Records Management in the Digital Age
Mr. Hitoshi FUKUISenior Vice-President
National Archives of Japan

Former Deputy Director-General for public records
management at the Minister's Secretariat, Cabinet Office【Abstract】
It is now coming up on five years since the Public Records and Archives Management Act(PRAMA), which generally governs Japanese public records management, came into full effect in2011. The timing has us moving ahead with two streams of initiatives in regard to public records
management. The first one involves efforts to revise Japan’s public records management systemitself. The supplementary provisions to PRAMA state that “approximately five years after theenforcement of this Act, the Government shall review the scope of Administrative Documents andCorporate Documents as well as other matters, taking into consideration the state of enforcement of
this Act, and, when it deems necessary, shall take necessary measures based on the findings of thereview.” In light of this mandate, the Public Records and Archives Management Commission
established within the Japanese government under PRAMA is now reconsidering our system as awhole with the goal of announcing an agreed-upon approach in March of this year. The second one
aims to construct new facilities of the National Archives of Japan, which has been suffering fromage-related deterioration of its main office, a lack of repository space, and similar issues for sometime now. A bipartisan group of the Diet members was formed in 2014 with the goal of eventuallybuilding new National Archives facilities, leading the government to set up an investigative
committee of experts on the matter that same year. The committee is currently in the processes ofre-determining the kinds of functions and facilities to be fulfilled by the National Archives of Japan
with a view to actually creating these new structures. In either stream, issues such as the handling ofborn-digital records and digitization of conventional public records are critical points of discussion,
given that efforts related to the management of digital records are being made around the world andinternational conferences on public records management often take up topics that hinge on theadvancement of digitization. This presentation will cover how Japan is setting up its public records
management system to cope with the digital era reflecting the global progress of digitization, andwill include moves leading to the construction of a new building for the National Archives of Japan.
【Biography】
Mr. Hitoshi FUKUI currently serves as Senior Vice-President of the National Archives of Japan.
Prior to the current position, he was working as Deputy Director-General at the Minister's Secretariat,
Cabinet Office and was responsible for Japanese public records management. Mr. Fukui began his
public career in the Management and Coordination Agency (currently the Cabinet Office) in 1985
and has served in a variety of positions including Director of the Records and Archives Management
Division at the Minister's Secretariat; Director-General of the General Affairs Department at theOkinawa General Bureau; and Director of the Accounts Division at the Minister’s Secretariat. He has
also worked for the Reconstruction Headquarters in Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake
and its successor, the Reconstruction Agency. He holds a bachelor’s degree in law from theUniversity of Tokyo.

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1. Introduction: Public Records and Archives Management Act“Public Records and Archives Management Act(PRAMA)” came into force in 2011

Public Records Management
to be Targetedin the Digital Age●Public records=”Intellectual resource to be shared by the people“ supporting the basisof sound democracy●Purposes• Administrative organs’ appropriate and efficient operation• To ensure accountability to the people at present and in the future

Hitoshi Fukui, former Deputy Director-General for
public records management, Cabinet Office

Points of the records management system

September 8, 2016
International Council on Archives (ICA) Congress in Seoul

Unified management rules stipulated by laws and regulations
Adoption of records schedule
Ensuring compliance

1. Introduction: Review of the Records Management System

1. Introduction: Efforts for a New National Archives of Japan Building- FY 2015

FY 2011

FY 2012FY 2013

FY 2014●Enforcement of PRAMA

Discussion of review

5 years

FY 2015

Use of experts’ knowledge

Enhancement of National Archives of Japan’s functions
Promotion of use of historical public records and archives

FY 2016

From FY 2018

FY 2017

From FY 2016

Basic Concept

Review of the system

Examine the functions
required for the National
Archives of Japan in the
coming ages

● At present

FY 2011

Management System

Archives of Japan Facility● At present

FY 2012FY 2013

FY 2014

５ years●Enforcement of PRAMA

Raise topics related todigitization
Article 13 of the Supplementary Provision
Approximately five years after the enforcement of thisAct, the Government shall review the scope ofAdministrative Documents and Corporate Documents
as well as other matters, taking into consideration thestate of enforcement of this Act, and, when it finds itnecessary, shall take necessary measures based on
the findings of the review.

Public records management in Japan
to be targeted for the digital age

37

FY 2015

Discussion ofreview

Building a New National

Construction

2. Efforts to Review the Public Records Management System

1. Introduction: Two Major Efforts for Public Records Management
Review of the Public Records

Design etc.

Basic Plan

From FY 2016

Review of the system● At present・In September 2015, discussion began on how public records
should be managed.
- Exchange of opinions with local public bodies- Hearing of opinions of experts who conduct outstanding
research using public records⇒"Report for Consideration on the Review to be
Undertaken 5 Years After the Enforcement of PRAMA"
was prepared.

2 (1) Comprehensive Assessment” Report for Consideration on the Review to be
Undertaken 5 years after the Enforcement of PRAMA”

Basic stance (abstract)

Ⅰ Introduction
Ⅱ Basic stance for review
Ⅲ Individual points at issue and directions forreview(1) How current records and non-current
records should be appraised/selected

Report for Consideration on
the Review to be Undertaken
5 Years After theEnforcement of PRAMA

Before the enforcement of PRAMA, our publicrecords management structure was recognized as
weak compared to other countries, but there havebeen various improvements after PRAMA wasenacted.

Report for Consideration on
the Review to beUndertaken 5 Years Afterthe Enforcement of PRAMA(i) Appraisal/selection from the perspective of historical values

Meanwhile, measures need to be taken to further
improve the records management system, which
covers both current and non-current records under
the integrated program.

(ii) How administrative documents should be managed with a focus on
appraisal/selection(2) Specified Historical Public Records andArchives

March 23, 2016
Public Records andArchives ManagementCommission(i) Services for the Specified Historical Public Records and Archives(ii) Access review of the Specified Historical Public Records and Archives

March 23, 2016
Public Records and Archives
Management Commission(iii) Examination committee for appeals related to the Specified Historical Public
Records and Archives

Specific examples- Improvement in the quality of the assessment of thehistorical importance of records in administrativeorgans- Capacity development and arrangement ofprofessional staff(iv) Designation of the National Archives of Japan, etc.

(3) Records management in local public bodies

2 (2) Directions Related to Digital Records

2 (2) Directions Related to Digital Records

Individual points at issue anddirections for review (abstract)

At present(1) System that improves appraisal/selection using

5.2％(2) System that supports records management inReport for Consideration on
the Review to be Undertaken 5Years After the Enforcement ofPRAMA

Improvement of the records
management system

The proportion of digital records toadministrative documents:

researchers' knowledge/cooperation⇒ More digital records in the futureadministrative organs, including the capacity
development and arrangement of professional staff

How current and(3) Attempt to assess/verify records management
non-current
using academic experts' knowledge/cooperation
records should(4) Consideration of the digital intermediate repository
be appraised
and selectedsystem and improvement of the records
coherently as amanagement system to appropriately
wholepreserve/transfer digital records

March 23, 2016
Public Records and Archives
Management Commission

Advantages of digitalrecords

Disadvantages ofelectronic documents- Physically smaller- Higher cost of⇒ Consideration of a “digital intermediate
repository system”- As a system for smooth preservation and transfer ofdigital records without medium change- As a system in which professional staff can decidedisposition of digital records

preservation to ensure

repository- Easier information

long-term readability

sharing and searching(5) Conducting various training programs including
web/satellite training programs, and thedevelopment of their contents

Further discussion will be made for concrete measures.

3. Efforts to Build a New National Archives of Japan Facility: Present Status

3. Efforts to Build a New National Archives of Japan Facility

VladivostokSapporo- FY 2015

FY 2016

FY 2017

From FY 2018

Jilin
Liaoning
North Korea

Basic Concept

Sea of Japan

Determine the functions
required for the National
Archives of Japan in thecoming ages

The Tsukuba Annex of the National

Archives built in1998年建設
1998
つくば分館

The Tsukuba Annex of theNational Archives

South Korea
Yellow Sea

SendaiBasic Plan

Design etc.

Construction● At present

Hiroshima
Fukuoka

The National Archives of Japan(Incorporated AdministrativeAgency)

Challenges: aging buildings andlimited repository space- The following matters were discussed at the “Research/Consideration Meeting on the Functions and Facility of theNational Archives of Japan” (Chairman: Mr. Oikawa, Executive Adviser of the Yomiuri Shimbun):
Overseas research (US, Europe, Australia, etc.) in FY 2014
Domestic research (museums, etc.) , invitation of foreign experts to Japan (from France) in FY 2015

The National Archives of Japan
本館（北の丸公園）
1971年建設(Tokyo)built in 1971

- "Basic Concept for the Functions and Facility of the National Archives of Japan“ wasformulated.

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"Basic Concept for the Functions and Facility of theNational Archives of Japan“

3 (1) Directions for the New National Archives of Japan
Directions for the new National Archives of Japan

１．Purpose/backgroundBasic Concept for theFunctions and Facility of theNational Archives of Japan

２．Basic stance for the new National Archives of Japan

Basic Concept for the Functions
and Facility of the National
Archives of Japan

３．Functions required for the National Archives of Japan:(1) Collection acquisition and information service(2) Exhibition and education

down the form and memory of the nation tothe future(3) Preservation and conservation(4) research support(2) To strengthen its role as a base to promote(5) Digital archives

efforts to preserve and use our historical public(6) Personnel development
March 31, 2016
Research/Consideration
Meeting on the Functionsand Facility of the National
Archives of Japan(1) To take an active part as a "forum" to handrecords and archives of the whole country(7) Information exchange

March 31, 2016
Research/Consideration
Meeting on the Functions andFacility of the National Archivesof Japan

４．Organization, administration and facility of the National
Archives of Japan
５．Future consideration

3 (1) Functions to be Pursued by the New National Archives ofJapan(3) To develop the facility and services to copewith the change of the times including theprogress of digitization

3 (2) Creating the Digital Archive

Functions required for the National Archivesof Japan:

Basic Concept for the Functions
and Facility of the National
Archives of Japan

Collection acquisition and information
service
Exhibition and education
Preservation and conservation

National Archives of Japan
Digital Archive

Research support

March 31, 2016
Research/Consideration Meeting on
the Functions and Facility of theNational Archives of Japan- Launched in 2005.
- Digitized records: 13％- Efforts toward networking

Digital archives(Example: provision of standard archivalspecifications)

Personnel development⇒ Recognized by foreign and domestic
researchers as useful for Japan studies.

Information exchange

3 (3) Flexibility in Functions and Facilities to Cope with Digitization

3 (2) Future Prospects of Digital Archive
Build a new facility with sufficientspace/equipment for digitization
projects（Space for scanning etc.)

Directions for the new National
Archives of Japan (abstract）

By introducing cloud-based sharing
system,Needs for developing the facility andpromote networking

Basic Concept for the Functions
and Facility of the National
Archives of Japan

providing new services in anticipation ofchanging times including the progress ofdigitization

Further promote efforts toward
digitization of records in custody

As digitization advances・・・
March 31, 2016
Research/Consideration Meeting on
the Functions and Facility of theNational Archives of Japan

Promote digital archiving of historicalmaterials throughout Japan

39

Additional roles are required so thatusers feel that their actual visit to thefacility is meaningful.

3. Efforts to Build a New National Archives of Japan Facility :Future Schedule

3 (3) Flexibility in Functions and Facilities to Cope with Digitization
Specific example: Changes in theroles of the reading room

At present- FY 2015

The reading room is simply a place for

FY 2016

FY 2017

From FY 2018

reading records.
Basic Concept

As digitization advances...

Determine functions
required for the National
Archives of Japan in thecoming ages

In the future

New roles are required.
- Place for consulting archivists for researchstudies- Place where researchers hold discussions

4. Summary
Review of the Public Records

New roles of the National

Management System

Archives of Japan

Discussion will continue to seek how public records should bemanaged in the digital age.

Thank you very much.

40

Basic Plan
● At present

Design etc.

Construction