increase the awareness of the public towards the significance of the protection of cultural properties.

It has become important to secure a proper coordination between the protection of cultural properties and development works, and to strive to utilize these properties so that people may get familiar with them and make the best use of them in their daily lives.