The Activities of the Japan Foundation

Culture: Arts and Cultural Exchange
Presenting Japan's Diverse Arts and Culture Overseas

We carry out numerous projects to introduce to people around the world the diverse charms of Japanese culture, from traditional to contemporary arts, including theater performances, art exhibitions, literary events, film screenings and television broadcasts. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, when it has become difficult for people to travel back and forth for face-to-face exchanges and hold events where people gather, we worked to deliver Japanese culture and arts to an even broader audience and deepen exchanges with people from each country by utilizing online communications.

(c) Nobuaki Takekawa Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts
Nobuaki Takekawa Cat Olympics: Opening Ceremony, 2019 from the exhibition Relay to Tokyo—Inheriting and Gathering (Greece)

With many of the planned programs forced to be cancelled or postponed successively due to COVID-19, Relay to Tokyo—Inheriting and Gathering, an exhibition of contemporary art from Japan, was held in Athens, Greece for two months from July 2020 in conjunction with the torch handover ceremony for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics. As various restrictions remained in place, the artists and the curator operated the exhibition remotely from Japan. Approximately 5,000 people, including the President of Greece, visited the exhibition, which opened four months later than originally planned as maximum measures were implemented to prevent the spread of the virus.

Upper left: (c) Y. INOKUMA / lower left: (c) KAWASHIMA Hiroyuki / right: (c) TAMURA Katsuya
STAGE BEYOND BORDERS – Selection of Japanese Performances –
Online distribution of Japanese stage performances

At the same time, we planned various new online programs to respond to circumstances under COVID-19. These included STAGE BEYOND BORDERS – Selection of Japanese Performances –, a project to showcase high quality Japanese contemporary theater, dance performances and traditional performing arts works online; 11 Stories on Distanced Relationships: Contemporary Art from Japan, an online-only Japanese contemporary art exhibition featuring 11 artists who delve into the timely theme of "distance between the surrounding world"; Beyond the Lines, a video series that introduces the activities and the daily lives of six Japanese artists during the COVID-19 pandemic; a short video distribution series about two of the traveling exhibitions Yokai Parade: Supernatural Monsters from Japan and The Superlative Artistry of Japan; the Translators' Roundtable Series More than Worth Sharing, in which translators of contemporary Japanese literary works in various countries talk with the authors; and Webinar Series – 130 Years of Public Japanese Gardens that introduces the charm of Japanese gardens across the Americas from various perspectives. All of these programs attracted large numbers of viewers and resonated strongly with audiences, highlighting the highly enthusiastic response to our online programs.

In addition to the above, we expanded various resources to support future exchanges in anticipation of the resumption of "real" in-person programs after the subsiding of COVID-19. This included enhancing our program lineup by creating new exhibitions for traveling around the world and upgrading our database Japanese Literature in Translation Search with the help of librarians and scholars in various countries.

More than Worth Sharing 5th Translators' Roundtable
(Murata Sayaka's Convenience Store Woman)

JAPANESE FILM FESTIVAL ONLINE 2020-2021

The first ever JAPANESE FILM FESTIVAL ONLINE spanned five continents and 20 countries. A total of 30 Japanese films, from new releases to classics, were broadcast free of charge, receiving over 210,000 views around the world. At a time when movie theaters in many areas were closed due to the pandemic, the festival was able to share Japanese cinema with the world on a scale never before achieved. The variety of films presented, as well as special interviews with directors, made this festival a well-received success.

Japanese Film Website JFF+ (https://jff.jpf.go.jp/)

Japanese Film Exchange Program in China

To secure opportunities for the screening of Japanese films widely across China, including in regional cities, the Japan Foundation screened Japanese films in nine cities, where these films were viewed by more than 11,000 people. Additionally, with co-sponsoring by Tencent Video, a prominent Chinese video streaming platform/website, in June 2020 a total of 61 Japanese film works were distributed on their special webpage, and the number of views exceeded 2.34 million.

The production team of the film A Story of Yonosuke appeared at the Tencent Video online guest talk (front row left: Leading actor KORA Kengo, Director OKITA Shuichi, back row: Producer NISHIGAYA Toshikazu).

A screening of new Japanese films co-sponsored by Broadway Cinematheque Moma at the Chengdu Palace Cinema

Introducing Japanese Television Programs

We implement projects for introducing Japanese television programs that promote an understanding of Japan in countries and regions where there is difficulty in broadcasting Japanese content. In FY2020, 583 Japanese television programs, including dramas, anime, variety shows, films and documentaries, were broadcast in 83 countries and regions.