Museum Law (Japan)
| Basic data | |
|---|---|
| Title: |
博物館 法 Hakubutsukanhō " Museum Act " English Museums Act |
| Type: | hōritsu |
| Number: |
昭和 26 年 12 月 1 日 法律 第 285 号 Law No. 285 of December 1st Shōwa 26 (1951) |
| Adoption date: | December 1, 1951 |
| Come into effect: | 1952 |
| Last change by: | Law No. 122 of December 14, Heisei 23 (2011) |
| Legal text on the Internet: | law.e-gov.go.jp |
| Please note the note on the applicable legal version . Only the Japanese legal texts have legal effect, not translations into English or other languages. | |
The Japanese Museum Act ( Japanese 博物館 法 , Hakubutsukanhō , Eng. Museums Act ) is applicable Japanese law . It was passed on December 1, 1951 and consists of five parts ( 章 ) with 29 paragraphs. The law regulates the establishment and management of Japanese museums ( 博物館 ). It determines the examination conditions for the local school authorities of the prefectures, the creation of statutes for public museums, anchors the basic principle of free museum visits, the establishment of a museum council, support at the state level and regulates the relationship between the state, regional authorities and the local school authorities in the Prefectures. The basic idea of the law is based on the “Law on Local Self-Government” ( 地方自治 法 , Chihō-jichi-hō ) from 1947 and the “Social Pedagogy Act” ( 社会 教育 法 , Shakai-kyōiku-hō ) from 1949.
Structure and content
- General provisions - § 1 to § 9
The law sees itself as a contribution to the development of science, culture and the education of Japanese citizens. The task of a museum is initially to collect and store materials on history, art, folk customs, industry and scientific materials. In order to contribute to scientific research, education and recreational activities, it is the task of museums to make the collected materials accessible to the public through exhibitions and events. Various types of company can be selected to set up a museum, whereby a "state museum" ( 公立 博物館 , kōritsu ~ ) is only a registered regional body ( 地方 公共 団 体 ) according to the law, all other museums are classified as "private institutions" according to the Museum Act ( 私立 博物館 , shiritsu ~ ). Paragraph 3 specifies in more detail what belongs to the materials to be stored and exhibited and what rooms and what equipment the museum should have. In accordance with the Cultural Property Protection Act , a museum must record all the cultural property that has been collected and located in the vicinity of its location in a register (Section 3, Clause 8). As museums have an educational mandate, they have to publish information and exchange it, as well as exhibits, with other museums. Paragraphs 4 and 5 determine with reference to the "School and Education Act" ( 学校 教育 法 , Gakkō-kyōiku-hō ) the requirements that are placed on the staff, from the director, curator to the employee of a museum.
- Registration - § 10 to § 17
A museum is registered in the main register for museums of the responsible local school authority. The person who registers a museum must submit a written application to the school authorities of the prefectures with their personal address details, the name and the location of the museum. Documents relating to the location and size of the museum, the museum's statutes and house rules, a list of exhibits, a list of staff, an annual report for the current year and a sales forecast must be added. The basic data are recorded in the main ledger of the prefectural authorities under the date of the written application. If necessary, the reasons for the rejection of the application are also listed here. Changes must be communicated to the prefectural authority. Information that is not truthful will result in the registration being revoked if they become known.
- State museums - § 18 to § 26
State museums must be designated as a regional authority by the statute. The local school authority is responsible. The museum council, which is appointed by the local school authority, serves as an advisory body. State museums are not allowed to charge an entrance fee or fees for the use of the materials (Section 23). The state can support the municipalities with the maintenance of the museums within the framework of their budget.
- Private museums - §§ 27 and 28
The school authorities can require private museums to produce information materials and research reports. You can also provide the museums with technical and technical advice on furnishings and management.
- Miscellaneous - § 29 and additions
Revision
The first revision of the law in more than 50 years, in June 2008, was described by the Asahi Shimbun as a disappointment. Improvements were expected that would simplify the management of museums and take the financial pressure off. For example, the Tokyo National Museum , the National Museum of Western Art and the National Museum of Natural Sciences are not regulated museums under the Museums Act. Only registered museums or museum facilities are considered museums ( hakubutsukan ) within the meaning of the law. According to MEXT , there were around 5614 museums in 2005, 8% of which were not museums or museum facilities within the meaning of the Museums Act.
Web links
- 博物館 法 Legal text - five sections (Japanese)
- 博物館 法 施行 規則 Implementing provisions of the legal text (Japanese)
- 博物館 法 改正 、 期待 外 れ . Asahi Shimbun Digital, August 30, 2008,accessed November 29, 2013(Japanese).
Remarks
- ↑ Translation by wadoku
- ↑ According to § 2 Paragraph 2.
- ↑ That means facilities that are either equivalent ( 博物館 相当 施 設 ) or similar ( 博物館 類似 施 設 ) to a museum.
- ↑ The MEXT lists only 819 registered museums among 5505 institutions.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b 博物館 法 . In: 百科 事 典 マ イ ペ デ ィ ア at kotobank.jp. Retrieved November 28, 2013 (Japanese).
- ↑ 博物館 法 改正 、 期待 外 れ . Asahi Shimbun Digital, August 30, 2008, accessed November 29, 2013 (Japanese).
- ↑ 博物館 法 制度上 の 博物館 の 区分 と 現状 . MEXT , accessed December 1, 2013 (Japanese).
