Legal Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Japan

By analyzing the concepts of intangible cultural heritage, inheritors or inheriting organizations, and folk cultural heritage in the Japanese Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties, and the specific cases of protecting intangible cultural heritage, this paper argues that Japan is one of the few countries that have done a good job in protecting and utilizing cultural legacies. Its success lies in that the protection and utilization of intangible cultural heritage have been made sustainable through legislation.