culture

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Efficiency-driven consolidation of cultural facilities leads to decline of culture
Akahata editorial

A statement by prominent artists and public figures, including Hirayama Ikuo (president, Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music) and Takashina Shuji (director, Ohara Museum of Art), criticizing the government plan to integrate national museums, galleries, and research institutes for cultural properties has drawn public attention.

As part of 'structural reform' policy

During the past several years, the government has transformed national museums and other government-run institutions into independently administrated agencies. For local institutions, it has introduced a system allowing them to be managed by designated administrators, a system designed to give the private sector access to these "public facilities." This approach has been applied to public social educational facilities, including libraries, galleries, and theaters.

The government is even considering going further by closing or consolidating national museums and galleries with different purposes and histories. It will also consider entrusting companies with the management and maintenance of these national cultural facilities and theaters from the next fiscal year by introducing a competitive bidding system.

This is part of the "structural reform" policy promoted by the Koizumi Cabinet to cut back public services in response to business circles' call "for public services to be transformed into private property" and "for the introduction of market forces."

Their recent statement is entitled, "We express concern about the cost-efficiency-first policy leading to declines of the nation's arts and culture," pointing out that national and local governments should not uniformly pursue cost efficiency like the private sector. Similar concerns are arising from those involved in running libraries and other cultural institutions.

National museums have systematically collected and preserved cultural heritage such as paintings and films. This effort is essential for ensuring the public may have access to and appreciate arts as well as support the cultural and creative activities of future generations. National theaters not only provide the public with excellent performing arts but also guarantee artists places to perform and places to train future performing artists.

These activities will be impossible if they are geared to gain immediate profits or pursue market efficiency. That is why governments have the responsibility to provide the conditions for the pursuit of cultural activities.

Although cultural activities are voluntary efforts of those who seek to create and enjoy culture, it does not mean that the central and local governments can do nothing for them.

In Japan, the Library Law and the Museum Law were enacted after World War II to support private institutes. By law, public institutes maintain staff experts who collect materials and do research for the public. The Basic Law for Promotion of Culture and Art enacted in 2001 states that the people have the right to create and enjoy culture, requiring the central and local governments to improve the infrastructure.

A study group of the Cultural Agency has pointed out that the Japanese Film Center's collection of movie films is not "rich in content" compared to the official film archives of other countries. Last year the group submitted a report advising that the film center's status be upgraded from an attached facility to the National Museum of Modern Art to an independent institute to be developed further.

For development of culture

Contrary to these moves, the "structural reform" policy pursued by the Koizumi government will force the state to abandon its responsibility to promote cultural activities and guarantee the people's right to enjoy culture, which is of course a path to cultural decay. To guarantee cultural enhancement, it is necessary to block the Koizumi government's "structural reform" policy.

The need now is to improve cultural administration, not imposing on cultural institutes schemes for merger, consolidation, and market efficiency. The way to achieve this is to increase the Cultural Agency budget, which is around 20 percent of that allocated in European countries, and listen to the opinions of personnel concerned. -- Akahata, November 18, 2005