A , or citizens' public hall, is a kind of

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

cultural center A cultural center or cultural centre is an organization, building or complex that promotes culture and arts. Cultural centers can be neighborhood community arts organizations, private facilities, government-sponsored, or activist-run. Asia * Ce ...

. Kominkan provide structured learning programs in arts, sport, handiwork and cultural activities, to children, youth and aged people. They are generally funded and administered by local governments. Along with

libraries A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

archives An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials – in any medium – or the physical facility in which they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or ...

and

museums A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...

, they were targets of protection by the

SaveMLAK saveMLAK is a wiki designed to coordinate responses to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, focusing on protecting museums, libraries, archives and kominkans, or community centers. It was started in March 2011, a day after the earthquake and t ...

project after the

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami The occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March. The magnitude 9.0–9.1 (M) undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region, and lasted approximately six minutes ...

History

Kominkan were in use in the early 1940s, although many were established after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

under the Social Education Act of 1947. Kominkan were explicitly intended to provide cultural support for post-war communities, for "activities that contributed to re-building the communities after the devastation and upheavals of the war aftermath." According to the text of the Japanese Social Education Act, they “provide the people living in specific areas such as a city, town or village with education adapted to meet the demands of actual life and implement academic and cultural activities. Kominkan shall contribute to the cultivation of residents, improve health, develop character, enliven daily culture, and enhance social welfare.” In establishing Kominkan, the national government of Japan has invested substantial financial resources since the 1940s. In 1979, the national government spent 10 billion yen for infrastructure and administration.

Statistics

As of 2008, there are 15,943 Kominkan in Japan, which is more than the number of secondary schools in the country. There are 50,771 total staff in Japan, for an average of about 3 staff members per Kominkan. According to this 2008 study, Japanese citizens participate in Kominkan activities 256 million times a year, for an average of 2 visits a year.Iwasa 2010

Public use

According to Article 23 of the Social Education Act, Kominkan shall not be exclusively used to conduct for-profit business, or to do work in the interest of a particular political party or candidate. In addition, community centers shall not support a particular religion, sect, or cult.

References

{{Authority control Japanese culture Cultural centers

History

Statistics

Public use

See also

References