International Exchange/Cooperation of Cultural Properties

Japan Consortium for International Cooperation in Cultural Heritage

In June 2006, the Law on the Promotion of International Cooperation for the Protection of Cultural Heritage Abroad was enacted. This was accompanied by the creation of the Japan Consortium for International Cooperation in Cultural Heritage, which is brings together government agencies, universities, research institutions, and private foundations in order to protect cultural heritage overseas through coordination and cooperation between organizations in Japan.
The Japan Consortium for International Cooperation in Cultural Heritage is operated by a contractor that was commissioned by the Agency for Cultural Affairs (National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo, National Institutes for Cultural Heritage in FY2015), in order to build networks with the Agency, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, universities and research institutions, and private foundations, gather and distribute information, carry out research and awareness-raising activities to promote international cooperation for cultural heritage.


International Contribution Project for Cultural Heritage

Cultural heritage is a common asset for all human beings, and Japan has been promoting international cooperation in protecting it. The knowledge, techniques, and experience repairing cultural heritage that Japan has developed over time are utilized to protect cultural heritage overseas from damage due to natural disasters, decay, dismantlement, or destruction.


  • Emergency International Contribution Project for Cultural Heritage
    To protect cultural heritage overseas that has suffered wars and natural disasters and requires emergency support, we receive and dispatch specialists for field research, preservation and restoration, in response to requests from UNESCO and countries concerned.
  • Activities for Exchanges in International Cooperation for Conservation of Cultural Heritage
    It is important for each country to pass cultural heritage down to future generations through their own research, preservation and restoration. We dispatch Japanese experts to local agencies that serves as hubs of cultural heritage protection in places where cooperation in cultural heritage has become vital. Capacity-building for local experts is also carried out as part of this initiative.
  • Intangible Cultural Heritage Partnership Program for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage
    In order to carry out international cooperation for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage, which is required to the states party of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (came into force in April 2006), we create domestic and international networks to protect intangible cultural heritage, engage in research work on the protection of intangible cultural heritage in the Asia Pacific Region, and organize international symposiums with foreign experts and government officers.
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