A quarter of 62 museums and facilities in Japan storing materials related to the two world wars said they need to consider disposing of some items owing to deterioration or a lack of space, a Kyodo News survey showed on August 13.
The survey also found that donations of materials are increasing as the country’s population ages, leaving many facilities at or near capacity, and prompting calls for financial support to help avoid the “last resort” of disposal.
With Aug 15 marking 81 years since the end of World War II, there are concerns that artefacts and documents playing the roles of “silent storytellers” of history could be lost.
Even facilities with a policy of not disposing of materials have reported having little space left, highlighting the need for sustained national efforts to ensure stable preservation.
The survey targeted 70 facilities listed in a 2020 directory compiled by the organising committee of the International Conference of Museums for Peace, a body comprised of scholars and other stakeholders.
It received responses from 62 facilities across 29 prefectures storing historical materials such as clothing of war survivors and records related to the Imperial Japanese Army.
A total of 16 facilities in 12 prefectures said they need to consider disposing of some materials.
Fifty-two per cent cited “deterioration or damage” as a reason for this move in response to a multiple-answer question, while 34 per cent said there was a “lack of storage space”.
The Hachioji Peace Museum in western Tokyo said it also faces a shortage of staff to sort materials.
Facilities not intending to dispose of materials accounted for 61 per cent, while 12 per cent said they were planning on or considering disposing of items not related to the wars.
A total of 85 per cent of facilities said their exhibition spaces or storage rooms are full or almost full, with 56 per cent saying their holdings increased over the past five years.
Of those reporting increases in holdings, 88 per cent cited “donations from bereaved families or related parties” as the most applicable reason, far exceeding “newly collected” items or “transfers from other facilities”.
The ageing or death of bereaved families who were keeping these materials was cited as the top reason for the increase in donations, exceeding that of “the death of war survivors”.
In response to a multi-answer question on what action was needed from the national and local governments for the facilities to avoid disposal, 40 per cent of respondents selected “maintaining and expanding financial support”.
-Kyodo News
The survey also found that donations of materials are increasing as the country’s population ages, leaving many facilities at or near capacity, and prompting calls for financial support to help avoid the “last resort” of disposal.
With Aug 15 marking 81 years since the end of World War II, there are concerns that artefacts and documents playing the roles of “silent storytellers” of history could be lost.
Even facilities with a policy of not disposing of materials have reported having little space left, highlighting the need for sustained national efforts to ensure stable preservation.
The survey targeted 70 facilities listed in a 2020 directory compiled by the organising committee of the International Conference of Museums for Peace, a body comprised of scholars and other stakeholders.
It received responses from 62 facilities across 29 prefectures storing historical materials such as clothing of war survivors and records related to the Imperial Japanese Army.
A total of 16 facilities in 12 prefectures said they need to consider disposing of some materials.
Fifty-two per cent cited “deterioration or damage” as a reason for this move in response to a multiple-answer question, while 34 per cent said there was a “lack of storage space”.
The Hachioji Peace Museum in western Tokyo said it also faces a shortage of staff to sort materials.
Facilities not intending to dispose of materials accounted for 61 per cent, while 12 per cent said they were planning on or considering disposing of items not related to the wars.
A total of 85 per cent of facilities said their exhibition spaces or storage rooms are full or almost full, with 56 per cent saying their holdings increased over the past five years.
Of those reporting increases in holdings, 88 per cent cited “donations from bereaved families or related parties” as the most applicable reason, far exceeding “newly collected” items or “transfers from other facilities”.
The ageing or death of bereaved families who were keeping these materials was cited as the top reason for the increase in donations, exceeding that of “the death of war survivors”.
In response to a multi-answer question on what action was needed from the national and local governments for the facilities to avoid disposal, 40 per cent of respondents selected “maintaining and expanding financial support”.
-Kyodo News
