Message from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the Inscription of “Yama, Hoko, Yatai, float festivals in Japan” on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

"The World and Japan" Database (Project Leader: TANAKA Akihiko)

Database of Japanese Politics and International Relations

National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS); Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia (IASA), The University of Tokyo

[Title] Message from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the Inscription of “Yama, Hoko, Yatai, float festivals in Japan” on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

[Place]

[Date] December 1, 2016

[Source] Prime Minister of Japan and His Cabinet

[Notes] Provisional Translation

[Full text]

Highly creative and brilliant floats adorned with beautiful decorations are towed by people to pray for protection from natural disasters and for peace in the communities.

Today, “Yama, Hoko, Yatai, float festivals in Japan” was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. I could not be any happier.

The 33“Yama, Hoko, Yatai, float festivals” throughout Japan have been inherited by the various regions over many generations. We would like to pass them on to future generations and promote them domestically and internationally with pride.

December 1, 2016

Shinzo Abe

Prime Minister of Japan