Japan Press Weekly

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2015 February 18 - 24 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Closure of theaters mirrors nation’s inadequate culture budget

In the Japanese capital of Tokyo, more and more facilities providing opportunities to enjoy the performing arts, such as theater plays and ballet, are vanishing, which has caused a stir among people in the creative arts sector.

In the past 10 years, in Tokyo, major theaters and halls have been closed down one after another. This move is still going on. In January, Aoyama Round Theater, Japan’s first completely round theater and famous for musicals, was closed. In addition, it has been reported that Tsuda Hall, known as a mecca for chamber music fans, and U-port Hall, a well-known venue of ballet performances, will close their doors to the public in March and September, respectively.

“The closure of theaters and halls means the loss of the base for artistic creation and thus is a fundamental problem that affects the future of the art world in Japan,” said Fukushima Akio, an executive of the Association of Japanese Theater Companies which represents 61 theatrical production groups in Japan.

People have the right to create and enjoy cultural art forms and productions. In this regard, theaters and concert halls play a vital role in promoting artistic culture as places for the creation and viewing of various arts.

In Japan, however, the percentage of government spending for cultural programs is very low, one eighth of that in South Korea and one tenth of France. Furthermore, the government has cut its budget for public culture facilities and provided no financial support for privately operated facilities.

An operator of a small theater said, “I think the government should at least give tax breaks to privately operated theaters.”

The Japanese Communist Party in its election platform in the last general election proposed that if the government stops purchasing F35 fighter jets costing 16 billion yen each, it will easily be able to increase its financial support for the performing arts by 3.6 billion yen to the peak level of 6.7 billion yen. The JCP also demanded favorable tax treatment for privately operated theaters, concert halls, and cinemas.

Past related articles:
> Joint efforts needed to defend cultural activities [November 3, 2014]
> Give public assistance to disaster-hit arts and culture sectors [November 3, 2011]
> Pianist Nakamura Hiroko and others protest cuts in budget for culture [December 8, 2009]