Rationale
The year 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the World Heritage Convention by UNESCO and the 30th anniversary of Japan’s ratification of the Convention. Today, the term “World Heritage” has found a place not only in the heritage preservation field but also in wider society.
Reflecting on Japan’s activities since the ratification of the Convention, Japan has participated in international discussions and deepened global understandings of Japanese thought processes and approaches to heritage preservation. In addition, the impact of the World Heritage system on Japan’s cultural property policies has not been small. Moreover, the preservation and utilization of World Heritage is now an important area of Japan’s international cooperation.
Kyoto, home to the World Heritage Site, “Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto”, will celebrate the 30th anniversary of its registration in 2024. As a city boasting multiple World Heritage Sites, Kyoto has been making impressive efforts, such as the adoption of the Kyoto Declaration in 2017, which includes the improvement of cultural tourism as part of tackling global environmental issues. At such a city of importance, this symposium will be an opportunity to trace the achievements of the World Heritage system in the protection of cultural heritage. At the same time, it will also be a chance to reexamine the role that Japan has played, or should play, in the development of the World Heritage system and look at the past and future of World Cultural Heritage.
The proceeding is available here.
Programme
*There may be changes to the titles of the presentations.
MC: TOMODA Masahiko （Security General, JCIC-Heritage）
13:00-13:05
Opening Remarks
AOYAGI Masanori （President, JCIC-Heritage）
13:05-13:15
Rationale Explanation "50 years of World Cultural Heritage: From the Beginning to Now"
FUJII Ikuno （Associate Fellow, JCIC-Heritage）
〇Part１ "the World Heritage Convention and Japan's Contribution”
13:15-13:35
Keynote Lecture "Expectation for Japan in the Sustainable Implementation of the World Heritage System" (Tentative)
OTTONE Ernesto (Assistant Director-General for Culture, UNESCO)
13:35-14:15
"The World Heritage Convention and Japan's Contribution: Japan's Role and the Importance of Raising Voices from Asia"
INABA Nobuko (Emerit Professor, University of Tsukuba / Visiting Professor, The Open University of Japan)
14:15-15:05 Discussion 1
Moderator: NISHI Kazuhiko （Chief Senior Specialist for Cultural Properties, Office for International Cooperation on Cultural Heritages, Agency for Cultural Affairs）
Panelists: OTTONE Ernesto, INABA Nobuko
ーー Break （10 minutes） ーー
〇Part2 "Japanese Practices in Protection of the World Cultural Heritage"
15:15-15:50
Report I "Knowledge Transfer Initiatives for the Research and Protection of Cultural Heritage"
SHOUDA Shinya (Head of International Cooperation Section, Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties)
15:50-16:25
Report II "The Role of Sustainable Tourism in World Cultural Heritage"
KUMADA Junichi (Chief Research Officer, JTB Tourism Research & Consulting Co.)
ーー Break （10 minutes） ーー
16:35-17:25
Panel Discussion
Moderator: NISHI Kazuhiko
Panelists: Above speakers, HATAKEYAMA Kentarou （Director of Multilateral Cultural Cooperation Division, Cultural Affairs and Overseas Public Relations Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs）
17:25-17:30
Closing Remarks
OKADA Yasuyoshi （Vice-President of JCIC-Heritage)
Date, Venue and Method
● Date： 20th January, 2024 (Sat.） 13:00 〜17:30 （Venue opens at 12:30）
● Venue： Kyoto University International Science Innovation Building ５th Floor Symposium Hall
Yoshidahonmachi, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto, 606-8501 (2 minute walk from Kyoto University Main Gate）
● Capacity： 250 people （Free entrance, pre-registration required）
● Method： Face-to-face／Webinar(YouTube)
● Language： Japanese/English (simultaneous interpretation available)
● Organisers： Japan Consortium for International Cooperation in Cultural Heritage, Agency for Cultural Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan
● Support： Japan International Cooperation Agency, The Japan Foundation, ICOMOS Japan
●Registration
Pre-registration required via the form below.
JCIC-Heritage 2023 Symposium Registration Form
● Deadline：15th January, 2024 (Mon.)
Speakers
■OTTONE Ernesto (Assistant Director-General for Culture, UNESCO) 
Prior to this position, Mr Ottone R. served as Chile’s first Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage from 2015 to 2018. As Minister of Culture, he created a Department of First Peoples, a Migrants Unit and strengthened copyright laws and heritage protections. During this time, he also chaired the Regional Centre for the Promotion of Books in Latin America and the Caribbean (2016 – 2017). From 2011 to 2015, Mr Ottone R. served as Director-General of the Artistic and Cultural Extension Center of the University of Chile, which manages the National Symphony Orchestra of Chile, the Chilean National Ballet (BANCH), the Chile Symphony Choir and the Vocal Camerata. From 2001 to 2010, he held the position of Executive Director at the Matucana 100 Cultural Center in Santiago. Mr Ottone R. holds a Master's degree in Management of Cultural Institutions and Policies from the University of Paris IX Dauphine (1998) and a Bachelor of Arts in theatre from the University of Chile (1995).
■INABA Nobuko (Emerit Professor, University of Tsukuba / Visiting Professor, The Open University of Japan)
Received PhD from Tokyo Institute of Technology In 1990. Worked as a Specialist for Cultural Properties, Structures Section, Cultural Property Protection Division, Agency for Cultural Affairs from 1991 to 2002. Dispatched to ICCROM (Rome) from 2000 to 2002 and worked at JCIC-Heritage from 2002 to 2008. Professor of World Heritage studies at University of Tsukuba from 2008 to 2020, specialising in architecture and international heritage protection policy. From the time working for the Agency for Cultural Affairs to the present, she has been a part of international expert meetings that advise policy-planning decisions of the World Heritage Committee in addition to engaging in world heritage protection, management and fostering of human resources centering around Asia. ICC-Angkor ad-hoc specialist. Member of committees related to the protection of world heritage sites such as Nikko, Hiraizumi, Mt. Fuji, Hidden Christian sites in Nagasaki region, Mozu Tombs, and Jōmon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan.
■SHOUDA Shinya (Head of International Cooperation Section, Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties)
Born in Kushiro City, Hokkaido, 1978. MA, University of Tokyo, Japan; Ph.D, Chung-nam National University, Korea. D. of Literature. Honorary Visiting Fellow, Department of Archaeology, University of York. Academic Associate, Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures. Works include, Afro-Eurasian Achaebotany: New perspectives, new approaches (Kubapro, 2019), Production and Society in Korean Bronze Age (Hakyeon, 2009), Experimental Archaeology of cooking (co-author, Seokyung, 2011), AMS Dating and Archaeology (co-author, Gakuseisha, 2011), An Illustrated Companion to Japanese Archaeology 2nd edition（co-author, Archaeopress, 2020).
■KUMADA Junichi (Chief Research Officer, JTB Tourism Research & Consulting Co.)
Born in Tokyo, 1968 and graduated from the Faculty of Commerce, Meiji University in 1992. Engaged in inbound tourism, overseas online sales and inbound online sales projects at The Japan Travel Bureau Foundation. First Japanese person to be dispatched to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) in July, 2014 on the recommendation of the Japan Tourism Agency. Served as a Senior Officer in the Regional Department for Asia and the Pacific at UNWTO for 3 years. Joined JTB Tourism Research & Consulting Co. as a Chief Research Officer in April, 2017 and is in charge of research related to international relations and sustainability. Leading researcher on SDGs 2030 and tourism, and specialises in sustainable tourism management and implementation consultation.
■NISHI Kazuhiko（Chief Senior Specialist for Cultural Properties, Office for International Cooperation on Cultural Heritages, Agency for Cultural Affairs）
In charge of cultural property administration, with a focus on architecture preservation, at the Agency for Cultural Affairs from 1996. Worked as a project manager at ICCROM in Rome (2005-2006). Later became involved with World Heritage nominations from various regions in Japan and the World Heritage Committee, in addition to the protection of domestic cultural property. Assumed current position in April 2022. Council member at ICCROM. Works include “Modern Japanese traditional architecture” (Nihon no Bijutsu, No.450, 2003), “Introduction to the World Cultural Heritage” (co-authored, 2017).
■HATAKEYAMA Kentarou （Director, Multilateral Cultural Cooperation Division, Cultural Affairs and Overseas Public Relations Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan)
Graduated from Faculty of Law, University of Tokyo and entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan in 2002. Obtained a master's degree from Yale University in East Asian Studies in 2006. Worked in the First North America Division, the International Legal Affairs Treaties Division, the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Regional Policy Division, and the Embassy of Japan in China. Assumed the roles of Foreign Policy Bureau Policy Coordination Division Senior Foreign Policy Coordinator, and later Director of the Policy Planning Division, before current position in September, 2023. The Ministry’s Cultural Cooperation Division is responsible for multilateral cooperation through international organisations such as UNESCO and UN University as part of overseas public relations. The division works towards active international contribution in the fields of cultural heritage protection and education, as well as increasing understanding of Japan.
Other
A PDF version of a report on the symposium will be published on the Consortium's website at a later date.
Contact:
JCIC-Heritage Secretariat
Japan Consortium for International Cooperation in Cultural Heritage
Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, 13-43, Uenokoen, Taito-ku, Tokyo, 110-8713, Japan
Tel: 03-3823-4841
Fax: 03-3823-4027
E-mail: consortium_tobunken@nich.go.jp
