KONDO Seiichi

In December 2024, UNESCO inscribed Japan’s “traditional sake brewing” on the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity Representative List. In this article, I will explore the immediate significance of this recognition for Japan and its broader implications for shaping Japan’s diplomatic direction in today’s fluctuating international politics.

The Purpose of Intangible Cultural Heritage

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) operates two major certification systems: one for “World Heritage” and one for “Intangible Cultural Heritage.” The latter recognizes oral traditions, performing arts, rituals, techniques, and other cultural practices that, while intangible, have been passed down through generations and have contributed to the development of indigenous cultures. The criterion for inscription is that these traditions give “a sense of identity and continuity” to the ethnic group in question from a historical or ethnological perspective.

In 2008, Japan’s performing arts, such as “Noh,” “Bunraku,” and “Kabuki,” were among the first Japanese performing arts to be inscribed. We must refer to the organization’s founding principles to understand why UNESCO created the “World Heritage” and “Intangible Cultural Heritage” systems. The UNESCO Constitution includes the well-known statement: “wars begin in the minds of men,” followed by a profound declaration that “a peace based exclusively upon the political and economic arrangements of governments” would not last.

Why did UNESCO, which was founded in November 1945, shortly after the UN Charter, which explicitly prohibits war, was signed in June 1945, issue such a declaration? The founders of UNESCO believed that the United Nations, comprised of victors from the Second World War, had a fundamental flaw. They anticipated that being an organization of the “Allied Powers” with each nation maintaining unaltered sovereignty could be an obstacle to achieving the goal of banning war. Such an organization could only function when political and economic interests aligned, which was insufficient to ensure lasting peace. International institutions like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), embodying the “Washington Consensus,” were also seen as containing remnants of pre-war colonialism cloaked in liberal democratic rhetoric, and therefore would be unable to eliminate war.

The Significance of Registering Japan’s “Traditional Sake Brewing”

The inscription of Japan’s “traditional sake brewing” on the intangible cultural heritage list was not based on the supposed superiority of sake as a drink. Instead, it recognized the unique methods employed in Japan, such as steaming rice and wheat, making koji, and fermenting the mash. These techniques are developed by local artisans called “Toji” or “Kurahito”, considering Japan’s climate, geography, and local ingredients, which have contributed to creating distinct regional flavors passed down for generations.

The value of sake brewing lies in the skills passed down over 500 years. These skills are integral to indigenous rituals and festivals, which have been essential in transmitting Japanese culture. This recognition will not only raise global awareness of sake but also contribute to regional development through the revitalization of tourism and industry. However, I want to emphasize the broader significance: the rediscovery of humanity’s intangible values, often forgotten in the age of economic rationalism.

The “artisan spirit” (often associated with carefully produced handicrafts and commitment to quality) and the sense of community felt through these practices highlight non-material values such as the “warmth of the human heart,” a deep affection for and a sense of oneness with “nature,” and a sense of “tradition” that has been passed down despite changing times. Japan’s traditional culture is not limited to anime and games, but rather encompasses analog wisdom—the belief that rationality and economic efficiency are tools to serve humanity, not goals in themselves.

The founders of UNESCO would be pleased if they learned that the essence of UNESCO’s perspective, which emphasizes that what truly matters in life is not politics or an economy based on materialism but human connections, trust, and cooperation, is deeply rooted in Japanese culture. UNESCO’s recent decision to inscribe Japan’s traditional sake brewing is significant because it provides an opportunity to share these intangible values with younger generations in Japan and abroad.

The Flow of Civilization and Japanese Diplomacy

Now, turning our attention to international relations in 2025, we see that the ideological framework of liberal democracy, responsible for postwar peace and prosperity, is showing signs of fracture. This is not because the system is inherently flawed, but because it has been mismanaged. Technology has become linked to self-interest, concentrating wealth and power in the hands of a few elites, while the masses feel left behind. The resulting loss of faith in leadership and systems is manifesting worldwide. In Japan, it hits young generations who feel ikizurasa, a “difficulty in living,” and in the United States, in the form of student suicides and violence. These are not issues that can be solved through superficial policy changes.

This ideological distortion has led to authoritarian powers acting with increasing high-handedness, creating divisions in the international community, and making the future uncertain. So, what should Japan, which has benefited from postwar liberal democracy, do in this context? Does Japan have the philosophical depth and vision to exercise leadership in the future, beyond the geopolitical rivalry between the United States and China?

The answer lies in Japan’s traditional culture and thought, which have been passed down through generations. Japan’s philosophy values harmony through a sense of oneness with nature, empathy with others, and a restraint of selfish desires, always considering one’s place within the greater whole. While this may not translate into immediate political or economic leadership, it could let us notice the negatives caused by an excess of modern Western rationalism—individualism, materialism, and universalism—that underpin liberal democracy.

Rethinking Japanese Diplomacy

In this respect, we should remind ourselves that UNESCO provides a place where people believe that international divisions can be bridged by culture, separated from politics and economics. One of the significant achievements is the modification of Eurocentrism, such as materialism, admiration for the enormity of monuments, and excessive demand for scientific evidence, found in the World Heritage community. One example of Japan’s influence is the “Nara Document” on Japanese architecture, which acknowledged that wooden heritage sites could be considered authentic even if they were no longer made with original materials. This shift, agreed upon in 1993, challenged the Western emphasis on the originality of the materials of the heritage form, as evident in stone structures.

Another example is the establishment of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2003. Western countries initially vehemently opposed this Convention, fearing that international recognition of regional folk arts and the like would provoke domestic minorities and lead to independence movements. This deep-rooted Western superiority mentality was eliminated with the establishment of this Convention (also with Japan’s significant contribution behind the scenes). Furthermore, the UNESCO community is home to many experts who value the Japanese view of nature and free thinking unconstrained by science, as seen in the reverse inscription of Miho no Matsubara (Pine Grove at Miho: Scenic seashore against the background of Mt. Fuji) when Mt. Fuji was inscribed on the list. This pine grove was initially rejected by the advisory body to UNESCO, to be inscribed as part of Mt. Fuji, because it is physically distant from the mountain. The World Heritage Committee, however, acknowledged Japan’s contention that in the minds of the Japanese people, historically and culturally, this grove has an intangible link with the mountain and is considered to be one with the mountain. That suggests using UNESCO as a new diplomatic platform for Japan.

Conclusion

Japan’s cultural diplomacy must now evolve from a focus on modernity (as represented in the modernization in the Meiji period) and its postwar rejection of traditional stereotypes (such as Mt. Fuji and geishas) to a more proactive approach. By sharing the underlying ideas of conventional culture rich in non-material values, such as those embodied in sake brewing, Japan can show a new door to a better world in the future.

This shift also mirrors the changes in the World Heritage Convention and represents Japan’s evolving role in international diplomacy.

The failure to clearly define the movement that tries to overcome the limits of modernism, shaped mainly under the leadership of the West, forces us to call the contemporary thoughts a “post-modernism.” However, there is an argument that Japan has already transcended many modern issues. As Douglas MacGray stated in Foreign Policy in 2002, “Japan was postmodern before postmodernism was trendy.”

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KONDO Seiichi is a former Commissioner of the Agency for Cultural Affairs and also served as Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Japan to UNESCO.