Recent Development of Cultural Policy in Japan—Emerging Instrumentalism for Heritage Policy

Recent years have seen the rise of instrumental cultural policy in Japan, following the same trend seen across the globe over the last thirty years. In Japan, too, like elsewhere, discourse on cultural policy for the purpose of economic development and social inclusion now appears more prominently than before. This is so particularly in the area of cultural heritage, as heritage is seen as a valuable asset for tourism development. This chapter charts the development of cultural policy in Japan since the 1970s with details on the process of its instrumentalisation since the 2010s in the area of heritage. The paper also analyses three kinds of Japanese public opinion polls regarding the value of culture. The analysis suggests that the Japanese public may understand and believe in the intrinsic value of culture and the arts. However, the public seems less certain about the economic contributions culture can make.