The Proper Relationship Between Preservation and Utilization of Cultural Assets: Recent Trends in Cultural Heritage Protection Policy in Japan

What is the proper relationship between the preservation and utilization of cultural properties? Against the backdrop of a declining birthrate and aging population, Japan’s traditional system for protecting and preserving cultural properties is breaking down. This has led to a revision of Japan’s Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties that weaves together two policy streams: national government-led utilization of Japan’s cultural assets, including UNESCO World Heritage sites, to build a “tourism nation,” and the packaging and branding of cultural assets at the local level to support regional economic revitalization. This chapter traces the evolution of Japanese law concerning the preservation and utilization of cultural assets, and describes the fear among researchers and cultural assets preservation specialists that if policy goes too far in the direction of utilizing cultural assets for tourism promotion, it will result in their misuse or loss, with cultural assets that make money being valued more highly than those that do not.