This paper presents Art Platform Japan (APJ), a digital research portal providing reliable, bilingual information on modern and contemporary Japanese art. Developed by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs and now operated by the National Center for Art Research (NCAR), APJ addresses research needs and limited international visibility for curators, researchers, and global audiences. Recent social, political, and cultural changes have diversified artistic values and curatorial practices worldwide, making broader access to Japanese art information increasingly critical. APJ develops key resources including the Dictionary of Artists in Japan and SHŪZŌ, aggregating museum collection data nationwide. Functioning as a dated index to accumulated art historical information, APJ employs bilingual content and Romanized metadata to reduce language barriers and foster institutional collaboration. By bridging research and exhibition-making, APJ provides digital tools supporting Japanese art globally.
This paper introduces the recent rediscovery of the valuable film Hikōki (Airplane), shot by Shomei Tomatsu (1930–2012), one of the leading photographers of postwar Japan. In addition to providing an overview of the work, it also offers a brief report on the process of its digitization and the current state of the archival activities conducted at the artist’s private studio, with which the author is directly involved.
The aim of this study was to identify the actual conditions and factors of career transitions in the career development of Japanese museum curators. Questionnaires (135 respondents) and semi-structured interviews (52 respondents) were conducted with experienced curators, and SCAT analysis was used to examine the structure of career transitions. The interviews revealed that many of the narratives were based on self-efficacy, «don’t give up», and showed autonomous career restructuring due to professional identity and psychological capital, even under institutional constraints. On the other hand, the ‘lack of room’ symbolised by ‘lack of time, manpower and budget’ constrains curators’ competence building and training opportunities. Curatorial career stability is essential for maintaining the quality of museum activities, suggesting the need for redesigning institutional support and ongoing research.
In the history of museum development in Japan, privately funded museums have played a crucial role. Following the Meiji Restoration, Japan’s modernization under slogans such as «enrich the country and strengthen the military» and «leave Asia and join Europe» prompted many businesspeople to contribute to internationalization by introducing Western art. The Matsukata Collection and the Ohara Museum of Art (1930–) are representative examples. After World War II, Japan’s cultural relationship with Europe and the United States gradually shifted from acceptance to exchange, with private museums reflecting economic power and individual vision playing a major role. Examples include the Bridgestone Museum of Art (1952–, now the Artizon Museum), the Seibu Museum of Art / SEZON Museum of Art (1975–1999), and the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art (1979–2021). Since the 1990s, privately funded museums maintaining a strong international outlook while engaging in regional revitalization have emerged. The Benesse House Museum (1992–) and related Seto Inland Sea art projects, along with the Mori Art Museum (2003) in Tokyo, represent this generation. This paper provides an overview of private museum development in Japan from the perspectives of changes in industrial structure, the balance between political and economic power, and the development of public museums. It will also examine examples of the rapidly increasing number of privately funded museums in the Asian region. Editorial Note: This contribution is published within the dossier as a documentary appendix and consists of a survey of private art museums in Japan. Given its nature, it has not been subject to peer review.
The tripartite art policy of expositions, museums, and art schools, originating with the London Great Exhibition of 1851 and beginning in South Kensington, spread rapidly across Europe and America. It reached Japan, which was promoting industrial development, following its participation in the Vienna World’s Fair in 1873. Japanese bureaucrats and foreign advisors played pivotal roles in establishing art policies and museums. Following Machida Hisanari and Sano Tsunetami, who were involved in art administration in the early Meiji period, Ernest Fenollosa and Okakura Kakuzō were the central figures who advanced art administration in the mid-Meiji period. Ultimately their goal was the establishment of the Art Bureau. From the proposal for the Shukokan museum’s construction in 1871 to the establishment of the Imperial Museum in 1889, South Kensington’s art policy provided indispensable inspiration throughout the formation of Meiji Japan’s museums.
