ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses why and how Japan began to engage in the development of a critical discourse and practice in heritage conservation on the international stage through cultural diplomacy. It offers an overview of why and how Japan began to address culture in the context of foreign policy. The chapter elaborates the origin of Official Development Assistance (ODA), demonstrating that, while it evolved from the post-war reparation programme, Japan managed to find its way to achieving its own interest by providing foreign aid. Other Funds-in-Trust are currently administered through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) as ODA. The chapter examines the funding mechanism of cultural grants by means of ODA and the institutional vehicle, the New Japan International Cooperation Agency (New JICA). It demonstrates how Japan has elevated itself in the international field of cultural heritage conservation and how at the same time it has fulfilled its national interest.
