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The system that exists under the Law for the Protection of Cultural

Properties is well established among the Japanese people. However, factors such as the rapidly growing interest in traditional culture, changes in the industrial structure, progress in land development and demands for international cooperation and exchange have brought about many new challenges that must be met.

Against this backdrop. a Special Committee for the Protection of Cultural Properties Planning was set up under the Council for the Protection of Cultural Properties in 1992. In April 1993, the Committee submitted an interim report to the Council summarizing its deliberations, the main points of which are as follows.1) Important topics for consideration are: the extension of protection to cultural properties (so called "skirt materials") which nave not been formally designated as such due to the present strictly selective policy of designation ;the extension of protection to those properties whose fields currently fall outside of formally recognized areas ; the introduction of comprehensive, unified protection that transcends the framework of classification for respective types of cultural properties ; the adoption of a "registration" system to supplement the present "designation" system and the improvement of the system for the management of buried cultural properties.

2) Improvement of the infrastructure for the preservation and transmission of cultural properties through the enrichment of learning activities that deal with cultural properties and through the recruitment of individuals who will continue to carry out the work of preservation and transmission of cultural properties for future generations.

3) Improvement of facilities at the National Museums and at other institutions that exhibit cultural properties, maintenance of historic sites, adaptation of policies for tone purpose of collaboration with local development policies, and promotion of the utilization of cultural properties including the creation of a cultural properties information system.

4) Promotion of international exchange and cooperation regarding cultural properties through programs such as those which introduce Japanese traditional culture overseas, those which encourage mutual exchanges between museums and other similar institutions and those which protect worldwide cultural heritage and Japanese artworks in foreign collections.

5) The systematization of the administrative structure for the protection of cultural properties and the strengthening of its functions through such means as enhancing the role of local governments, strengthening of collaboration between the central and local governments and increasing the effectiveness of the central government's administrative function with respect to the protection of cultural properties.

On the basis of this interim report and the anticipated final report of the Special Committee for the Protection of Cultural Properties Planning, it is necessary to make further improvements in the areas of preservation and utilization of cultural properties by taking such measures as adapting and improving the legal framework of the preservation system.