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Home > Policy > White Paper, Notice, Announcement > White Paper > JAPANESE GOVERMENT POLICICIES IN EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND CULTURE 1994 > PART II Chapter 10 Section 3 3

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PART II Recent Trends and Developments in Government Policies in Education, Science and Culture
Chapter 10. Internationalization of Education, Culture, and Sports
Section 3. International Exchange and Cooperation in Education, Culture, and Sports
3. World Cultural Links


International exchange and cooperation in cultural fields contribute to Japan's cultural development and are extremely important to the enhancement of understanding between Japan and other countries. In recent years people around the world have been showing a growing interest in Japanese culture. Active promotion of international exchange in cultural fields is essential both to increase understanding of Japan and to enhance Japan's cultural contribution to the world. The Agency for Cultural Affairs is implementing the following programs for this purpose.


(1) Promotion of International Artistic and Cultural Activities

The Agency for Cultural Affairs has been promoting international artistic activities by providing arts fellowships and implementing the National Arts Festival International Exchange Program. In addition, the Agency began implementing the new Program for the Advancement and Dissemination of the Performing Arts in fiscal 1994.

The new program supports stage performances throughout the world, organizes overseas tours for local arts groups, and helps emerging artists participate in events organized by overseas arts organizations.

The Agency also implements the National Culture Festival International Exchange Program, including exchange programs for amateurs and upper secondary school students, as part of its efforts to foster local culture. In addition, it sends instructors in various fields overseas with the aim of taking Japan's traditional cultural activities into the international arena (see part 2, chapter 9).


(2) International Exchange and Cooperation Regarding the Protection of Cultural Properties
1. Cooperation in restoration of Japanese artworks located abroad:

Japanese artworks in the collection of the Freer Gallery, part of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., have for many years been the target of joint research and restoration activities under the guidance of the Overseas Japanese Artwork Preservation and Restoration Cooperation Committee, which was established by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. In fiscal 1994 the scope of this program was expanded to include other museums in the United States. In addition, a new program was introduced to assist art experts and other personnel in overseas museums and art galleries in the conservation and care of Japanese artworks.


2. Cooperation concerning cultural heritage located abroad:

Since fiscal 1990 the Agency for Cultural Affairs has been providing technical assistance regarding the conservation and restoration of important architectural monuments and buildings in the Asia-Pacific region. In fiscal 1994 assistance was provided to Bhutan and to Hoi An, a historic port in central Vietnam.

For many years the Tokyo National Research Institute of Cultural Properties has been cooperating in research concerning the conservation and restoration of cultural heritage in Dunhuang, China. It is also implementing an international restoration training program that focuses on conservation methods based on the use of Japanese paper. Other activities undertaken by the institute include international symposiums on cultural properties and seminars on the conservation of cultural properties. In fiscal 1994 the institute inaugurated a program of international joint research concerning technology for the conservation and restoration of cultural properties.

The Nara National Research Institute of Cultural Properties is participating in research and providing assistance concerning the protection of cultural heritage in Angkor, Cambodia. It invites Cambodian researchers to Japan to participate in joint research focusing on preservation, restoration, and environmental improvements. The institute is also involved in joint research concerning the conservation and maintenance of South Asian Buddhist relics.

Japan is a member of the International Center for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) and cooperates in international research projects and other activities organized by this multilateral organization.


3. World Heritage Convention:

In December 1993 the Buddhist temple Horyu-ji and the castle Himeji-jo were added to the world cultural heritage list, while the island of Yakushima and the Shirakami Sanchi mountains were added to the world natural heritage list. These were Japan's first contributions to the lists, based on the Convention for the Protection of the World's Cultural and Natural Heritage. In September 1993 historic monuments of ancient Kyoto (present-day Kyoto, Uji, and Otsu) were recommended for inclusion.


4. Overseas art exhibitions:

The Agency for Cultural Affairs has long presented overseas exhibitions of Japanese artworks, especially important cultural properties and national treasures, in various countries. In fiscal 1994 an exhibition of art from the Momoyama period (1568-1600), "Art of the Golden Age: The Culture of Samurai and Merchants" (provisional name), was held in Velazquez Palace, Madrid. Since fiscal 1993 the Agency has been working in cooperation with overseas museums to mount international exchange exhibitions of artworks, especially Japanese and Oriental art, from the collections of those museums. In fiscal 1993 a display of works from the collection of the Tokyo National Museum was presented at the Musees Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire in Belgium. In fiscal 1994 an exhibition of works from the Belgian museums was held at the Tokyo National Museum.


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