Archives, Accountability, and Democracy in the Digital Age

This book is the first attempt to introduce the current status of archival practices in Japan as well as the basic views of the populace on making records accessible to English readers. In general, Japan has not paid sufficient attention to keeping and utilizing records except in the field of historical research. This book thus examines Japanese attitudes about history, records management, information acts, the status of archivists of the constitution, and genealogical research practices and a description of archives. Consequently, such investigations clarify how both private and public archives function or fail to do so in those spheres of Japanese society. In addition, this book presents the efforts in wartime record keeping in Australia, which is significantly different from how the Japanese deal with such records. This book therefore provides a clear and concrete picture of the status of current archival practices in Japan and the thinking that underlies them. On the basis of suchexaminations, this book enables readers to understand to what extent and how the past affects the present through archives, to recognize the importance of archives, and to respect the past in order to maintain and develop perspectives in people's lives.

Presents situations where archives are made available at several levels of Japanese society Addresses the conflict between the right to know and privacy in Japanese society especially with genealogy Shows how archives could serve as a basis of a democratic society under an appropriate legal system

Autorentext

EditorKeiji Fujiyoshi, Otemon Gakuin University

Inhalt

1 Introductory Essay: Archives, Accountability, and Democracy in the Digital Age (Keiji Fujiyoshi).- 2 The Gap between Knowledge Management and Records Management (Kazuhito Isomura).- 3 Ombudsperson NGOs and Effective Information Disclosure in Japanese Local Governments (Gentaro Mizugaki).- 4 Meanings of Archivists in the Constitution of Japan (Junta Okada).- 5 Is it possible to conduct genealogical research in Japanese archives? Examining the hindrances and possibilities (Sachiko Morimoto).- 6 Archives as Record and Memory Keepers of War (Keiko Tamura).- 7 Standardizing Non-Alphabetical Archival Description (Takahiro Sakaguchi).- Editor's Note.