Given the challenges of any comparative analysis, the particular nuances involved in the analysis of cultural policy, and the differences in political culture and the social construction of art in Japan and the , I can only present a preliminary discussion of cultural policies in the two countries. My focus is on identitifying key systematc assumptions and characteristics and then exploring their policy implications. In doing so, I draw not only on a selection of scholarly and official publications concerning arts policy in each nation but also on the insight I gained from participating in the U.S./Japan Comparative Cultural Policy Study, which operates under the auspices of the UCLA Arts and Entertainment Management Program.

To begin to understand cultural policies in Japan and the , one must appreciate certain constitutional, historical, structural, political and definitional aspects of the systems of each nation. These factors have influenced the formulation, implementation and evaluation of cultural policies in each country.

Studying cultural policy through international comparisons helps cast new light on familiar national patterns and actions. That two nations as different as Japan and the should exhibit so many similarities in cultural policy suggests that, perhaps, the effect of the policy topic itself may be exerting a tendency toward convergence. Additional factors such as the advance of technology, globalization, a shift of international competition into economic and cultural arenas rather than military and ideological ones, and the increasing search for balance between diversity and consensus and community and individualism may influence the evolution of cultural policies in many nations. (p. 266, 280)

CONTENTS
Basic Assumptions.
Constitutional assumptions.
Historical Precedents.
Definitional assumptions.
Arts participation.
Structural assumptions.
Administrative fragmentation at the Federal level.
Intergovernmental division of responsibilities.
Policy content.
Concluding observations.
Notes [bibliography].

Given the challenges of any comparative analysis, the particular nuances involved in the analysis of cultural policy, and the differences in political culture and the social construction of art in Japan and the , I can only present a preliminary discussion of cultural policies in the two countries. My focus is on identitifying key systematc assumptions and characteristics and then exploring their policy implications. (from abstract)