As the Japan Culture Communications Organization (JCCO) holds the first PREMIUM JAPAN AWARD next spring, Representative Director Saito Mineaki and Premium Japan Editor-in-Chief and Executive Director Shimamura Mio spoke about the significance and intentions behind the award.

Shimamura　The online media company Premium Japan was founded in 2015, and I acquired management rights in 2017. After that, other capital was temporarily invested in the company, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I reacquired all shares in 2023.

From the beginning, I knew I didn't want to end up just being a media outlet, but I also felt that unless we gained a certain level of influence as a media outlet and also matured in terms of content, it would be difficult to move forward.

However, after regaining management rights and revamping the editorial structure, the site quickly surpassed 1000 million page views. This was a pleasant surprise, but we felt that now that it had reached this point, we wanted to move on to the next stage and make the site a more useful media outlet to the world. We felt that by creating a foundation and establishing an award, we could make a broad contribution to Japanese culture and also serve as a hook for raising the media's profile.

"Premium Japan" Cheerleader

Shimamura　So, we decided to launch the Japan Culture Communications Organization (JCCO), a general incorporated association. What did you think when you heard about this plan, Saito-san?

Saito　I had been fully supporting Shimamura-san even before he took full control of "Premium Japan," and I have actually been involved in his serial interviews and the like.

Speaking personally, I served as president of Hermès Japon in 1998, then became vice president of the Paris headquarters in 2008, but left the company in 2015.

If you ask what I wanted to do after leaving Hermès, it was to make some kind of contribution, however small, to Japanese traditional crafts and Japanese culture. So I opened a traditional crafts gallery in Paris and co-authored a book with Toraya's president (current chairman) Mitsuhiro Kurokawa, entitled "The Style of a Long-Established Company: Toraya and Hermès," and I was helping to promote Japanese traditional crafts overseas.

I'm an old-fashioned guy, so when people say PV (page views), it doesn't really mean much to me (laughs), but I've watched from the sidelines as Shimamura's media has grown and grown, and I've been in awe.

When I heard that they were eventually going to establish a foundation centered around the awards, I thought it was a very natural progression.

Shimamura　I am grateful for your continued support (laughs). I have consulted with Mr. Saito from the support group from time to time, and now he has been appointed as the representative director.

Saito　Is it like being the leader of a cheer squad? (laughs)

The basis of "What is important in Japanese culture?"

Saito　Being involved in promoting Japanese culture has always made me wonder, "What exactly is Japanese culture?" Japanese people think they understand it. However, when asked, "So, what do you think it is?", they tend to simply answer things like tea, flower arrangements, or kabuki. They just vaguely mutter, "Japan is amazing," and I wonder if Japanese people don't really understand the identity of Japanese culture.

I think Japanese culture is much broader and deeper. This is because Japan has never been conquered by another country since the dawn of history, so cultural assets remain everywhere. There are festivals that have been held for over 1000 years, and the country can be said to be a treasure trove of traditional culture. This may be rare even when viewed from a global perspective.

So, is it correct to call these things that have been passed down for a long time "Japanese culture"? On the other hand, with the wave of Westernization, the expression of pure traditional Japanese culture has become weaker than before.

In this age of globalization, the true nature of Japan itself is being exposed to the world. In such an age, it is important to create a clear foundation for answering the question, "What is important about Japanese culture?" and to present this to people around the world who are unfamiliar with Japanese culture.

Shimamura　That's exactly what I was thinking, and that's what I want to achieve with the awards.

Saito　That being said, events organized by the government and public organizations still seem to be an extension of the economic animal, and are an attempt to connect Japanese culture to business.

If we turn our attention to the private sector, they push character goods to the forefront and sell them as Japanese culture, or in places like Asakusa and Kawagoe, they set up Edo-style stores and sell fans and other Japanese accessories, and are satisfied that Japanese culture is recognized around the world.

I feel that we need to move away from this marketing mentality that focuses on doing business with a short-term perspective.

Unique selection criteria

Shimamura　What do you think from an Hermès perspective?

Saito　There are many Japanese craftsmen who are comparable to Hermes. In terms of history, Japan has many products that are far older than Hermes.

However, not only Hermès but many other European fashion houses are good at adapting old things from their history into the present. In comparison, and this is purely a generalization, I get the impression that Japan is not necessarily doing a good job of adapting things into the present.

So, as I have said before, the important thing is to ask ourselves again, "What are the values ​​of Japanese culture?" This can also be rephrased as "the universal values ​​of Japanese culture."

What are "universal values"? First, there are vertical values ​​that remain unchanged over time, and second, there are horizontal values ​​that are recognized as amazing by people from different cultures.

I believe that the theme assigned to this new foundation is to examine "universal values" from two perspectives.

Shimamura　It is precisely because we live in a global age that Japanese people themselves must recognize the value and preciousness of Japanese culture.

Saito　What's interesting about this award, and this relates to the second point, is that it doesn't just assert what's good from a Japanese perspective, but also places great importance on perspectives from overseas.

Shimamura　That's right. We've spent a huge amount of time discussing the selection criteria with our board members and editorial staff. We also try to include an international perspective in our regular articles.

Saito　The perspective of whether or not something is accepted by people overseas is something that is needed right now. What's even more important is how to communicate that.

Premium Japan as a communication tool

Shimamura　My original specialty was marketing and communications, so I thought one of the main reasons why Japanese culture is not well known around the world is our communication skills. For example, even though various government agencies hold large events related to Japan, it doesn't seem like they have a deep impact overseas.

In that respect, Premium Japan is an online media, so if we unearth and introduce Japanese culture, we can disseminate it in multiple languages ​​through machine translation. Also, by holding an annual event in the form of an award, we will naturally increase access from overseas as news.

This time, the PR team for this award not only included staff with experience in domestic media, but also staff with experience in overseas media. Therefore, having the communication tools of our own media and PR functions makes it possible to spread information. Of course, the most important prerequisite is to ensure the quality of the editing so that the information can be explained in proper writing.

If we consider the current situation in Japan, for example, even if wealthy people from overseas want to purchase traditional crafts, there is no benchmark to help them decide which lacquerware is better.

By winning the Premium Japan Award, the background and attention to detail behind the creation of that lacquerware will be published in multiple languages ​​on Premium Japan. By building on this, we hope to make the Premium Japan Award logo one of the criteria for guaranteeing quality.

Awards are a foundation for creating new Japanese culture

Saito　Having lived in Europe for a long time, I feel that European culture has reached a certain level of development and reached a plateau. Emmanuel Todd, one of France's leading intellectuals, has even written a book called "The Defeat of the West." From this perspective, I believe that what the West has high hopes for from Japan is precisely Japanese culture, something they are yet to discover.

We will be discussing at the beginning of the new year what will receive the award, but just looking at the members of this board, they are quite groundbreaking.

Shimamura　It took about a year to select the members, but that was one of the aims of having the directors come from a variety of industries. They are representatives of their respective industries, so simply sharing the issues they face broadens their knowledge.

Saito　What's great is that it breaks down the boundaries of the industry. For example, when something completely new and amazing appears, there's a debate about whether it should be considered Japanese culture. Culture isn't just something that's already been formed. Culture is like a living thing, constantly moving and growing. It sometimes becomes new, and sometimes it goes out of style. It's like capturing the cutting edge of that. I'm already excited.

Shimamura　I think it's fine for the format of the award to keep changing. If it's run for many years, for example in the case of traditional crafts, a benchmark will be built up in that field. As the number of awards increases, I think the credibility of the award will naturally be built up.

Saito　The selection process is aimed at selecting works that meet global standards and are also universal, so it is a truly significant endeavor. Even if a certain artist has been a "favorite" in the industry until now, winning the award may encourage them by reminding them that what they have done is of global standard.

Nowadays, information can be transmitted instantly around the world via the internet. Therefore, the Japanese culture selected by this award will be questioned about what position it will take in the world. It is amazing that we can do this now, and it has immeasurable significance.

To put it in a grandiose way, I hope that this award will become a foundation for creating new Japanese culture.

Opportunities for young writers and artists

Shimamura　It's too early to say what the future holds, but I'd like to see the award grow into one that many people know about. I'd also like to see it reach the point where people overseas are interested in it as news. I'd also like to increase the number of supporting members who share the foundation's concept of "Bringing Japanese culture to the world."

Also, there are many young writers and artists who want to go overseas, so I hope that winning the award will be an opportunity for them to go overseas.

Saito　I always say that the world's developed countries are the G7. Japan is the only non-Western country in the G7. This is truly fortunate, because if the G7 were all Western countries, the world would be incredibly boring. Global decisions would be decided by Western values.

Japan's presence allows it to present something different from Western values. Perhaps the presence of a country with a completely different culture can contribute to people around the world. I believe this is one of the possibilities of Japanese culture. In comparison, our foundation's award may be small, but I believe it has the same meaning as a vector.

The jazz festival that made them comrades

--Thank you very much. You two seem to work together like partners (laughs), but how did you first meet?

Shimamura　I first met you around 2005, after you became president of Hermès Japon. I was in charge of marketing and PR at Harry Winston.

Saito　I was a director of the Ginza Street Association. Hermès was the first foreign brand to buy land and open a store on Harumi Street, and in order to do so they had to join the association. Ginza is the largest district in Japan, but unlike Marunouchi and Nihonbashi, it is a rare organization run by the shopping district itself, without any developers involved.

Planning for the Hermès store began in 1997 and construction was completed in 2001. After that, more and more international fashion brands began opening stores throughout Ginza.

Shimamura　At that time, there were about 12 or 13 companies.

Saito　Then, I was asked to bring together foreign brands, and I was made chairman of GILC (Ginza International Luxury Committee), an organization within the Ginza Street Association. Foreign brands place importance on their own individuality, and they don't do things together. However, as they were opening stores in Ginza, they began to feel that they had to coexist with the town, and so they started talking about doing something together.

We decided to gather young jazz musicians from each brand's home country - the US, Italy, France, the UK, and Japan - and call it the "Ginza International Jazz Festival."

Shimamura　The actual running of the event was a lot of work, from casting and inviting artists to securing venues for performances, sponsorship activities, and police permission. Of course, it wasn't just GILC; everyone in Ginza was also very proactive and helpful.

Saito　Both Hermès and Chanel had jazz performances in their stores, Matsuya even had one on the rooftop, and on the day of the festival, people said, "You can hear jazz when you walk through Ginza." We even had Nabe Sada (Watanabe Sadao) perform at the final event. Shimamura and I did things like that together, so we have a kind of comrade-in-arms relationship.

Shimamura　I was the secretary of the GILC Working Committee, so I remember that Mr. Saito and I always worked together. I will never forget the time we were allowed to use the Kabukiza as the main venue for our jazz festival the year before it was rebuilt.

Saito　So, when you two first met, it was through cultural activities related to the brand, so when you think about it now, you had a consensus from the beginning that you would collaborate through culture (laughs).