Home > Policy > White Paper, Notice, Announcement > White Paper > Japanese Government Policies in Education, Science, Sports and Culture 2000 > Part 1 Chapter 3 Section 2 2

In Japan, many traditional performing arts whose artistic nature has received both domestic and international reputation, such as Noh, Kabuki and Bunraku, are being passed down through generations. Also in the field of traditional crafts, there remain many highly-acclaimed crafts such as pottery, dyeing and weaving, lacquerware, and metalworking. These intangible cultural properties are not simply the objects of preservation of past traditions, but are creative activities supported by daily efforts and new ideas and inventions.

It is regarded as each country's responsibility to preserve the diversity of cultures of the human race by passing down unique traditional cultures to the next generation. Japan became one of the first countries in the world to introduce a system for designating Important Intangible Cultural Properties through the revision of the Law on Protection of Cultural Properties in 1954, with a view to preserving these intangible cultural properties. Through this law, important intangible cultural properties are designated and practitioners of these important intangible cultural properties are certified. In addition, various measures are taken to support the following elements:

In this rapidly changing society, as traditional life styles disappear, some intangible cultural properties are ceasing to be commercially viable, and the preservation of these intangible cultural properties has become part of the future agenda.