KONDO Shinji／Commissioner for Cultural Affairs

Art, games, animations and manga that make use of digital technology have recently come to be termed “Japan Cool” and have won international acclaim. This form of media art is still developing and creating new styles of expression that are a combination of theold.

The Japan Media Arts Festival has been held since 1997, as it was introduced in order to encourage the establishment and development of the media arts through the commendation and publicizing of deserving works from the art, entertainment, animation, and manga divisions. Now, it is celebrating its 10th anniversary. The number of entries has increased from 730 in the first year to 1,808 this year, which is the highest so far. Similarly, the number of people who have visited the exhibition has grown from around 2,000 to 68,000 people. These figures reflect the extent to which the Festival has grown and gained in recognition as an international media arts festival over the years.

The Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs intends to continue to support the growth and development of the media arts in Japan, taking full advantage of the experience gained in the last ten years. It is our hope that visitors to this exhibition are able to enjoy “Japan Cool” through the latest media art works and events, as well as through the display of award-winning works from the last ten years; this is the foundation for the further development of the media arts. In closing, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all those who have generously extended their support and cooperation to help make this year’s Japan Media Arts Festival possible.

NAGATA Keiji／Chairman, CG-ARTS Society

In the modern age, fields of expertise have been atomized in all areas, the gap between generations has been widened and even people’s interests are segmented into small pieces. In my opinion, the significance of the Japan Media Arts Festival is that it has connected various fields and times and is very important in such an age. “Media GEIJUTSU” is not a translation of “media art” which is used in Western societies, but has a meaning of the media arts including the field of entertainment represented by animation and manga. Ten years ago, some people disagreed to treat arts and entertainment equally. However, as the increasing number of entries from abroad shows, the number of artists who are favorable to the concept of the Japan Media Arts Festival where arts and entertainment coexist has increased on a world scale. When you listen to the voices of visitors, it seems the Festival has become a place where they can expand the range of their interests by experiencing the amusing content of new areas. People who visited to see arts were moved and touched by manga and people who visited to watch animations were greatly amazed by the novelty of media arts.

Also, another connection has been established in the area of human resources, for example, young award-winning artists of Computer Graphics Contest for Students, which has been organized by CGARTS Society also win awards in the Japan Media Arts Festival. Further, with the cooperation of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the Japan Media Arts Festival has begun to have exhibitions and symposiums on the technological aspects of media arts, which gives the Festival the function of uniting art and technology.

Taking this 10-year anniversary as a turning point, I commit myself to continuing this Festival for uniting various cultures and generations, and for growing media arts of Japan and the world in the future.