After the mid 2000s, something strange is happening in cultural policy in Japan.
Starting from late 1990s, Japanese government has kept supporting audio visual cultural industry with a hope of exporting "Cool Japan"cultural products. At first they gathered scholars, famous Manga-artists and some other people to make a general concept of "Media Geijutsu"(Media arts). This concept was the starting point with which, in their opinion, Japanese popular culture(with its related industries) could grow into the global-scale source of income of the country.
It's natural that they thought the concept doesn't need any historical and academic accuracy in its definition. The concept included; Video-art, computer games, ANIME, MANGA, installation, and among the others, cinema(practically ignored now)
To some extent their initial intention was realized. But only in the limited fields.
The reality of cultural industry is not defined by abstract concepts, "promotion" and "marketing" by advertising companies and donations by the government.
One graduate school intended to bring up "producers" has recently gone bankrupt and ended its very short life because of the absence of the demand(its foundation was approved by the government in the mid 2000s). Specialists of "marketing", "financial engineering" , "accounting", producers of TV and films could do nothing to improve the financial situation of the school. Now it's clear that it was dead-born child from the start.
Why did it happen?
First, any movement of culture and art can't be controlled, be predicted by mere economic theory or collected works of interdisciplinary researches. In addition, the starting point, the concept "Media arts" had not gone through the check of experienced historian and theorist of cinema, popular culture and others academic fields. The dominance of economics has misled the cultural policy of Japan for these 10-15 years.
As financial "derivatives" that caused world economic crisis in these years, economic-centered cultural policy and its "derivatives", like the concept of "Media arts" will lead the human races to the soulless dead-end.
Starting from late 1990s, Japanese government has kept supporting audio visual cultural industry with a hope of exporting "Cool Japan"cultural products. At first they gathered scholars, famous Manga-artists and some other people to make a general concept of "Media Geijutsu"(Media arts). This concept was the starting point with which, in their opinion, Japanese popular culture(with its related industries) could grow into the global-scale source of income of the country.
It's natural that they thought the concept doesn't need any historical and academic accuracy in its definition. The concept included; Video-art, computer games, ANIME, MANGA, installation, and among the others, cinema(practically ignored now)
To some extent their initial intention was realized. But only in the limited fields.
The reality of cultural industry is not defined by abstract concepts, "promotion" and "marketing" by advertising companies and donations by the government.
One graduate school intended to bring up "producers" has recently gone bankrupt and ended its very short life because of the absence of the demand(its foundation was approved by the government in the mid 2000s). Specialists of "marketing", "financial engineering" , "accounting", producers of TV and films could do nothing to improve the financial situation of the school. Now it's clear that it was dead-born child from the start.
Why did it happen?
First, any movement of culture and art can't be controlled, be predicted by mere economic theory or collected works of interdisciplinary researches. In addition, the starting point, the concept "Media arts" had not gone through the check of experienced historian and theorist of cinema, popular culture and others academic fields. The dominance of economics has misled the cultural policy of Japan for these 10-15 years.
As financial "derivatives" that caused world economic crisis in these years, economic-centered cultural policy and its "derivatives", like the concept of "Media arts" will lead the human races to the soulless dead-end.
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