Home > Policy > White Paper, Notice, Announcement > White Paper > JAPANESE GOVERNMENT POLICIES IN EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND CULTURE 1993 > CHAPTER 3 �1 3 (3)

Local governments have endeavored to investigate cultural properties and display them to the general public by establishing general museums, historical and folklore museums, and to conduct activities for the purpose of informing and enlightening the local inhabitants.

Museums have played an important part nationwide in contributing to the investigation. Research, collection, preservation and utilization of cultural properties. While historical museums have occupied a major role in collecting and exhibiting cultural properties, most general museums also have departments of history.

According to a Social Education Survey, as of October 1990, there were a total of 347 museums, 214 local public and 133 private.

Regarding exhibitions of cultural properties in local areas, the single collection of one museum is by itself often not sufficient for exhibition, necessitating cooperation l1I11O11g museums in this respect. In light or the increasing importance that is attached to the study of community culture and history as a part of social and school education, more effective use of museums as places to study history and culture is another point for further improvement.

Historical and folklore museums collect, preserve and study folkcultural properties that display characteristics of the local community, as well as materials such as relics, documents and other evidence that reflect the history of the community, and open up them to the inhabitants of the community. Historical and folklore museums thus serve as core facilities for the utilization of folk-cultural properties.

The national government embarked on a program of subsidizing the construction of local public historical and folklore museums in 1970. By the end of fiscal 1992, 474 museums (12 prefectural and 462 municipal museums) had been built.

These museums play very important roles within the community, by serving as core facilities for the collection of tangible folk-cultural properties that display local characteristics. Some museums' collections are excellent both in quality and quantity, and have been designated by the national government as "Important Tangible Folk-cultural Properties". The promotion of the development and improvement of qualified staff members who will be able to play a central role in sustaining the activities of these facilities, cooperation with community inhabitants in this regard and mutual collaboration between historical and folklore museums are a vital future task.