On March 9th, 2010, the Agency for Cultural Affairs held the 7th Japan Cultural Envoys Debriefing Session at the Auditorium of the Heiseikan, Tokyo National Museum.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs has been appointing people committed to cultural activities such as artists, cultural specialists and so on, as “Japan Cultural Envoys. This undertaking aims to deepen the international community’s understanding of Japanese culture, and to build connections between artists and cultural experts in Japan and abroad.
Following a welcome address by Hideo Tamai, the Commissioner for Cultural Affairs, participants heard reports from Cultural Envoys who had finished their mission overseas under the facilitation of Tamotsu Aoki, the former Commissioner for Cultural Affairs and the Special University Professor of the Graduate School of Aoyama Gakuin University.
Cultural Envoys including Chizu Kobayashi (Igo/Shogi specialist), Yoshito Arino (Shogi specialist), Shinichi Aoki (Igo/Shogi specialist), Kenji Suda (fine wood artist), Suiko Buseki (bamboo artist), Eika Fukuda (Jiuta/Shamisen performer), Tsuruga Wakasanojo (holder of the Important Intangible Cultural Property, Shinnai Joruri, individual recognition), and Shinjin Kise (Sanshin player) reported on their activities (listed in order of appearance). In the reports, they shared the challenges they faced spreading Japanese culture and networking with foreign cultural figures.
There was a panel discussion at the end of the session. Under the facilitation of Mr. Aoki, all participants shared their experiences as Cultural Envoys.
The session attracted some 100 visitors and people involved in cultural affairs, who listened to the reports with enthusiasm.
There was also an informal gathering in a room in the Tokyo National Museum after the debriefing session in which the Cultural Envoys met with previous Envoys, Mr. Tamai (Commissioner for Cultural Affairs), Mr. Aoki, Mr. Zeniya (Executive Director of the Tokyo National Museum), Mr. Monji (Director-general of the Public Diplomacy Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs), and Mr. Kiso (Head of the Minister's Secretariat International Affairs Division at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology).

Panel discussion