Dear my colleagues, Dear my friends,
This is the 4th report from Japan on current situations.
One month has passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake, which caused
over 12,915 people （as of 9th April）to lose their lives in the enormous
earthquake and tsunamis that struck. Even now, over 14,921 people remain
unaccounted for, and about 160,000 people remain forced to take shelter as
evacuees.
Reporting to you has delayed a little bit because Agency for Cultural
Affairs starts up the cultural property rescue team on March 31, and I was
supporting the person afterwards.
Hereafter, it reports.
1. General Information on Support from Foreign Countries
You will easily imagine how many countries endeavor to support
for the damaged sites, villages and towns as follows;
Map of rescue team’s operation
http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/incidents/pdfs/map_operations.pdf
*Schedule of Operations of Rescue Teams from Foreign Countries, Regions and
International Organizations (as of 8th April)*
http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/incidents/pdfs/rescue.pdf
As of April 6, 130 countries, regions and international organizations have
expressed their intention to support. Here is a list of relief goods from
overseas ;
http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/incidents/pdfs/r_goods.pdf
2. Received e-mail from foreign countries
I received many e-mails with sympathies and encouragement at
the earthquake occurrence of last month. But recently, the number of e-mails
of the inquiry from an overseas museum has increased. The character of
e-mail has taken the place like wanting you to offer information because it
has been struck though the museum in Japan cooperates as a sister museum.
To our regret, I of ICOM Japanese National Committee am taking
charge for making a report of this kind because there is no international
committee in Japanese Association of Museums.
The situation of the museum in Japan is not understood when
seeing from foreign countries, and I want to get e-mail without holding back
when there is a museum about which it worries in you.
Hereafter, it does with mail from foreign countries that I
got. Only the name of a country is put here. I put it on the website of JMMA
(Japan Museum Management Academy) as the first presentation. The second one
will be published in a few days.
http://www.jmma-net.jp/katudou/jisin.pdf
Up to now, we received e-mail from 25 countries, 5
international committee, 14 ICOM National Committee, and 5 organizations.
l China and Taiwan / South Korea / Lao PDR / France / Italy / Germany /
Swiss / UK / Netherland / Sweden / Croatia / Monaco / Greece / Czech
Republic / Ukraina / Algeria / USA / Canada / Mexico / Brazil / Peru /
Barbados / Tonga / Australia / Mauritania
l ICOFOM / CIMAM / CIDOC / UMAC / ICDAD /
l ICOM- Germany / ICOM -US / ICOM-UK / ICOM-Ireland / ICOM- Korea / ICOM
Sri Lanka / ICOM-Mexico / ICOM-Mongolia / ICOM-Brazil / ICOM- Montenegro / ICOM
Bolivia / ICOM Moldova / ICOM Bosnia and Herzegovina / ICOM Panamá
l Collections Trust / National Park Service / American Association of
Museums / Association of Museums in Puerto Rico (AMPR) / Sino-American Field
School of Archaeology
3. The Current situation on museums in Northeast area
Intensely in the damage of the museum, the museum of Iwate
Prefecture, Miyagi Prefecture, Fukushima Prefecture, and Ibaraki Prefecture
in four prefectures is the great deal of harms more than the expectation as
for the whole image of struck though grasp has not arrived. It is thrown
because of the tsunami and there is a disappearing museum, too. I think that
it takes a lot of time and incredible budget for restoration.
The urgent rescue team that Agency for Cultural Affairs
organized on 31 March is now advancing the damage situation of the
historical architectures and tangible cultural properties toward the
Northeast. Social infrastructures such as electricity, gases, and roads are
maintained from the safety of the endangered life, and our eyes are
reflecting in being in striking of the cultural asset as for the next step.
If my analyses are appropriate, we are now moving from a first phase of
disaster to second phase of recovering. However it is very sorry to say
that, originally, the culture gives us some healing to our daily life in our
national life, but now, culture itself seems to have disappeared.
http://www.bunka.go.jp/bunkazai/tohokujishin_kanren/pdf/bunkazai_rescue_jigyo.pdf
The greater part of the area has been affected by the
earthquake and Tsunami. Even today, we can not contact with some museums.
The current situation of damaged museums. However we set up the website.
(But sorry there is only Japanese version.)
We are very happy to inform you that ‘Struck, rescue
information site’ is set up in *saveMLAK-museum*, museum, library, and
archives and public hall (MLAK).
A East Japan great earthquake was happened, and "Struck and
rescue information site in saveMLAK-museum, art museum, library, archives,
and public hall (MLAK)" (hereafter, saveMLAK) that consolidated struck
information and rescue information on the above-mentioned, each facilities
was established in parties concerned and those who supported it in museum,
library, archives, and public hall (Kominkan ; community center) (hereafter,
MLAK).
Struck and rescue information site
http://savemlak.jp
http://savemlak.jp/wiki/SaveMLAK
SaveMLAK is a site in which it aimed to support the culture
and the history of the ruined area, to collect struck and rescue information
on the museum, the library, the archives, and the public hall where the role
as the exchange, study, and the information base in the region has been
being played, and to share the information.
Struck information is roughly consolidated now, and
consolidating rescue information that the locale needs is being advanced.
Many have already gotten volunteer's offer from a lot of people related to
MLAK and those who support it by having expertise, and a local
reconstruction support is advanced while attempting an appropriate match of
the locale and the volunteer.
However, the stricken area is cut still in pieces, and, as you
know, exists in a situation not clear to support by the necessity in the
locale. I will welcome a positive dissemination from individual people to
say nothing of each company in the report because information on the support
that the locale needs is collected and sent positively by us in saveMLAK.
Moreover, the offer of the volunteer involved in the
reconstruction support for the victim and the stricken area by facilities of
MLAK, the revival of the function, and it also accepts continuously.
I will hold urgent discussion "We can do the East Japan great
earthquake struck support and MLAK? now" in Gakushuin University (Mejiro,
Tokyo) on the coming Saturday, April 23.
4. Some concrete problems ( to be continued)
(1) Cancel of the temporary exhibitions : Discontinuance and postponed art
exhibition (as of 11 April)
- The export of all works of art for Japan stop instruction is announced
officially, and because it becomes impossible to compose the art exhibition
under the present situation, it discontinues by the influence of the nuclear
plant accident, due to Hiroshima Prefectural Museum of Art "Birth of the
impressionist school" exhibition (schedule from April 5 to June 12) accounts
for 60% of the entire French exhibition work.
- It is judged that holding is difficult because French authorities
prohibited the work transportation to Japan and the museum attendant's
making a passage due to the influence and the nuclear plant accident,
Yamanashi Prefectural Art Museum "Maurice Denis exhibition" and (schedule
from April 16 to June 12) and discontinues it.
- Because the judgment that the work cannot be lent to Japan considering
various situations such as the earthquake, tsunamis, and nuclear accidents
from Yokohama Museum of Art "Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts exhibition. "
(schedule from April 2 to June 26). Russian Federation cultural ministry
and Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts now was told, holding is postponed. (The
possibility of holding it greatly changing, and renewing the entire session
is being examined. )
- Lend of the work being feared from Italy and this country Morandi museum
in Toyota Municipal Museum of Art "Giorgio Morandi exhibition " (schedule
from April 9 to May 29), and undertaking insurance from the insurance
company are the notification with impossibility, and discontinue holding at
current year.
- The Mitsui commemoration museum "Hokusai " (schedule from April 16 to
June 19) Holding is discontinued by "Circumstances on the Honolulu museum
side due to a East Japan great earthquake".
- The Nezu Art Museum postponed "KORIN exhibition "( schedule from April 16
to May 15)
②Financial Problem
The relief and condolence money from foreign countries drawn
to Japan Red Cross is gathering, too. However, the relief and condolence
money through Japan Red Cross is not distributed to a damaged museum nor to
movable collections at all. That money goes to the infrastructure
maintenance, redevelopment of the city and towns, and the temporary shelter
to people who are taking shelter in solatia, the living fund, and the
stricken area.
Then, the problem came to light again here though the
emergency meeting some days ago held in Japanese Association of Museums.
These relief and condolence money will be the money intended for the member
of the Japanese Association of Museums, also is calling for the fund-raising
of the relief and condolence money. Money doesn't turn to the non-member
museum.
This also does the budget request from summer to autumn this
year ( it is too late ! ), and moreover, the budget will descend after
autumn though Agency for Cultural Affairs investigates the struck situation
now, and the supplementary budget will be united. But, only a public museum
is a target in this supplementary budget, and money doesn't turn to the
private museum (as of 11 April). Little being turned is a fact in the
personal property material and the collection in the supplementary budget of
Agency for Cultural Affairs, though a lot of money might chiefly turn to the
building and the real estate(architectural heritage).
There is a public museum of the local government. But for the
lifeline, local authorities spend much money of course. This means there is
no cultural budget for the revival of the museums. We have a big problem at
the time being, for the priority issue. The revival of daily life and/or the
revival of damaged museums in which it is struck. This is starting point and
gradually we are facing the problems, aftershock still continues in
Northeast Japan.
Even the arrangement of material to be struck and the
cardboard box for the interim storage cannot be bought. This is a reality
that understands now since three weeks pass.
Some museum are preparing to close the door permanently, for
example, my university has ‘Museum of Museology’. But the COE says the
priority is a recovery of the building for the students and because of the
shortage of the budget for running cost of the museum, the president of the
university will decide within a spring semester to close the Museum of
Museology, which is a unique in Japan and rare museum in the world.
Concerning this problem, I will let you know more detail in next report.
Please help us and support for the museum.
③ Conservation problem and difficulties for keeping the conservational
environment
Because of the shortage of the electricity by the continuous
troubles and accident by the Fukushima Nuclear Plant, Japanese Government
anticipate the shortage of the electricity in this summer. At present,
nobody in museum dosen’t care about the conservational problems. But last
year, there were 60-day or more intense heat that exceeded 35 degrees in
three months from May to August last year. So, we will have to discuss about
the this issues soon.
If there are some collection from abroad in Northeast museum,
please contact the museum where you have been contacting with.
If it is too difficult to contact, I will strive to contact
between you and your partner museum as possible as I can. Do not hesitate to
ask me. ([log in to unmask] or [log in to unmask])
5. The Law of National Indemnity for Fine Arts Exhibitions
But at the same time, I am happy to inform you that " The Law
of National Indemnity for Fine Arts Exhibitions" was passed on 25 March
2011.
This Law bill is concerning the promotion of opening to the public about an
overseas work of art etc. in our country
6. Logistical support system and Organizing of private organization
Whether it was an organization of the cultural property rescue
team of Agency for Cultural Affairs was done. Therefore, the private
company, the exhibiting company, the university, and the academic society
are concentrated, and the system to support the cultural asset rescue as a
logistical support is straightened. This project team was done by me.
It was very difficult to collect the carton boxes for the
damaged collection in the site. But thanks to this project support team, we
have collected 20,000 carton boxes for first-aid and I sent to Sendai
Municipal Museum. But it is not enough. We are continuously trying to check
the relief goods for damaged museums.
This report is as of 11 April and probably there is a bad translation.
Please forgive me my mistakes.
Once again, I appreciate your support and your encouraging e-mail.
--
Prof.Dr.MIZUSHIMA
[log in to unmask]
Tokiwa University
Dean, Graduate School of Community Development
Director, Museum of Museology
1-430-1, Miwa, Mito, Ibaraki
JAPAN, 310-8585
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