Section 1 Background of the Relocation of the Agency for Cultural Affairs to Kyoto

1 Policy for Relocation to Kyoto Decided

(1) Background of the Relocation of Government-Affiliated Organizations

In November 2014, the Act for Overcoming Population Decline and Vitalizing Local Economy was enacted to cope with the declining birthrate, aging population, and declining population, rectify the excessive concentration in Tokyo, and maintain a vigorous Japanese society in the future by promoting the development of local communities that ensure secure, enriched and affluent lives, the securing of unique and diverse human resources to lead local communities, and the creation of attractive and diverse employment opportunities in the region, in an integrated manner.
The “Headquarters for Overcoming Population Decline and Vitalizing Local Economy in Japan” (hereinafter referred to as “the Headquarters”), headed by the Prime Minister, was established in the Cabinet following the said Act.
In December 2014, following discussions at the Headquarters, the “Comprehensive Strategy for Overcoming Population Decline and Vitalizing Local Economy” (hereinafter referred to as “the Comprehensive Strategy”) was approved by the Cabinet. “Create a new inflow of people to regional areas” was set as one of the basic objectives of the Comprehensive Strategy. In FY 2015, prefectural governments were asked to submit proposals to the central government to invite government-affiliated organizations to contribute to the development of regional areas.

(2) Basic Policy for Relocation of Government-Affiliated Organizations

In March 2015, proposals were solicited from prefectural governments for the “Relocation of Government-Affiliated Organizations to Regional Areas” (to be submitted by August of the same year). When submitting the proposal, prefectural governments were asked to explain from perspectives such as (1) The necessity for the rectification of the excessive concentration in Tokyo and regional revitalization and (2) Securing functions as a national institution (with advantages overweighing disadvantages) and attach a concrete proposal for improving conditions to secure/set up facilities, etc. at the site of relocation. In response to this call for proposals, Kyoto Prefecture submitted a proposal for the relocation of the Agency for Cultural Affairs.
In January 2016, a written request titled “Relocation of the Agency for Cultural Affairs to Kyoto to Best Serve Japan” by the Kyoto Bid Council for the Agency for Cultural Affairs comprising Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto City, and the Kyoto Chamber of Commerce and Industry was submitted to the Prime Minister and the Minister of State for the Promotion of Overcoming Population Decline and Vitalizing Local Economy in Japan. Subsequently, in March of the same year, following hearings at the joint meeting of the Secretariat and experts to exchange opinions on relocation of government-affiliated organizations and discussions at the council of experts for relocation of government-affiliated organizations, the “Basic Policy for Relocation of Government-Affiliated Organizations” was decided by the Headquarters and the relocation of the Agency for Cultural Affairs was officially decided.

2 Functional Enhancement of the Agency for Cultural Affairs and Significance of Relocation to Kyoto

(1) Background of the Functional Enhancement of the Agency for Cultural Affairs

The “Basic Policy for Relocation of Government-Affiliated Organizations” stated that “The Agency for Cultural Affairs will be fully relocated while strengthening its functions, including responding effectively to new policy needs expected of the Agency for Cultural Affairs, such as regional revitalization and the utilization of cultural properties, on the premise that it will be able to perform functions equal to or greater than current levels in diplomatic relations, work related to the Diet, and policy planning work (coordination with related ministries and agencies, etc.).”
Following this, in April 2016, the “Agency for Cultural Affairs Relocation Council” (hereinafter referred to as “the Relocation Council”), made up of the top administrative officials of the Secretariat of the Headquarters for Overcoming Population Decline and Vitalizing Local Economy, Cabinet Secretariat, MEXT, the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Kyoto Prefecture, and Kyoto City as members, and the Cabinet Personnel Bureau and the Ministry of Finance as observers, was set up. In addition to specific discussions, around 30 Agency for Cultural Affairs employees were dispatched to Kyoto in July of the same year to conduct demonstration experiments using the latest videoconferencing systems and other ICT. The Relocation Council compiled the specific details of each step and the specific details for the “Headquarters for Vitalizing Regional Cultures” (hereinafter referred to as “the Vitalization Headquarters”), which was relocated ahead of the other divisions.
In addition, the “Cultural Policies to Accelerate the Realization of a Nation Based on Culture and the Arts - Urgent Recommendations for Functional Enhancements to Develop a ‘New Agency for Cultural Affairs’ and Toward Creation of Heritage (Legacy) Beyond 2020 – (Report)” (Council for Cultural Affairs, dated November 17, 2016) of 2016 stated that to realize a “Nation Based on Culture and the Arts,” efforts should be made to develop a system for the comprehensive coordination and promotion of policies. In addition, the Basic Act on Culture and the Arts was amended in 2017 to consider the functional enhancement of the Agency for Cultural Affairs and to take the necessary measures.
Against this backdrop, the Act for Establishment of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology was amended, leading to the reorganization and the functional enhancement of the Agency for Cultural Affairs (Fig. 1-1-1).

(2) Significance of Relocation to Kyoto in the Basic Policy for Relocation of Government-Affiliated Organizations

In the “Basic Policy for Relocation of Government-Affiliated Organizations,” relocation to Kyoto is considered “highly significant from the perspective of regional revitalization because (1) Relocation to Kyoto, with its rich cultural properties and accumulated traditional culture, is expected to result in better planning by the cultural administration, improving its ability to reach an international audience, (2) Imparting the cohesive power and the ability to reach an international audience to Kyoto through cultural policies is expected to strengthen and promote tourism utilizing cultural properties, which is one of the important future strategies of Japan, and (3) In the age of globalization, with politics, economy, and mass media being concentrated in Tokyo, to achieve regional revitalization, it is necessary to restore pride in diverse regional cultures and utilize them, and it is important to ensure cultural diversity.”
In addition, relocation to Kyoto is highly significant because if employees are responsible for promoting culture and the works of art from Kyoto, where culture comes alive in daily life, they can experience history, traditions, and diverse cultures, improving the quality of policies. Furthermore, this also represents a new way of working introduced in the post corona era, such as using videoconferencing systems to promote flexible working.

3 Discussions by the Relocation Council

(1) Establishment of the “Headquarters for Vitalizing Regional Cultures” to take the lead in relocation

In the second Relocation Council meeting in August 2016, the image of the cultural administration (functional enhancement of the Agency for Cultural Affairs) to be realized after the overall relocation to Kyoto, and the overall process to be implemented from FY 2017 for the relocation that will take place ahead of the other divisions and the subsequent full-scale relocation were compiled as “Outline of the Relocation to Kyoto.”
In the third Relocation Council meeting in December 2016, it was decided that starting in FY 2017, the Vitalization Headquarters will take the lead in relocating administration and projects that comply with new policy needs expected of the Agency for Cultural Affairs while using local expertise and know-how. It was decided that the Commissioner for Cultural Affairs will head the Vitalization Headquarters, while the Deputy Commissioner for Cultural Affairs will be the Acting Head. The Secretariat stationed in Kyoto will be set up with local help, with employees of around 30 people.
The Secretariat was to have three groups to perform work under a Secretary-General and a Deputy Secretary-General: (1) The “Policy Coordination and Policy Research Group” to oversee the Vitalization Headquarters, conduct policy surveys and research on culture, and organize international cultural exchanges; (2) The “Lifestyle Culture and the Arts Group” for regional revitalization, vitalization of economy, and human resource development through the use of a wide range of local cultural and artistic resources, and for conducting surveys and research on traditional crafts and lifestyle culture; and (3) The “Wide-Area Tourism and Community Development Group” to promote and develop models for wide-area cultural tourism and community development by making use of cultural properties.

(2) Considerations for organization size for full-scale relocation

In the fourth Relocation Council meeting in July 2017, the “Organizational Structure of the New Agency for Cultural Affairs and its Full-Scale Relocation” was compiled to decide the general framework of the new Agency for Cultural Affairs organizational structure and the environmental improvements for its full-scale relocation. To comprehensively promote measures related to culture and the arts following the new Basic Act on Culture and the Arts that was promulgated and enforced in June of the same year, it was decided that for the formation of open and dynamic cultural policy groups beyond “vertical division,” (1) There will be organizational restructuring from domain-specific to objective-based and the use of cultural and artistic resources, including cultural properties, will be promoted and (2) A fundamental revision will be conducted to strengthen the proactive response to new domains through a system open to relevant ministries and agencies, local governments, the private sector, universities, and cultural and arts organizations, etc.
In addition, in the fourth Relocation Council meeting, the general framework of the organizational structure pertaining to the full-scale relocation was presented, together with a report on the status of initiatives by the Vitalization Headquarters, which took the lead in relocation, starting in April 2017.
The general framework of the full-scale relocation was decided as follows - (1) the Head Office of the Agency for Cultural Affairs to be located in Kyoto, (2) the Commissioner for Cultural Affairs and the Deputy Commissioner for Cultural Affairs to be stationed at the Head office, and (3) all operations, including work related to the Diet, diplomatic relations, policy planning work related to coordination with related ministries and agencies, etc., to be performed from the Head Office, except for necessary organization interactions and other executive duties that need to be carried out from Tokyo. In concrete terms, aiming for new developments of cultural policy, it was decided that work related to planning and execution of policies on (a) planning and dissemination directly under the Commissioner, (b) strategic dissemination of Japanese culture within Japan and abroad, (c) cultural policy surveys and research in collaboration with universities, (d) creation of new culture, including the creation of culture integrated with science and technology and support for budding youth culture, (e) promotion of lifestyle culture such as food culture, (f) regional revitalization through culture, (g) cultural properties, (h) religious affairs etc., will be performed from the Head Office, on the premise that there will be least 250 people (number of regular and non-regular employees) making up 70% of the agency’s total workforce, while also getting cooperation locally, including Kyoto Prefecture and Kyoto City.

(3) Reorganization and verification of the effect and impact of relocation to Kyoto

In June 2018, the Act for Partial Amendment of the Act for Establishment of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology was enacted, which stated that (1) The Agency for Cultural Affairs will comprehensively promote cultural measures and (2) Administrative work related to education in the arts and museums will be transferred from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology to the Agency for Cultural Affairs. In addition, the supplementary resolutions to the Act (House of Representatives Committee on Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and House of Councilors Committee on Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) stated that “the results of the verification of the planned effect and impact of the full-scale relocation of the Agency for Cultural Affairs to Kyoto should be reported to the Diet as appropriate, considering that the relocation is a precedence case for government-affiliated organizations to areas outside Tokyo.”
In October 2018, in addition to the enforcement of the said Act, partial amendment of the Order for Organization of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and Rules on Organization of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology was promulgated and enforced, leading to a drastic organizational restructuring in preparation for the full-scale relocation to Kyoto, including the elimination of the two-department structure of the Department of Culture and the Department of Cultural Properties to reorganize the structure from domain-specific to policy objective-based.
Simulation of Relocation to Kyoto was carried out twice in FY 2019 and FY 2020 to report the results of verification of the effect and impact of relocation to Kyoto to the Diet following the supplementary resolutions on the Act for Partial Amendment of the Act for Establishment of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Fig. 1-1-2). Before the full-scale relocation, issues will be identified and organized through an intensive simulation to ensure a smooth relocation to Kyoto. During the extraordinary session of the Diet, some employees worked for a period of one or two weeks by taking turns at the government building housing the Headquarters for Vitalizing Regional Cultures, which was relocated ahead of other divisions, and attended meetings and other events using videoconferencing and other equipment in preparation for the full-scale relocation.
The verification results of the simulation were reported to the House of Representatives Committee on Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and House of Councilors Committee on Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in June 2021 as “Report on the Implementation and Verification Results of Simulation of the Relocation of the Agency for Cultural Affairs to Kyoto.” It was verified that while, on one hand, remote support has increased with the rapid spread of online meetings due to the spread of the COVID-19 infection, remote support is difficult for projects requiring prompt response, highly confidential projects, and projects requiring complex discussions and negotiations, which requires face-to-face support or support from employees working from Tokyo. Improvement measures to be taken in the future, such as procuring necessary budgets for travel expenses, etc., and environmental improvements to ensure smooth remote support were also summarized as simulation results along with the above.

(4) Site of full-scale relocation decided

Discussions on sites for full-scale relocation began with the third Relocation Council meeting held in December 2016. In the third Relocation Council meeting, the conditions required for a relocation site were indicated as follows – (1) as a government organization responsible for Japan’s cultural administration, the building should be located in a cultural environment that represents Japan, with cultural facilities, academic institutions, temples, shrines, parks, and other cultural and educational facilities clustering in the neighborhood, (2) should be conveniently accessible to facilitate meetings and visits from government organizations in Tokyo and relevant parties across the country, (3) should be an office suitable for a government organization and should have an appropriate size for a national government building, (4) should be fully equipped with an ICT environment as a future-oriented office that is in line with new ways of working, and (5) should have seismic resistance and functions necessary for a national institution to ensure preparedness against emergencies and disasters.
Regarding expenses, it was decided that specific matters will be discussed, taking into consideration the fact that for the upcoming relocation, there is a system in place to receive local cooperation, that the local community has expressed its willingness to provide land and bear a reasonable share of the construction cost of the government building, and that it is necessary to avoid excessive cost increases and organizational ballooning due to relocation.
Subsequently, as a result of examining multiple candidate sites and after taking into account the five necessary conditions for the relocation site, in the fourth Relocation Council meeting held in July 2017, the (then) main building of the Kyoto Prefectural Police Headquarters was decided to be the relocation site. The building, with its high cultural value, is designated as a heritage of modernization in Kyoto, built as a national government building to coincide with the “enthronement” of Emperor Showa in Kyoto (registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) of Japan in March 2024).
Based on the idea to maintain and utilize a historical building and the relocation background of the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Kyoto Prefecture, in cooperation with Kyoto City and other institutions, decided to refurbish and reinforce the building, including its seismic resistance.

(5) Development of the government building for full-scale relocation and decision on the operational start date in Kyoto

The scale of the development of the government building where the full-scale relocation will take place was decided in the fifth Relocation Council meeting held in August 2018 as “Development of Cultural Policy related to the New Agency for Cultural Affairs and Development of the Government Building where Full-Scale Relocation Will Take Place.” In concrete terms, the main building of the Kyoto Prefectural Police Headquarters and a new extension to the building were designated for the relocation. In “Local Cooperation for the Overall Relocation of the Agency for Cultural Affairs” (Kyoto Prefecture and Kyoto City), it was considered appropriate for the central government and Kyoto to share the total rent at the time of relocation equally. It was expressed and agreed that the market equivalent of the land will be free, and the market equivalent for the building will be reduced by 40%, subject to the Diet approval.
Subsequently, in October 2018, Kyoto Prefecture started the basic and detailed design of the government building where the full-scale relocation will take place. The basic and detailed designs were completed in March 2019 and March 2020, respectively, and the maintenance procedures of the government building were started in May of the same year. While proceeding with maintenance procedures, the work period was extended twice due to new ways of working in the construction industry and additional work required for the reinforcement of seismic resistance and the inner walls, etc., of the former main building of the Kyoto Prefectural Police Headquarters and for the disposal of buried rubble. However, the construction of the government building at the relocation site was completed in December 2022.
Given the extension of the work period, Prime Minister Kishida, who visited Kyoto in May 2022 to inspect preparations for the relocation, announced: “We will aim for the operations to start in Kyoto from March 27, 2023, and to relocate a majority of employees in May after the Golden Week holidays.”

(6) Further functional enhancement for relocation to Kyoto

In the thirteenth Relocation Council meeting in March 2023, just before the launch of operations in Kyoto, “Agency Structure for the Relocation of the Agency for Cultural Affairs to Kyoto” was compiled, and it was decided further to enhance the functions of the Agency for Cultural Affairs (Fig. 1-1-3). In concrete terms, using the relocation to Kyoto as an opportunity, it was decided to set up a Commissioner’s Strategy Office under the leadership of the Commissioner for Cultural Affairs to have a system in place to assist the Commissioner in strengthening the policy planning and coordination functions of the agency. It was also decided to review the previous Vitalization Headquarters developmentally and establish a Food Culture Promotion Headquarters and a Cultural Tourism Promotion Headquarters to enhance the planning function for food culture and cultural tourism, which are handled cross-divisionally by relevant divisions.
Furthermore, because the Religious Affairs Division is dealing with issues involving the former Unification Church, it was decided that to deal with them without difficulty, the Religious Affairs Division will continue to work from Tokyo until the operations are separated to a certain extent.

Section 2 Initiatives following the Relocation to Kyoto

1 Various Government-hosted Events Related to the Relocation of the Agency for Cultural Affairs to Kyoto

On March 27, 2023, the Agency for Cultural Affairs relocated to Kyoto and launched its operations in Kyoto. This is the first regional relocation of a central government agency since the relocation of the capital to Tokyo by the Meiji Government. Various government-hosted events were held to mark these milestones.

(1) Gathering to celebrate the relocation of the Agency for Cultural Affairs to Kyoto

On March 26, 2023, the day before the launch of the agency’s operations in Kyoto, the Agency for Cultural Affairs hosted a “Gathering to Celebrate the Relocation of the Agency for Cultural Affairs to Kyoto” (hereinafter referred to as the “Celebration Gathering”). In his congratulatory address, Prime Minister Kishida mentioned that the relocation to Kyoto would be used as an opportunity to promote a new culture centered on Kyoto. The necessary efforts will be made to develop a National Cultural Property Repair Center in Kyoto by the end of FY 2030 as a national center serving as the base for repairs of cultural properties, new values will be created in Kyoto and widely disseminated to the world, including its food culture and cultural tourism, and that the Prime Minister is looking forward to new ways of working in the post corona era.
The (then) Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Mr. Nagaoka, spoke about the steady promotion of policies based on the 2nd Basic Plan on the Promotion of Culture and the Arts, including regional revitalization through cultural and artistic activities and culture and the arts in the post corona era and the government’s response in the wake of the rapid progress in digitalization, and wide dissemination of the appeal of Japan’s culture and the arts, including food culture and cultural tourism, within and outside Japan, in collaboration with local communities across Japan.

(2) Briefing session and opening ceremony by the Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology

A briefing session by Prime Minister Kishida and the (then) Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Mr. Nagaoka, was organized at the time of the launch of operations in Kyoto on March 27, 2023. A briefing was held for the Agency for Cultural Affairs that relocated from Tokyo to Kyoto, connecting the Kyoto and Tokyo government buildings using an online conferencing system with large screens.
Prime Minister Kishida mentioned that the relocation of the Agency for Cultural Affairs to Kyoto is a huge opportunity to develop a new cultural administration, including acceleration of the global expansion of culture and the arts, digitalization of culture and the arts, tourism utilizing cultural properties, and promotion of lifestyle culture, such as food culture. He also expressed his expectations for employees of the Agency for Cultural Affairs working from Kyoto to set a precedent in new ways of working, for employees of central ministries and agencies.
The opening ceremony of the Agency for Cultural Affairs building in Kyoto was attended by the Governor of Kyoto Prefecture, Mr. Nishiwaki, former Mayor of Kyoto, Mr. Kadokawa, President of the Union of Kansai Governments, Mr. Mikazuki, and Chairman of the Kyoto Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Tsukamoto, and the name plaque of the Agency for Cultural Affairs was unveiled by former State Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Mr. Yana, Commissioner for Cultural Affairs, Mr. Tokura, and other senior officials. Following many such events, the Commissioner for Cultural Affairs, Mr. Tokura, gave another briefing to the employees, after which operations were launched in Kyoto.

2 Status of Initiatives following the Relocation to Kyoto

(1) Initiatives Toward New Ways of Working

Following the launch of operations in Kyoto, the employees practice ingenious working methods using digital technology. All information terminals used by the employees support online meetings, which are conducted daily. In addition, dedicated videoconferencing systems have been installed in Kyoto and Tokyo to facilitate online meetings with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology through an uninterrupted connection. The employees strive to achieve the same level of performance as before the relocation through such new ways of working using digital technology.
Although it is difficult to respond quickly if urgent work arises in Tokyo, the employees learn to deal with this daily through online meetings in collaboration with employees from Tokyo. While online meetings have increased, the communication environment was not always adequately developed; however, necessary reinforcement and improvement measures have been taken by surveying the communication status in FY 2023.
New ways of working in the Agency for Cultural Affairs have proved to be an opportunity for functional enhancement of the Agency and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, which is expected to pave the way for more ingenious working methods.

(2) Main Activities in Collaboration with Local Governments

Local governments, mainly of the Kansai region, including Kyoto Prefecture and Kyoto City, took initiatives to deepen collaboration with the Agency for Cultural Affairs, using the relocation of the Agency for Cultural Affairs to Kyoto as an opportunity. In response to the establishment of the Promotion Headquarters responsible for food culture and cultural tourism at the Agency for Cultural Affairs, a “Food Culture Promotion Headquarters” and a “Cultural Tourism Promotion Headquarters” were established in Ishikawa Prefecture to promote tourism and industry, including the expansion of the demand for inbound tourism, while also promoting DX and GX through interdepartmental collaboration. In Shiga Prefecture, the relocation of the Agency for Cultural Affairs was used as an opportunity to appoint a “National-Prefectural Cultural Cooperation Officer” to work more closely with the Agency for Cultural Affairs and effectively promote relevant initiatives.
In addition, co-creation and collaboration activities with Kyoto Prefecture and Kyoto City are undertaken by younger officials. For example, employees participating in the Gion Festival deepened their understanding of the history and culture of the Gion Festival and exchanged views on measures to pass on traditional culture. Other activities included visiting a production region for Tamba lacquer, where employees deepened their understanding of the history and culture of many cultural properties through lectures from lacquer experts and other means. With cooperation from younger officials of Otsu City in Shiga Prefecture, employees visited ancient temples with a concentration of cultural properties. They exchanged views on the promotion of tourism by making use of cultural resources. In the future, the Agency for Cultural Affairs will plan cultural policies through interactions with younger officials in local governments, etc.
In July 2023, the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the Union of Kansai Governments, and the Kansai Economic Federation adopted a joint declaration and agreed to work jointly with local governments and economic organizations to realize a “Nation Based on Culture and the Arts.” This joint declaration stated that to disseminate Japan’s beauty and spirit to the world, EXPO 2025 will allow the public and private sectors to unite to promote the international dissemination and global expansion of Japanese culture and the arts. It was also stated that measures would be deployed based on four perspectives, (1) Tourism, culture and the arts; (2) Industry, culture and the arts; (3) Lifestyle, culture and the arts; and (4) Community development, culture and the arts, under the policy to promote initiatives aimed at transformation (Cultural Business Transformation (CBX)), which effectively and strategically promotes the strengthening of international dissemination and global expansion of Japanese culture and the arts in particular, while incorporating a business approach.
In November 2023, to deploy measures based on the joint declaration, the Agency for Cultural Affairs submitted a proposal to the Kansai Economic Federation to promote initiatives, such as (1) Integrated efforts on art and music festivals, (2) Support for the establishment of new music-related awards for wider regions in Asia, (3) Projects for boosting traditional performing arts of Kansai origin and relevant cultural facilities, (4) Efforts to help pass on and expand the appeal of the cityscape of the Kansai region, such as traditional wooden townhouses and modern and contemporary architecture, (5) Realization of a night-time economy, and (6) Strong promotion of Japan’s soft power to the world. The Agency for Cultural Affairs will continue to develop activities in collaboration and cooperation with the Kansai Economic Federation.

Section 3 Development of New Cultural Promotion

1 Measures Related to Culture and the Arts

To comprehensively and systematically promote cultural and arts measures, the government has formulated the “Basic Plan on the Promotion of Culture and the Arts” based on the Basic Act on Culture and the Arts. The 2nd Basic Plan, setting the basic direction of policies on culture and the arts for the five years from FY 2023 to FY 2027, was approved by the Cabinet in March 2023, taking into account the achievements and challenges during the period of the 1st plan (from FY 2018 to FY 2022). The seven priority areas for the five years of this plan are (1) Promotion of creative cultural and artistic activities in the post corona era, (2) Further promotion of the conservation and utilization of cultural resources, (3) Nurturing children to be the future leaders, through culture and the arts, (4) Promotion of culture and the arts with respect for diversity, (5) Acceleration of the global expansion of culture and the arts, (6) Promotion of regional revitalization through culture and the arts, and (7) Promotion of cultural and artistic activities using digital technology.
To effectively and steadily promote policies on culture and the arts during the plan period, it was decided to promote specific initiatives by organizing measures in 16 groups.

2 Regional Revitalization through the Promotion of Food Culture and Cultural Tourism

The Food Culture Promotion Headquarters and the Cultural Tourism Promotion Headquarters discuss measures from the perspective of regional revitalization by promoting food culture and cultural tourism while exchanging views with progressive local governments.
The Food Culture Promotion Headquarters, in collaboration with relevant ministries, agencies and organizations, organized events on “Japanese food” in FY 2023 to mark the 10th anniversary of its registration as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage and disseminated information for building momentum for the registration of “traditional knowledge and skills of sake-making with koji mold in Japan” as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The Food Culture Promotion Headquarters will continue to promote further the elucidation and valorization of Japan’s food culture and strengthen the dissemination of its appeal both within Japan and abroad. This will be achieved through events hosted/co-hosted by the Food Culture Promotion Headquarters to build momentum for the promotion of food culture. In addition, efforts will be made to improve the position of those involved in food culture and to improve recognition of food culture from the perspective of making people “aware” of food culture.
The Cultural Tourism Promotion Headquarters, in collaboration with relevant ministries, agencies, and organizations, has sought to build momentum by organizing the symposium “Thinking About Value Creation in Japan’s Nightlife from Kyoto” and other events in FY 2023. In the future, based on the “Action Plan for Expanding Inbound Tourism for the New Era” (decided by the Ministerial Council on the Promotion of Japan as a Tourism-Oriented Country in May of the same year), the Cultural Tourism Promotion Headquarters will promote the development of attractive content, such as special historical experiences in cultural properties, night-time use of cultural properties and use of unique venues^*1 and facilitate renovation and conversion^*2 of lodging and visitor attraction facilities and infrastructure development to improve the comfort of the stay and exhibition environment for regional vitalization by attracting inbound tourists to local areas. At the same time, to allow personnel involved in cultural properties and boards of education, etc., to work proactively on the utilization of cultural properties, helpdesks have been set up at the Agency for Cultural Affairs by owners of cultural properties and local governments and a “Package for Regional Revitalization through the Promotion of Cultural Tourism Using Cultural Properties” (published in February 2024), which includes holding seminars, etc. on the utilization of cultural properties, has been compiled. The Package will promote initiatives for the sustainable utilization of cultural properties.

*1 A venue specially rented out to meet needs different from its original purpose, aiming to create a sense of exclusivity and presenting regional characteristics.
*2 In this context, renovation refers to the refurbishment of a building, while conversion refers to changing the purpose of a building.

3 Society-wide Initiatives to Pass on Cultural Properties

For society to pass on cultural properties to future generations, a system for encouraging donations through public-private co-creation was established. A project called “Cultural Property Supporters” was launched to encourage donations, to promote a new initiative of donations as an opportunity for individuals and companies to establish new connections with cultural properties.

(1) Encouraging donations for the conservation and utilization of cultural properties

The Agency for Cultural Affairs and READYFOR Inc. signed an agreement to collaborate in passing on cultural properties securely to the next generations by making efforts to socially establish the practice of donations for the conservation and utilization of cultural properties, with an expectation that individuals and companies will participate in the conservation and utilization of cultural properties and provide people a chance to cultivate empathy for cultural properties, thus widening the circle of supporters for cultural properties.

(2) Appointment of a cultural property conservation and utilization coordinator

Private fundraisers^*3 , etc., have been appointed at the Agency for Cultural Affairs as coordinators for the conservation and utilization of cultural properties to assist owners of such properties in soliciting donations.

*3 A person specializing in fundraising

(3) Encouraging donations from individuals and companies and support programs

The Agency for Cultural Affairs, the Foundation for Cultural Heritage and Art Research, and PROJECT_Vega (a public-private co-creation promotion organization of Hakuhodo Inc.) launched a support program on March 26, 2024, for the conservation and utilization of cultural properties with funds donated by individuals and companies. The first theme was the “2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake,” and donations are being solicited to support the restoration and recovery of damaged cultural properties, with Mr. Hideki Matsui appointed as the leader of the support group.

4 Strengthening of Dissemination within Japan and Abroad

Efforts are being made to disseminate the appeal of Japan’s cultural resources both within Japan and abroad and to develop an environment to enable more people to experience culture.
Under the concept of Cultural Heritage Online, the utilization of content and dissemination of information are promoted by developing an environment that allows anyone to access information on Japan’s diverse cultural heritage at any time. In addition, as part of the discovery and dissemination of the appeal of Japanese culture, we will work to enhance the satisfaction of foreign travelers to Japan by providing advanced, high-dimensional multilingual commentary on cultural properties, etc., and by making efforts to attract visitors, tourists, and repeat visitors who seek high-quality content, by disseminating the attractions of Japanese culture digitally in collaboration with the Japan National Tourism Organization.

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