The Resource Center for the History of Entrepreneurship housed the secretariat and sat on the executive committee of the Japan-U.S. Archives Seminar.

“Access to Archives: Japanese and American Practices”

Dates:	Closed Sessions – May 9-10, 2007 Public Session – May 11, 2007
Location:	Sanjo Conference Hall, Tokyo University (7-3-1- Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo)
Organizers:	Japan-U.S. Archives Seminar Executive Committee [PDF 68KB] Society of American Archivists

Accountability is the basis of civil society.  It is secured through the preservation of and access to documents relating to the management and operations of organizations that influence society, such as public institutions and private companies.  The goal of this seminar is to look at archives that play an important role in providing this type of information.  Particularly, to look at archives from the point of view of public access and to compare the state of affairs in Japan and the United States so as to share experiences and build the foundation for future cooperation.  In addition, to share experiences and spread awareness of the issues of history and memory, the culture surrounding which differs greatly in Japan and the United States, and provide a new way of looking at the issue of accountability for both local and international organizations.

For example, pre-WWII records held by the U.S. National Archives and other American archives are heavily used by Japanese scholars but either due to Japan’s loss of the war or to other reasons, there is little information about even the existence of documents on the Japanese side.  Currently questions on the re-designation of sensitive documents are being raised in the United States and the repercussions are spreading among researchers.  We aim to provide the opportunity to collaborate and look at issues such as what types of records exist in Japan and the United States, and what type of system for use is in place.

* List of associations and companies that supported or contributed to the seminar [PDF 88KB]

▼ Closed Sessions – May 9-10, 2007
　　(Adobe Reader or similar software is required to view PDF files)

• List of participants (with affiliation at the time of the conference)  [PDF 113KB]
• Program  [PDF 139KB]
• Scenes from the forum:

  
  
  
  
  

• Outline of the Public Session (Japanese only) [PDF 212KB]
• Program [PDF 113KB]
• Conference booklet [PDF 4.69MB]
• Japan-U.S. Archives Seminar Resolutions [PDF 25KB]
• Scenes from the forum:

▼ Japanese Language Publication

• Book Reviews
  
  • Nakajima, Yasuhiko.  Senmon toshokan (Professional Libraries).  No.233 (2009.01) p.55-56.
  • Obara, Yumiko.  Toshokan zasshi (Library Magazine).  Vol.103 No.2 (2009.02) p.115.
  • Shimizu, Kunitoshi.  Akaibuzu-gaku kenkyu (Archival Studies Research).  No.10 (2009.03) p102-106.
  • Komatsu, Yoshiro.  Shinano: Shinano-shi gakkai (Shinano: Shinano Historical Society).Vol.61 No.4 (2009.04.20) p.75-82.

• Holdings information and other links (Japanese only)
  National Diet Library (NDL-OPAC)
  CiNii Books
  Worldcat 1 / 2
  Webcat Plus
  Google Books

▼ Papers presented at the Conference (external links)

• Access to Archives: The Japanese and American Practices
  Papers from Japan:
  
• Kato, Yoko N. ““Lessons” of the Past: The Use and Misuse of History in Modern Japanese History”
• Kazuya, Tominaga.  “A Decisive Absence: A Dissenter’s View on the Archival Strategy in Japan”
• Matsuzaki, Yuko.  “Business Archives in Japan: An Overview and Access Issues”
  Muta, Shohei. “Myth and Reality about Pre-World War II Government Records”

Papers from the United States:

• Greene, Mark A. “Access to Institutional Archives and Manuscript Collections in U.S. Colleges and Universities”
• Mengel, David J. “Access to United States Government Records at the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration”
• Pearce-Moses, Richard.  “Caught in the Middle: Access to State Government Records in the United States”
• Peterson, Trudy Huskamp.  “Attitudes and Access in the United States of America”
• Tousey, Becky Haglund, and Elizabeth W. Adkins.  “Access to Business Archives: U.S. Access Philosophies”
• Koga, Takashi.  “Archives in the United States and Japan: Executive Session Summary”

▼ Related Documents (external links)

• Koide, Izumi.  “Nichibei akaibu semina: rekishi shiryo he no akusesu nihon no keiken, amerika no keiken (Japan-U.S. Archives Seminar: Access to Historical Documents  Japanese Experiences U.S. Experiences),” in Columns.  The Japan Foundation for Global Partnership, Vol.5 No.7/8 2007 p.1
  - Japanese article [PDF 759KB]

▼ Related Links (external links)

• Documenting Japan International (Japanese only)
• Public Forum “Akaibu no kokyosei to akusesu: amerika no keiken, nihon no keiken (Archives Public Access: American Experiences, Japanese Experiences),” The Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership (Japanese only)

* This webpage was created with the assistance of Documenting Japan International