JAPAN
Official Country Name JAPAN
Languages JAPANESE
Population 126,168,156
Median Age 47.7
GDP Per Capita US $42,900
Source: CIA World Factbook
Total Value of Art Exported (UN Comtrade Database 2018) US $408,654,528
Arts Funding (Arts and Culture) US $1,072,500,000
Art Programs (University Level) 50
Student Enrollment 13,213
Source: Agency for Cultural Affairs, Minstry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, AAP (non-official)
Museums Exhibiting Contemporary Art 205
Contemporary Art Galleries (Commercial) 1,844
Contemporary Art Spaces (Nonprofit) 203
Art Foundations (NGO + Private) 165
Source: AAP (non-official)
Acknowledgments: Naoko Horiuchi, Keiko Koshihara, MEXT, Zhang Qiaojun, Manabu Yahagi
Emperor Naruhito ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne on May 1, ushering in the Reiwa era. However, the celebrated event was undermined by an unwelcome two-percent consumption tax hike on October 1, and cultural turbulence on other fronts. In the lead-up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the government has launched a series of arts programs under the banner of the Japan Cultural Expo, aimed at promoting the “value and beauty of Japan’s unique and complex culture.” The Expo drew criticism from local arts practitioners for its conservative, nationalist slant.
Diplomatic tensions over wartime histories, reflected in Japan’s removal of South Korea from its trusted trade-partners list, also impacted the arts sector. This came to a head at the , “Taming Y/Our passion” (8/1–10/14). Led by journalist Daisuke Tsuda, the event delved into the significances of (meaning information, emotion, and compassion) through the works of more than 90 artists. Yet the festival was marred by the closure of one of its sections, “After ‘Freedom of Expression?’” Centered on works that had previously been censored in Japan, the show included a statue of a comfort woman by Kim Seo-kyung and Kim Eun-sung, drawing attention to the Japanese Imperial Army’s enslavement of women during World War II, and an etching by Yoshiko Shimada that resembles a burned portrait of Emperor Hirohito. The two works drew complaints and threats of violence from right-wing extremists. Organizers cited safety concerns as the reason for the closure. International and Japanese participants viewed the decision as censorship and
