Report on the International Archives Day Commemorative Lectures 2013 and the Annual Meeting of the Directors of Public Archives
On June 11, 2013, the National Archives of Japan (NAJ) organized commemorative lectures to celebrate the 6th International Archives Day, as well as the Annual Meeting of the Directors of Public Archives, in the city of Fukuoka, the largest city in Kyushu, south-western Japan.
These commemorative lectures can be traced back to the event in 2008 in response to the call from the International Council on Archives (ICA) to host commemorative events in order to raise awareness about this day. Created with the support of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on June 9, 1948, ICA designated June 9 “the International Archives Day” in November 2007 to celebrate its 60th anniversary.
Lectures attracted an audience of 111 from public archives both state and municipal nationwide, archival institutions, etc.
In his opening remarks, NAJ President Katoh strongly urged the archival community to remind themselves of their mission and responsibility and to further facilitate the public awareness about the importance of records as a shared heritage. He also invited the audience to join the 11th General Conference and Seminar of the East Asian Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives (EASTICA) to be held in Chengdu, China in October.
Next followed two commemorative lectures. First, Etsuro Orita, Professor at the Kyushu University Archives, delivered a lecture under the title “Challenges University Archives Face: The Case of the Kyushu University Archives” introducing its history, activities and future tasks.
The second lecture was by Sen-ichi Moriyama, Vice-President, Fukuoka Prefectural University, under the title “Preservation and Use of the Sakubei Yamamoto Collection: Challenges after the Memory of the World Registration.” Outlining the UNESCO's Memory of the World Register, it covered the process until the Collection was first registered as archival heritage from Japan and its preservation and use at the Fukuoka Prefectural University.
The Annual Meeting of the Directors of Public Archives of 2013 was held subsequently to the lectures. This meeting has been held since 1989 in order to ensure smooth implementation of the Public Archives Act and proper preservation and use of historical public records and archives by sharing current problems as well as to maintain close mutual contact among public archives directors.
This year, there were 100 attendees from state/local public archives and local public entities considering establishing their own archives. In addition to NAJ, public archives in the Kyushu area presented case reports under the theme of challenges public archives currently face.
First, NAJ laid out its activity report for FY 2012-13 and activity plan for FY 2013-14. Main activities such as preservation, special loan of original copies of highly important materials and exhibitions were outlined.
Next followed a couple of reports by local public archives in the Kyushu area. Saga Prefectural Archives explained the particulars before and after it was established. Then, the Amakusa Archives, which lies in Nagasaki Prefecture, introduced activities and projects characteristic to it. The meeting ended up with the report of Kumamoto Prefecture about its new records management scheme based on a local ordinance.
On the previous day, 58 mid-level officials attending the Annual Meeting of the Directors of Public Archives held a meeting and actively discussed practical issues around access review of public records containing classified information and preservation and use of acquired records. After the discussion, 80 delegates visited the Fukuoka Communal Archives, which was established in November 2012 as a unique joint effort of multi-level local governments in Fukuoka Prefecture.
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Lecture by Professor Orita
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Lecture by Professor Moriyama
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Presentation by the Amakusa Archives
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Visit to the Fukuoka Communal Archives
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