Home > Policy > White Paper, Notice, Announcement > White Paper > JAPANESE GOVERNMENT POLICIES IN EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND CULTURE 1993 > CHAPTER 2 �3

When the history of people's everyday lives is examined, one can find, along with aspects that have not undergone any visible changes, aspects which have undergone subtle changes with the passage of time. While keeping these two aspects in perspective, it is necessary to enable each individual citizen to lead a rich life by discovering the creative forces in the "daily life culture" of the Japanese people and by nurturing these forces.

"Daily life culture" can be defined as a human life style that is created within the limitations of time, space and objects. The stages upon which culture is played out are mainly individual and domestic; it is also necessary, however, to consider workplaces, communities, the nation as a whole and the international community.

Daily life culture is carried out by individual, in homes, in communities and in workplaces. The government's role in daily life culture is, while respecting individuality and volition, to lend support and encouragement to the activities in the area of daily life culture. Special attention is to be paid to the following fields :

a. Behaviors that concern aesthetic enhancement and functional comfort in everyday matters of diet, clothing and housing as well as the social and economic activities that support these behaviors. Workplace environments are also included as an area for consideration.

b. Amateur participation in artistic activities and sports.

c. Activities whose goal is to improve and enrich the use of leisure time.

d. Activities whose goal is to preserve and revitalize tradition within the local area.

In light of the above-mentioned areas, in the report titled "Present Situation of Deliberations b. the Advisory committee for Promoting Cultural Policy" (Report of the Advisory Committee for Promoting Cultural Policy, June 19. 1992), various measures were suggested for building environmentsC0nducive to daily life culture. The report suggested that the following measures be pursued through the collaboration of national and local governments and the private sector : cooperation with local industry ; the recruitment and training of volunteers and other capable individuals ;organization for the transmission and creation of daily life culture ; the proper preservation and display of materials related to daily life culture ;the encouragement of culture-oriented community development; and promotion of inhabitants' participation in cultural activities.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs has shown exhibitions and performances and other events relating to daily life culture at the National Culture Festivals since 1986, and has endeavored to enrich a variety of policies about it. It is required to further promote various measures for daily life culture, taking into consideration the above-mentioned suggestions.