Director's Message

Welcome to the Tokyo National Museum.

The Museum is currently welcoming many visitors from both within Japan and abroad, and it is even livelier than before the coronavirus pandemic. I am pleased to see that everyone’s interest in the museum is growing and that the concerted efforts of our curators and staff are beginning to show.

Last spring, I unveiled two slogans for TNM: “A Sustainable Museum” and “A World-Class Museum.” Following this, I announced the “Tohaku 2038 Vision” in November to chart a way to realize the ideas outlined in these slogans.

2038 will mark the 100th anniversary of the opening of TNM’s main venue, the Honkan Japanese Gallery. Looking towards this momentous occasion, the 2038 Vision is centered around four themes: “A Museum that Sparks Creativity,” “A Museum that We Create Together,” “A Museum Open to Everyone,” and “A Museum that Bridges Japan and the World.” With a roadmap based on these themes, I hope to work with everyone to develop TNM into “An Innovative Museum Co-Created by All.”

This will see a fundamental re-examination of museum management at TNM to ensure that the treasures of humankind will be preserved for generations to come. To realize this vision of a sustainable museum, we will build on the museum’s legacy left to us by our predecessors and carry out several operational strategies, which include: securing a reliable financial base; proactively using cutting-edge technologies; and implementing multifaceted risk management measures.

To carry out its role as a cultural center based in Japan, TNM will strengthen its network with museums around the world. TNM aims to become one of the leading museums in the world not only through the support of local communities that cherish us and visit us, but also through the ways in which we cater to our overseas visitors and the exhibitions we hold overseas as a representative museum of Japan. We will strive to realize these visions of “A Sustainable Museum” and “A World-Class Museum” through dynamic, innovative ideas and practices, unrestrained by the conventional ways of doing things.

Inspiring you with the creative energy of the past.
These words encompass our values and our mission. You can look forward to more happening at the Tokyo National Museum in the days to come, just as we look forward to 2038.

April 2025
Makoto Fujiwara
Executive Director
Tokyo National Museum