Museum Act (Japan)

Museum Act
博物館法
*Hakubutsukan Hō*
Museum Act; 博物館法; Hakubutsukan Hō
	National Diet Building
Diet of Japan
Territorial extent	Japan
Enacted	1951
Effective	1952
Amended by
	Last amended in 2008
Related legislation
	Fundamental Act of Education; Social Education Act (ja); National Institutes for Cultural Heritage Act; (独立行政法人国立文化財機構法); Library Act (ja); Enforcement Regulations of the Museum Act; (博物館法施行規則); Favourable Standards Relating to the Establishment and Operation of Public Museums; (公立博物館の設置及び運営上の望ましい基準)
	Status: In force

The Museum Act (博物館法, Hakubutsukan Hō) is a Japanese law covering matters relating to the country's museums. The law was passed as Law No. 285 in 1951 and was last amended in 2008.

Summary

The Act distinguishes between public museums (公立博物館), being those established by local governments, and private museums (私立博物館), those established by incorporated associations and foundations or by

National Institutes for Cultural Heritage) cannot become registered museums (登録博物館), but may be designated museum-equivalent facilities (博物館相当施設).^[1] Facilities that engage in similar activities but are neither registered or designated have no restrictions or conditions imposed by the Act; these are defined elsewhere as museum-like facilities (博物館類似施設).^[1] Article 2 defines museums as facilities that collect, store, research, and utilize materials on history, art, folkways, industry, and the natural sciences; as such, various types of "museum" are provided for, including botanical gardens, zoos, aquaria, and planetaria.^[1]

As of October 2018, there were 5,738 museums in Japan: 914 registered museums, 372 museum-equivalent facilities, and 4,452 museum-like facilities.[2]

Articles

The Museum Act has 29 Articles:^[1]

Chapter 1—General Provisions (Articles 1–9)

1. Purpose of Act
2. Definition of museums
3. Activities conducted by museums
4–7. Directors, curators, qualifications, training
8–9. Standards and evaluation

Chapter 2—Registration (Articles 10–17)

10. Registration
11. Application
12. Examination
13. Amendment
14. Cancellation
15. Abolition of museums
16. Prefectural regulations
17. deleted

Chapter 3—Public Museums (Articles 18–26)

18. Establishment
19. Jurisdiction (governed by the local board of education)
20–22. Museum councils
23. Admission fees
24,26. Subsidies
25. deleted

Chapter 4—Private Museums (Articles 27–28)

27. Relationship with prefectural boards of education
28. Relationship with central and local governments

Chapter 5—Other Provisions (Article 29)

29. Facilities equivalent to museums

Supplementary Provisions

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Present Status of Museums in Japan" (PDF). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
^ 博物館の概要 [Overview of Museums] (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 10 August 2020.

External links

(in English) Museum Act (UNESCO Database of National Cultural Heritage Laws)
(in English) Present Status of Museums in Japan (Agency for Cultural Affairs; includes an English translation of the Museum Act)
(in Japanese) Museum Act (e-gov.go.jp)
(in Japanese) Museums (Agency for Cultural Affairs)

[bunkacho-1] "Present Status of Museums in Japan" (PDF). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 10 August 2020.

[2] 博物館の概要 [Overview of Museums] (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 10 August 2020.

[1]

Summary

Articles

See also

References

External links