"For decades, many people involved in the arts — including producers, creators, administrators and academics — were pointing to the need for an overall arts-policy body in Tokyo, and finally Arts Council Tokyo came into being in November 2012," its program director, Yuko Ishiwata, noted with some satisfaction.
But in a recent chat in her cozy office next to the Ryogoku Sumo Hall in downtown Tokyo, Ishiwata went on to explain, "In Japan it had almost always been bureaucrats — who were obviously not art experts — who used to evaluate projects and award funds. Now, ACT is staffed by specialists hired for the job, so it's far better than that even though we are part of the Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture, a public service corporation under the Tokyo Metropolitan Government."
Though ACT isn't the entirely independent, so-called arm's-length body many had wished for, as far as the leading playwright and director Oriza Hirata is concerned it's still a great leap forward.