Cultural cooperation

Poland and Japan share centuries-old historical ties and rich cultural heritage. Excellent relations in these areas are reflected in the number of visitors to cultural events – in particular classical music concerts, theatre and films as well as art exhibitions.

Cultural research in Poland and Japan is constantly evolving, as evidenced by numerous publications, conferences and scientific symposia. Preservation of the memory and history and their protection is a particularly important element. In 2019, Witold Bańka, Minister of Sport and Tourism of the Republic of Poland, visited Japan and met Masahiko Shibaya, Minister of Education, Culture, Sport, Science and Technology (MEXT). During the visit, a Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ministry of Sport and Tourism of Poland and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport, Science and Technology of Japan was signed.

In Poland, the Information and Culture Department of the Japanese Embassy is active, while Japan has an Institute of Poland in Tokyo. The work of both institutions allows for an ambitious cooperation. The Polish Institute in Tokyo was established in 2011 and disseminates knowledge of Poland, its history, culture and social life and friendship between both nations. The institution cooperates with the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, the Polish Institute of Film Art, the National Fryderyk Chopin Institute, the EU Delegation in Tokyo, EUNIC (Association of European Union National Institutes of Culture in Japan), as well as other Japanese partners.

In recent years, major cultural events included the celebrations of 100th Anniversary of Poland’s Independence and the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Poland and Japan (2019). Memory of the important historical episodes such as the history of Polish Missions in Japan, including Maximilian Kolbe and Zenon Zebrowski, is being preserved. The stories of influential personages and events are being told, such as those of the Polish researcher of Japanese Ajnów Bronisław Pilsudski, Polish Siberian children rescued by Japanese people, Polish prisoners of war from the Japanese-Russian war interned in Japan, the heritage of Pope Jan Paul II, the history of World War II and the Holocaust.

A monument of Polish and Japanese cultural friendship is the Museum of Art and Technology “Manggha” in Kraków. It was created at the initiative of Andrzej Wajda, one of the greatest Polish film directors, well-known in Japan. President Lech Wałęsa and Prince Takamado opened the Museum in 1994. In 2002, during a visit to Poland, the Imperial Couple visited the site. Every year, the Museum “Manggha” hosts numerous artistic events to promote Polish-Japanese relations.

Another remarkable initiative is the Polish Forum since 2005. Founded by Japanese scientists, Prof. Tokymas Sekiguchi and Prof. Masahiro Taguchi, the Forum represents a community of Japanese Slavicists, historians, economists, artists and Japanese Polonia. An annual national conference on various Polish issues is organised in Japan. Poland’s activities help to raise awareness of Poland among Japanese citizens and to integrate Japanese environments related to Poland.

MUSIC

The music of Fryderyk Chopin enjoys remarkable popularity in Japan. The promotion of the music and the personage of F. Chopin is particularly intense in the context of the successive editions of the F. Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw. Every year, it brings together a large number of prominent Japanese pianists. The winners of the last 18th edition of the competition included as many as two Japanese artists: Kyohei Sorita (second place) and Ami Kobayashi (IV). In Japan, the only two Polish winners of the contest are constantly recounted: Krystian Zimerman and Rafal Blechacz. The Chopin competition on the piano class of Historical Instruments is also very popular.

As for classical music, Japanese people also appreciate the works of Karol Szymanoowski and Stanislaw Moniuszko. The work of Krzysztof Penderecki was awarded in 2004 with the prestigious Preamium Imperiale Award. The Association of the Ignacy Jan Paderewski was created in Japan in 2017 thanks to the efforts of the late prominent pianist Hiroko Nakamura. Numerous concerts of the National Philharmonic Orchestra in Warsaw, the National Symphony Orchestra of Polish Radia in Katowice were held in Japan as well as the tournée of the Folk Song and Dance Group “Śląsk’. There was a series of events promoting the Polish jazz in Japan.

FILM

The Japanese public continues to be fascinated by the Polish film school and the creation of Polish directors such as Andrzej Wajda, Krzysztof Kieślowski, Jerzy Skolimowski or Paweł Pawlikowski. The popularisation of Polish cinema in Japan is based on the organisation of the Polish Film Festival, the participation in the EU Film Days Film Festival and the V4 animation Film Film Film Festival for V4 children. There are also screenings of Polish films in different Japanese cities.

THEATRE

In Japan, the work of Tadeusz Kantor and theatre reformer Jerzy Grotowski is known. Occasionally, theatre projects involving Polish artists are organised in Japan. The Japanese premiere of ‘Dziady Polsko-Japanski/Soreisai’ took place in 2019. This is a Polish-Japanese project, a joint undertaking of the Jerzy Grotowski Institute and theatre X (Cai). In recent years, the Polish directors Krystian lupa and Grzegorz Jarzyna and Wierszalin Theater performed in Japan.

LITERATURE

Among the Japanese readers, the most popular are the translations of Polish writers such as A. Mickiewicz, H. Sienkiewicz, W. Gombrowicz and S. Lem. Polish Nobel Prize winners such as Czesław Miłosz, Wisław Szymborska and Olga Tokarczuk are also known. Many translations of Polish works for children and adolescents have also been made to Japanese. Polonist Proffessor Tokymasa Sekiguchi is the author of a major publishing project of the Polish Literature Class, which covers four areas: literature, history, music and sculpture with painting. Polish literature is promoted during the European Literature Festival and during the European Day of Languages in Tokyo.

EXHIBITIONS

In recent years, the following exhibitions have taken place:

The “Chopin” exhibition, the largest project to commemorate the century of diplomatic relations between Poland and Japan, in 4 locations in Japan (Hyogo, Fukuoka, Tokyo, Shizuoka) organised by the Kobe Shimbun newspaper corporation in collaboration with the National Fryderyk Chopin Institute.

The “Celebration” exhibition – a collective exhibition of Polish and Japanese contemporary artists in one of the most famous monuments of Kyoto: Nijo Castle.

Exhibition “Poland: First to Fight", on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II, prepared by the Second World War Museum in Gdańsk.

Exhibition “Poland Ambassador to Japan Tadeusz Romer” – on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Poland and Japan, prepared by the Institute of Poland in Vilnius.

Exhibition “Warsaw. Fenix from ash” – organised by the Warsaw Rising Museum and the Osaka International Peace Center in Osaka.

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The Polish-Japanese Foundation (FPJ) works for cooperation and development of mutual relations between entities and residents from both countries.