Country/Territory Report Japan

Responding to the “Digital Era” at the National Archives of Japan― Toward the realization of comprehensive information services
for historical public records and archives ―Tetsuo Yokaichiya
National Archives of Japan

1. Introduction

2. Developments Thus Far(1) The two digital archives at the National Archives of Japan(2) Digitalization of holdings(3) Promoting the development of digital archives at public archives nationwide andinformation-sharing among them(4) Preservation and use of electronic public records and archives

3. New Challenges and Initiatives(1) Increasing efficiency and improving convenience of digital archives(2) Further acceleration of the creation of digitized images(3) Promoting the development of digital archives, ascertaining the location of records andarchives, and responding to new technology(4) Toward appropriate preservation of electronic public records and archives

4. Conclusion

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1. Introduction

The theme of this year’s EASTICA conference is “Archives in the Digital Era: Revisited.” The“digital era” was triggered by the innovation “from atoms to bits”1 that resulted from the revolution
in information and communications technology at the beginning of the 21st Century. The emergenceand spread of digital recording technology and media in place of paper was a change that had adecisive effect on archives. Fifteen years have now passed since this century began and broadband
networks have spread throughout the world; people, things, and information are connected as neverbefore. Information systems are being introduced into all aspects of people’s daily lives, as well as
the activities of companies and public organizations, and irreversible digitalization of functions andactivities is progressing throughout society.
Since the dawn of the digital era, the National Archives of Japan (hereinafter referred to as “NAJ”)
has sought to address these changes. The NAJ was made into an incorporated administrative agency
in 2001. In the same year, the Japan Center for Asian Historical Records (hereinafter referred to as“JACAR”) was established as an organization under the NAJ, and added momentum to the NAJ’s
efforts. When JACAR first opened, the internet and broadband lines were still not commonly in use,
but we launched new initiatives as a pioneer at the advent of the digital era. (Please refer to Figure 1
below for the internet penetration rates.)Figure 1: Changes in the penetration rates for the internet and broadband lines in Japan
100

Penetration rate (%)
8060Internet

40

Narrowband
Broadband

20

2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014

0

Year

(Created by the author2 based on results of the “Communications Usage Trend Survey” foreach year by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications)2Country/Territory Report Japan

In 2005, the NAJ began operation of the “National Archives of Japan Digital Archive” (hereinafterreferred to as “DA”), which is a digital archive for all of the materials held by the NAJ. The NAJ
holds the nation’s most important official documents such as the Constitution of Japan, as well as the
Cabinet Library, which is a collection of books and materials collected by the Edo Shogunate(1603-1867) and the Meiji Government (1868-1912). The NAJ’s precious holdings that werepreviously difficult for public users to access became available through the DA via the internet,
enabling users to benefit significantly from the digital era.
With each fiscal year, the NAJ and JACAR have increased the number of digitized images
provided in their respective digital archives. On the basis of “at anytime, from anywhere, by anyone,freely, and with no charge,” the NAJ and JACAR ensure open access from inside and outside ofJapan and provide services through the internet. They have also worked to promote and popularize
use of the two digital archives by giving presentations at every opportunity both in Japan and inother countries.
In 2011, the “Public Records and Archives Management Act” (hereinafter referred to as PRAMA)(Act no. 66 of July 1, 2009) came into effect, and the NAJ began to provide new services under the
newly established records management system. PRAMA stipulates that the NAJ is obligated toprepare and publicize a catalog of its holdings and to make efforts to “promote use.” Digital archives
are positioned as a means of promoting use pursuant to this provision.
In the same year, the NAJ began accepting and preserving electronic public records and archives
that had been electronically created, managed, and transferred. This was the first attempt to preserve
electronic public records in Japan, and the NAJ launched a project to construct a management
system for electronic public records and archives in light of research and reviews conducted by thegovernment.
During the time that we were tackling the aforementioned challenges, digital technology wascontinuously developing, and we once again need to review the current situation to find a path forthe future. I assume that the word “revisited” in this year’s title refers to the necessity for such
review. In this report, I would like to look back over the measures taken by the NAJ to respond to the“digital era” and explore the current issues, initiatives, and direction for the future.
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2. Developments Thus Far(1) The two digital archives at the National Archives of Japan
A. The Japan Center for Asian Historical Records
Since its establishment under the NAJ in 2001, JACAR has developed its digital archive andprovided information via the internet. JACAR has been provided with digitized images of AsianHistorical Records (documents and other records of importance as historical records concerning
Japan’s relationship with neighboring Asian countries in modern times) held by the NAJ, as well as
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Diplomatic Archives and the Ministry of Defense’s National
Institute for Defense Studies. JACAR has actively worked to enhance the volume and quality of its
data, create digital exhibition contents on its website and conduct promotion activities to publicize
its work and promote use. As a result of such initiatives, traffic on its website from both inside andoutside Japan has increased and there were approximately 510,000 hits last fiscal year.
In 2015, JACAR provided a cumulative total of 1,990,000 materials and 29,130,000 images on theinternet (refer to Figure 2 below). In addition, for the purpose of expanding information provision,
last fiscal year JACAR began a new service in collaboration with the University of the Ryukyus
Library, to provide information on records held by using a data link to search the JACAR system andaccess image data from the library’s system. This is one new attempt to collaborate with information
systems provided by other organizations and further expand the information provided by JACAR.
Until now, JACAR has mainly provided materials from the early Meiji period to the end of WorldWar II, but now JACAR is considering further expansion of its information provision, to include
materials from the period after the war, to mark the passing of seventy years since the end of WWII.

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Figure 2: Change in the number of digitized images provided by JACAR and DA (unit: 1,000
images)Number of Images ( x1000)

35000
30000
25000
20000
15000

JACAR

10000

NAJ Digital Archive

5000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015

0

Year

B. The National Archives of Japan Digital Archive
In addition to the aforementioned initiative by JACAR, in light of Governmental IT strategies andsuggestions by advisory panels of the Cabinet Office, the NAJ has started to develop a digitalarchive for all of its holdings. Since 2005, we have been operating the DA, which makes it possible
to search the catalog of holdings and view digitized images via the internet. Every year we add
catalog information for materials that have been newly transferred, while proceeding with thedigitalization of our holdings and enhancing information available from the DA. As a result of suchinitiatives, the amount of traffic from both inside and outside of Japan has increased, and last fiscal
year there were approximately 350,000 hits.
As of 2015, the DA provides internet-searchable catalog information on all 1,370,000 of the
NAJ’s holdings, while 10% of all the NAJ’s holdings can be viewed on the internet, totaling some
18,130,000 digitized images of approximately 140,000 materials. These digitized images include theConstitution of Japan and official documents on the formulation of key national documents, laws
and regulations, important cultural properties, as well as the “Cabinet Library” that was collected by
the Edo Shogunate government and the Meiji government. These are now freely accessible from5Country/Territory Report Japan

Japan and other countries.
As mentioned above, since PRAMA came into effect in 2011, the DA is obliged to takeappropriate measures in response to item 4 of Article 15 (Preservation of Specified Historical Public
Records and Archives), which obliges us to make and publicize catalogs of specified historical
public records and archives, as well as Article 23 (Promotion of Use) which stipulates that “the headof the NAJ, etc. shall actively endeavor to provide Specified Historical public Records andArchives…for public use through exhibitions or other means.”(2) Digitalization of Holdings
The NAJ has been creating digitized holdings while considering user needs, etc. For the digitizing,
we have adopted a method of scanning microfilms that were created and accumulated as substitutematerials for original. We use the international standard, JPEG2000, as the basic format. For
preservation, we create reversible compression data and for provision on the internet we create
irreversible compression data and PDF data. We preserve reversible compression data on opticaldisks in the Tsukuba Annex which is some distance from Tokyo, in preparation for future disasters.
Since 2012, we have adopted a new method of digitalizing paper materials by directly scanning
using an overhead scanner. Since this has already been reported on, I will not discuss it in detail here,
but in fiscal 2010 we compared the technical and expense merits and demerits of microfilming paper
documents and digitizing and preserving them electronically, and we reached the following
conclusions on future policy.3
・New adoption of digitalization by scanning paper materials with overhead scanner.
・ Selection of media in accordance with conditions of preservation and frequency of use oforiginal materials. The basic policy is to create substitute materials by digitalizing in thecase that the condition of preservation is comparatively good.
As a result of adopting these digitalization principles, it became possible to create and provide fullcolor, high resolution and high-quality digitized images that can digitally express even faded
characters written in pen or pencil, the color of seals, and the texture of paper used.

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Figure 3: Digitalization using an overhead scanner(3) Promoting the development of digital archives at public archives nationwide andinformation-sharing among them
The NAJ is also conducting an initiative to promote the development of digital archives in publicarchives across Japan and information-sharing among them. All the public archives face the common
challenges of rapid progress in digitalization throughout society and the need for new responses.
Local governments and local public archives are trying to better utilize information technology andimprove convenience.
In addition, in order to realize a mechanism by which Japan’s historical public records andarchives can be ascertained, searched and used in a unified manner from anywhere in the country, it
is necessary to develop digital archives at public archives, etc. From the perspective of ensuring
interoperability, it is also essential to adopt standard technologies such as for digitalization of catalog
data and image data.
However, while public archives, etc. are treating the response to computerization anddigitalization as a subject for consideration, it is not easy for them to develop a digital archive
because of insufficient knowledge and information on specific technologies. In light of this, in 2008,7

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the NAJ made its “Standard Specifications for Digital Archive Systems,” which summarized
perspectives on the digitalization of catalog data, image data and the various functions of digitalarchive systems.4 Since 2009, we have been providing this document to public archives, etc. andsupporting them with technical assistance, such as by directly visiting public archives and having
discussions on digital archives. As of 2015, there are system collaborations between the systems ofnine archives and the DA. While progress is still only gradual, we are achieving outcomes from thisinitiative on technical assistance. Based on such initiatives by the NAJ, we hope to make progress inthe development of digital archives and information-sharing among public archives throughout
Japan.

(4) Preservation and use of electronic public records and archives
At the beginning of the “digital era,” the NAJ’s initiatives began with firstly digitalizing analog
materials. At the same time, we also started to study from early period the preservation of publicrecords and archives that were created electronically, so-called “born digital.” The fundamental
perspectives listed below were pointed out in a report by the “Committee on Proper Management ofGovernmental Records including Proper Preservation and Use.”5・ The principle of preserving electronic records, without converting electronic media into
non-electronic media
・Long-term preservation of the “essence” that is essential for sustaining the evidential value ofelectronic records
・For electronic records, it is necessary to manage the entire life cycle, from the time of creation to
the stages of preservation and use.
In light of the aforementioned report, the Cabinet Office conducted and reported on demonstration
experiments on possible formats and metadata for electronic records and identified operational
challenges for tasks and systems. Based on the findings of this study, the Cabinet Office started topreserve electronic public records and archives from 2011, and presented the following policies.6
・Transfer: Transfer by transportable media such as CD-R, DVD-R, or HDD.
・Acceptance: Conduct quarantine process. In principle, transportable media are not preserved.
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・Preservation: Convert to a long-term preservation format, and preserve.
・Use: Use through the DA (for public use)
Use through the Kasumigaseki WAN (governmental network) (for use by the organizationthat transferred it)
In 2010, the NAJ developed its “The System for Transferring, Preserving, and Using Electronic
Public Records and Archives” based on the aforementioned national policies. Since April 2011, it
has been operating that system and beginning to accept and preserve electronic public records andarchives. As of 2015, although the number of transfers of electronic public records and archives isstill a limited quantity compared to paper public records and archives, “born digital” is already being
used in numerous situations in everyday life, as well as in national governmental organizations.
Therefore, the importance of this system will almost certainly increase from now on, and we areworking to accumulate experience and know-how in preparation for the future.

3. New Challenges and Initiatives(1) Increasing efficiency and improving convenience of digital archives
Since operation of the two digital archives in the NAJ began, we have been striving to improvetheir convenience, while renewing their respective equipment, etc. every five years. Key challenges
that these two digital archives face in recent years are the further improvement of their conveniencebased on innovation using the latest information technology and services, and increasing theefficiency of overall operation costs for both systems. To address these issues, the NAJ has been
studying and reviewing its systems since fiscal 2012. In fiscal 2013, we formulated the“Optimization Plan of Services and Systems for the Digital Archive System on National Archives ofJapan,” based on the basic principles of further reduction of costs of the system as a whole andsimplifying and streamlining operation and maintenance, by integrating the systems of the DA and
JACAR.7 In light of recent information technology developments, this plan aims to integrate theinfrastructure foundations of the two systems, streamline the systems as a whole, and further
improve convenience by responding to new metadata technologies and Web technologies. The main
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points are as follows:
A. Maintain and improve convenience
・Strengthen mechanisms for providing Digital Information Resources
Respond to recent metadata technologies (such as “machine-readable,” etc.), tablet devices,and PDF format.
・Inform people about and publicize the Historical Public Records and Archives to makewell-known and familiar
Respond to SNS (Social Networking Services)
・Introduce upgraded mechanisms to encourage further use
Download functions for high-definition image data
B. Reduce costs
・Reduce costs and streamline operations for the system as a whole by integrating common
equipment that can be shared, such as hardware, software, and internet lines.
Based on this plan, we are now designing and developing a new system this fiscal year. However,the system integration under this plan is only for the integration of infrastructure, and the services of
the two Digital Archives will continue to be separate and operated individually, the same as before.

(2) Further acceleration of the creation of digitized images
At the NAJ, as a result of our efforts to create more digitized images of our holdings each year, asof 2015, approximately 10% of all of the NAJ’s holdings can be used on the internet. We willcontinue to work on creating digitized images, but for the near future, we will proceed mainly with
the Cabinet Library materials, which are frequently used and for which there are concerns aboutdamage or defacement of materials due to use of the originals. In particular, we would like toaccelerate the digitalization of precious materials that are unique to the NAJ and that have a long anddistinguished history, such as Momijiyama Bunko and Shoheizaka Gakumonjo, which are an
essential part of our collection, to make it possible for users in Japan and other countries to use them
via the internet. We also think that it is necessary to gradually proceed with the digitalization ofmajor important cultural properties, materials that require repair, audio-visual materials, etc., on
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which work has not progressed until now, due to the work burden and cost.
However, in order to proceed with such digitalization work, we need to enhance our work regime
and facilities. In the case of digitizing by overhead scanning from paper, the work process is asfollows: (a) check conditions of materials before beginning digitalization, (b) mend the materials ifnecessary, (c) make detailed catalog information, (d) scanning materials, (e) quality inspection, and(f) check condition of materials after work. In order to conduct such work processes in parallel, we
need a sufficient organization and facility equipped with a wide work space for simultaneously
conducting various processes, and personnel who have specialized knowledge and skills inpreserving, repairing, digitalization, and deciphering the content of materials. Other essential
components are the preservation, management, and ensuring the safety of original materials during
the work period, and it is also important to ensure electricity and air conditioning capacity for thework space.
The NAJ is currently outsourcing to an imaging company that has specialists, scanners and work
process knowledge, which conducts the aforementioned work as onsite work within the NAJ
facilities. However, in order to further accelerate this work from now on, it is essential to secure
work space and establish a work regime. In order to respond to the needs of users in Japan and othercountries, we intend to address these tasks and devote further efforts to these initiatives.

(3) Promoting the development of digital archives, ascertaining the location of records andarchives, and responding to new technology
At the Annual Conference of the Directors of Public Archives8 in June 2015, the fundamental
perspectives on digitalization were summarized as follows: “Historical public records and archives
are important records that should be preserved and used in the future as well. They are the “treasures”
of each respective region. They are resources that will cultivate individuals’ attachment to theirregion, show and communicate the appeal of each region, and create new value.” The NAJ intends tocontinue to develop digital archives at public archives, etc. nationwide and to continue to work topromote information-sharing.9
There are two matters of debate in conducting such initiatives. The first is the purpose and method11

Country/Territory Report Japanof conducting information-sharing. In relation to this point, in its “Council for Reviewing andStudying the Future of the Functions and Facilities of the National Archives of Japan,” the Cabinet
Office stated that promoting digital archives that are linked to collections of location information andother organizations is an “essential and important function” of the NAJ.10 Since fiscal 2015, theNAJ began research to ascertain the locations of official documents and other records, as historicalimportant public records, located in national government organizations, incorporated administrative
agencies, local governments, and other private sector entities. We are studying and organizing tasks
for realizing the integrated provision of such location information.
Another area of debate is technical issues. The latest information technology, such as “cloud”
technology, for example, seems to present possibilities for lowering the difficulty level of tasks thatwere previously high “hurdles,” from the perspective of preparing a system related to digital archiveand information-sharing and cost burden. One example is the case of multiple archives jointly
developing a single system and individually providing services. According to this system model, it
makes it possible to install a digital system under circumstances where advanced demands are madeof operators and managers for knowledge of advanced technology on digital archives, responding to
the various needs of users, such as tablet computers and SNS, and responding to the frequent
occurrence of security problems. It is not easy to install and manage a system that can handle
advanced high demands in current world. But a joint digital archive system with inter-archives
represents a more achievable model and more realistic method.
The NAJ is currently examining this theme by considering the points mentioned above, toward thedevelopment of digital archives and information-sharing among public archives nationwide.

(4) Toward appropriate preservation of electronic public records and archives
Since we began preservation of electronic public records and archives in 2011, we have
implemented the “The System for Transfer, Preservation, and Use of Electronic Records andArchives of Japan,” which is Japan’s first system for handling such work. In introducing this system,
we carefully designed and developed the system based on the results of study and consideration by
the Cabinet Office and advice from experts. Therefore, at present, we are conducting preservation
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work such as acceptance, quarantine, conversion to a long-term preservation format, taking metadata,
and long-term preservation appropriately with no critical problems.
One issue is that the number of transfers of electronic public records and archives is still limited.
According to a report on management states of public records and archives in fiscal 2013 by the
Cabinet Office, the number of administrative document files that are being retained is 15,280,000
files for governmental agencies as a whole, and of those 14,240,000 are files of paper records(93.2%) and 1,000,000 are files of electronic records (6.5%).11 In addition, electronic records
accounted for only 4.8% of all newly created records in fiscal 2013. From this, it can be seen thatcreation and management of digitalized documents at each governmental organization is still limited.
Nonetheless, the stability of electronic public records and archives for long-term preservation
largely depends on whether they are appropriately created and managed at the stage of being current
records.12 Therefore, the NAJ aims to promote and disseminate understanding of electronic publicrecords and archives by making use of opportunities such as employee training by governmentalorganizations, because it is important to have them understand the technical matters for creating andpreserving electronic public records and archives. This initiative is imperative, and it is essential for
appropriate preservation in the future that the people who create the current records have a deeper
understanding of electronic public records and archives.
As mentioned above, we have a little more time before the fully-fledged, long-term preservationof electronic public records and archives begins in Japan. We would like to effectively utilize thistime to ascertain the technology trends for long-term preservation in Japan and other countries,
accumulate knowledge and know-how through our work on the current system, and work to build afoundation in order to fulfill our challenging responsibility.

4. Conclusion

I have provided an overview of the response to the “digital era” at the NAJ and also described our
objectives for the near future, by indicating the major issues. In closing, in light of the discussion
thus far, I would like to briefly discuss the direction for digital archives going forward.
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Country/Territory Report JapanThe first point to make is the need to improve the quality and service level of information services
overall. During the last decade, the NAJ has been putting efforts into accumulating “Intellectual
Resources” by proceeding with the creation of fundamental catalog information and digitized imagesof materials. However, over the next decade it will probably be necessary to conduct more effective
utilization of such accumulated “intellectual resources.” There are various possible methods fordoing so, for example, providing not only basic catalog information but also more detailed catalog
information, or developing new functions so that people can search for materials by theme or
category. In addition, recently various information systems that produce and provide new
information by system collaboration have emerged and it is necessary to ensure interoperability torespond to such new needs from other information systems and services.
The second point is the need to develop an information infrastructure for historical public records
and archives. Creation of digital archives and information collaborations among public archives
throughout Japan is essential not only for information-sharing in each region, but also for thedevelopment of an information infrastructure for historical public records and archives for Japan as awhole. In addition, to facilitate searching for information using the above infrastructure, it is also
necessary to ascertain and organize the location information of materials, such as which archives
hold the materials researcher want, which record group includes the materials, and whether or notthere are other related materials, and to provide this information as a supporting tool for researchers.
In addition, there are many cases in which technologies and functions are shared among publicarchives. It has become technologically possible to develop an inter-archive shared digital archive
system by using “cloud technology,” which is expected to produce cost-reduction effects. Further, in
reality the requirements for information systems are extremely high, such as highly complicated andadvanced information technology and security policies, and ensuring a backup system that is
prepared for possible disasters, and it is not easy to continuously secure professionals who canhandle such specialized work. For all these reasons, there are high expectations for the future
development of an inter-archive shared information infrastructure.
To conclude, a digital archive makes it possible to share, both inside and outside Japan, and ensure
free access to information about historical public records and archives, which are Japan’s important
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Country/Territory Report Japan“intellectual resources,” as an information infrastructure: “Japan’s comprehensive information
services for historical public records and archives.” As a result of the development of similar kindsof infrastructure in public archives in the countries of EASTICA, it will become possible totranscend national borders and centuries and share the “intellectual resources” passed down by ourpredecessors in each country. Toward the realization of this, we look forward to cooperating withand exchanging knowledge and opinions with the staff of public archives and experts related toarchives from each country, concerning issues related to the “digital era,” methods of responding
such issues, and knowledge and techniques related to digital archives.

1. See, Nicholas Negroponte, Being Digital, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1995.
2. See, “Communications Usage Trend Survey by the Ministry of Internal Affairs andCommunications,” on the website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications,“Information and telecommunications database: Statistical survey data: Communications Usage
Trend Survey: Press release materials,” viewed September 1, 2015.
<http://www.soumu.go.jp/johotsusintokei/statistics/statistics05a.html>
3. See, “Report on Review of Preservation Methods for Historical Public Records and Archives,”(March 2011, Council of Experts to Review Preservation Methods for Historical Public Records
and Archives), viewed September 1, 2015.
<http://www.archives.go.jp/about/activity/pdf/hozonkentou.pdf>
4. See, “Standard Specifications for Digital Archive System at Public Archives” (partially revised in
October 2012, the National Archives of Japan), viewed September 1, 2015.
<http://www.archives.go.jp/about/report/pdf/da_121210.pdf>
5. See, “Report on Centralized Management in the Interim Stage and Management, Transfer, andPreservation by Electronic Records” (June 22, 2006, the Committee on Proper Management,
Preservation and Use of Governmental Records), p.13, viewed September 1, 2015.
<http://www.archives.go.jp/about/report/pdf/kondankai14houkoku.pdf>
6. See, “Principles for Specific Methods of Transferring, Preserving, and Using Electronic Public

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Records and Archives,” (March 26, 2010; Records and Archives Management Division,
Minister’s Secretariat, Cabinet Office), in “Collection of materials on Transfer of Public Records
and Archives,” (May 2015, the National Archives of Japan), pp. 162-163, viewed September 1,
2015. <http://www.archives.go.jp/about/report/pdf/h27_ikan_siryou.pdf>
7. See, “Optimization Plan of Services and Systems for the Digital Archive System on National
Archives of Japan,” (March 13, 2014; decided upon by a Project Team for Optimization ofServices and Systems at the National Archives of Japan), viewed September 1, 2015.
<http://www.archives.go.jp/information/pdf/saiteki1.pdf>
8. The “Annual Conference of the Directors of Public Archives” has been held since 1989, for the
purpose of smooth operation of the Official Documents Archives Act and appropriate preservation
and use of official documents and other records that are important as historical materials withparticipation of directors of public archives that are established by national and local publicorganizations in Japan. It also holds discussions on issues faced by public archives to strive formutually close cooperation among public archives. Since 2008, commemorative lecture meetingsfor “International Archives Day” have been held concurrently.
9. See, “Fundamental Perspectives for “Digitalization” in The 2015 Annual Conference of the
Directors of Public Archives,” (June 9, 2015, Annual Meeting of the Directors of Public Archives),
viewed September 1, 2015. <http://www.archives.go.jp/about/activity/pdf/h27_kancho.pdf>
10. See, “Suggestions to the Future of the Functions and Facilities of the National Archives of Japan(Investigative Report 2014),” (March 2015, the Council for Reviewing and Studying the Futureof the Functions and Facilities of the National Archives of Japan (Cabinet Office)), p.3, viewed
September 1, 2015. <http://www8.cao.go.jp/chosei/koubun/kentou/26teigen.pdf>
11. See, chart 2 in page 7, “About the State of Management, etc. of Public Records and Archives infiscal 2013 (Conditions of Administrative Documents) (Conditions of Corporate Documents)(Conditions of Preservation and Use of Specified Historical Public Records and Archives),”(January 2015, Records and Archives Management Division, Minister’s Secretariat, Cabinet
Office), viewed September 1, 2015.

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Country/Territory Report Japan<http://www8.cao.go.jp/chosei/koubun/houkoku/heisei25nendo_houkoku1.pdf>
12. On the management of electronic public records as “current documents,” an expert on digitalarchives in Japan, Prof. Sugimoto, has pointed out the following as a task at the stage ofmanaging current documents: “There are cases in which the original section in charge has tomanage documents for thirty years, but …it cannot be said that they have the experience tomanage and preserve electronic public records and archives over such a long period.” Hetherefore points out the necessity for cooperation between the original section in charge andpublic archives. See, Shigeo Sugimoto, “Expectations and Tasks for Digital Archives - Aiming to
Preserve Intellectual Resources that Surpass the Differences of Communities -,” Archives (No.
45, October 2011), viewed September 1, 2015.
<http://www.archives.go.jp/about/publication/archives/pdf/acv_45_p36.pdf>

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