The Agency for Cultural Affairs will move to Kyoto on the 27th and start operations in the new government building. This is the first time that a national ministry or agency has been fully relocated to a local area, and Secretary Shunichi Tokura will give instructions to the staff at the beginning of work.
The relocation of the Agency for Cultural Affairs, which is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, was officially decided in the government's basic policy in 2016 in order to correct the overconcentration in Tokyo and lead to regional revitalization.
From the 27th, some 20 staff members, including Secretary Shunichi Tokura, will move to Kyoto, and together with more than 40 staff members from the Regional Culture Revitalization Headquarters, which moved earlier, they will start work at the new government building in Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto City.
Of the 13 departments in the Agency for Cultural Affairs, six departments, including the Policy Division and the Cultural Resource Utilization Division, will be relocated, and by May 6, about 5 employees, or about 15% of the total, are expected to work in Kyoto.
Prior to the relocation, a preview of the new government building was held on the 26th, and at the ceremony to celebrate the relocation, Prime Minister Kishida stated, "I would like to work on the promotion of new culture centered on Kyoto."
Since this is the first time that a national ministry or agency has been fully relocated to a local area, an unveiling ceremony will be held on the 27th to unveil a plaque engraved with the name of the Agency for Cultural Affairs, and Commissioner Tokura will give a message to the executive staff.