Home > Policy > White Paper, Notice, Announcement > White Paper > JAPANESE GOVERNMENT POLICIES IN EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND CULTURE 1993 > CHAPTER 2 �4 1

Against the recent backdrop of the public's rising interest in art and the willingness of the private sector to make a contribution to society, private support for artistic and cultural activities is being undertaken with great enthusiasm.

Private support for artistic and cultural activities are carried out in the following ways: 1) donations to the activities of artistic and cultural organizations, 2) financial assistance in such forms as support and cooperation as a part of advertising or public relations policy, 3) offering part of company facilities as sites for artistic and cultural activities, 4) supporting the participation of company employees in activities that contribute to the well-being of society and 5) the establishment of profit or non-profit foundations to conduct artistic and cultural activities with funds provided by enterprises or to subsidize to artistic and cultural activities.

Among the above-mentioned forms of support for cultural and artistic activities, support in the form of donations (1)) is the most popular. Donations, together with support in the form of publicity and advertising expenses (2)) make LIP a large portion of the financial support provided to cultural and artistic activities by enterprises (Chart I-2-6). The establishment of foundations (5)) is an effective means of providing long term assistance that is not influenced by management policies or by financial conditions of the enterprises. Foundations of this nature are being established in rapid succession. In order to set up a network for foundations whose main purpose is the granting of subsidies, the "Council of the Arts Foundations" was established in 1988. This Council acts in cooperation with the Agency for Cultural Affairs.

The "Association for Corporate Support of the Art" was established in 1990, for the purpose of maintaining a network among enterprises which support artistic and cultural activities. The "Japan Arts Fund" was also jointly established with both government and private endowments.

In response to these trends, the government has been taking measures to improve tax incentives for donations made in order to encourage private support for artistic and cultural activities. The national government and the private sector also cooperate jointly to implement projects that provide support to creative activities, such as the Incentive Fund for Excellent Arts Activities. For the purpose of advancing policy in this area there has also been created the new post of "Senior Specialist, Support for the Arts and Culture" within the Agency for Cultural Affairs in October 1992.

Chart l-2-6 Financial Sources of Private Support for Artistic and Cultural Activities (1993)