Focusing the Japanese fashion market which has been getting shrinking, more than 10 years have passed since the Japanese government established the Cool Japan Organization for promoting creative industry. Based on these, for Japanese fashion industry from a global perspective, this study clarified how Japanese fashions are accepted in the Chinese market as the largest overseas sales target, through comparison of the Japanese fashion image and brand recognition characteristics with counterparts of the Korean fashion.

This study applies dynamic almost ideal (AI) demand systems to analyze the effects of household expenditures on culture in Japan and to calculate the elasticities of cultural demand. After a preliminary investigation by implementing tests of unit roots and cointegration, an AI demand system with error correction terms is estimated for monthly household cultural and recreational expenditures. These expenditures include admission fees for movies and plays, cultural establishments, amusement parks, and other activities. Restriction of homogeneity and symmetry of parameters in the AI demand system are also tested. Using the estimated parameters in the system, both long- and short-term price and income elasticities for cultural expenditures are calculated, which provides information on the characteristics of cultural expenditures in Japan.

To ensure sustainability of a creative environment that utilizes cultural resources symbolic of local traditions, it is necessary to secure talent and establish infrastructure for international development by coordinating the development of human resources and the promotion of the arts and industry. This research examines the main educational research institutes specializing in glass art and pottery in Toyama City, Toyama and Tajimi, Gifu, respectively, as well as affiliated artists. Both cities aim to foster the sort of creative environment described above as one of their core urban development projects. This dynamic analysis focuses on the securing and training of creative human resources cultivated through social collaboration.

This paper examines the impediments and the requirements for government officers in promoting cross-disciplinary, local-government cultural policies based on the Basic Law on Culture and the Arts. Through a qualitative survey of government officers in Onojo City, Fukuoka Prefecture, and SCAT analysis, five obstacles factors were identified. The relationship between these factors and the municipal cultural policy model proposed by Ikuo Nakagawa was examined, and it was found that there was a cyclical relationship between the three aspects of “performance,” “stock,” and “communication,” which had been previously pointed out.

This research examines the potential of local NPOs to function as a driving force in building creative communities with their citizens, while also hypothesizing about the sustainability of local NPOs and their creative activities as projects. Taking the BEPPU PROJECT, an NPO in Beppu City, Oita Prefecture, as a case study, four key concepts are discussed based on quantitative analysis of 11 years of annual project reports and qualitative research through interviews and participant observation. A sustainable model is identified for such NPOs providing they are able to adapt to changes in a short cycle of two to four years.

Crafts fall within the domain of intangible cultural heritage and the creative industries, and have been supported by both cultural policy and industrial policy. This paper focuses on the skills and cultural contents of crafts and examines the application of intellectual property rights to crafts. In cultural economics, many papers have focused on copyright but few have discussed other intellectual property rights, particularly patents, design rights, and trademarks.

This paper clarifies the economic rationale of intellectual property rights with reference to previous studies in law and economics. Also, I examine how intellectual property rights can be applied to crafts and problems related to this through court cases. I explore previous investigations and studies on the effect of a regional collective trademark on craft products and present conclusions and future issues.

Cultural landscapes have tangible landscape values that are visible, as well as intangible values such as mental images, religious beliefs and sense of place or identity. Thus,cultural landscapes must be protected under the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties for conservation and further utilization.

However, there is no uniform standard on what should be regarded as an “intrinsic value”, what kind of preservation, rehabilitation, restoration and reconstruction should be accepted and passed on to next generations as living ecosystems and living conditions in the area change. It is necessary to evaluate the situation and develop a cultural landscape preservation strategy and management plan. In this research note, we will assess how to estimate the essential value of the landscape of the boathouses in the Mizoshiri district of Miyazu City, how to preserve it and transform a cultural heritage into a living organism.