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The Agency for Cultural Affairs is supporting cultural activities in local areas, in cooperation with local governments and local cultural groups and institutions.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs has been implementing the Program for Town Planning that Focuses on Culture, which aims to establish a local base for arts and culture by creating unique artistic cultural activities rooted in the region utilizing local cultural properties, and to enable people to enjoy closer access to outstanding arts and culture. In FY1999, the program was implemented in 49 regions, and in FY2000 the program is planned for 40 regions.

Program for Town Planning that Focuses on Culture: Performance of new opera "Mizu no Koe" (Voices of Water)Hitachi Citizen's Opera Program

The Agency for Cultural Affairs conducts the Artist-in-Residence Program, whose purpose is to invite guest artists from Japan or abroad to reside in local areas for fixed periods of time in order to strengthen the ties among artists and with the local area through creative activities, provide opportunities for creating unique and sophisticated culture, and contribute to the development of local culture. The program was implemented in 15 regions in FY1999, and is scheduled for 15 regions in FY2000.

Artist-in-Residence Program: Large-size papermaking Mino Paper Arts Village Program

This program, which aims to further improve mutual exchanges among local public cultural institutions of outstanding stage arts which are created by those institutions, will be implemented starting in FY2000.

In order to respond to Japanese people's desire to participate in cultural activities, and to heighten the level of the people's cultural activities, the Agency for Cultural Affairs holds the nationwide National Cultural Festival in cooperation with prefectural governments. In FY1999, the National Cultural Festival was held in Gifu Prefecture from 23 October to 3 November, under the slogan "From the Center of Japan to the New Century." In FY2000, the National Cultural Festival is scheduled to be held in Hiroshima Prefecture from 3 November to 12 November, with the motto "Expanding Lives and Brightening the Future."

14th National Cultural Festival "Gifu '99" Opening Parade

In order to enhance creative activities by high school students, the Agency for Cultural Affairs holds the National Cultural Festival for Upper Secondary Schools, in cooperation with the All Japan Senior High School Cultural Federation and prefectural governments, which serves as a venue for high school students representing prefectures all over Japan to present their artistic and cultural activities. In FY2000, the Festival was held in Shizuoka Prefecture from 5 August to 9 August with the slogan "Wings of Creation, Flying over Mount Fuji".

23rd National Cultural Festival for Senior High Schools Opening Ceremony

The Agency for Cultural Affairs published "Perspectives and Implementations of Local Revitalization Utilizing Traditional Culture" in March 2000, which illustrates various perspectives and case examples of local revitalization projects utilizing traditional culture for local governments, local residents and NPOs, and distributed it to prefectures, cities, towns and villages and other related people (see Figure 2-8-3 ).

Figure 2-8-3 Perspectives and Results of Local Revitalization Projects Utilizing Traditional Culture