Chibariyo! Navigating Cultural Resources Compliance on U.S. Military Installations in Japan

Summary

Following World War II, the U.S. established military bases throughout Japan. Multiple cultural resources investigations have since been conducted at many of these facilities in compliance with applicable U.S. federal laws and regulations, the Government of Japan’s laws, and guidelines outlined by U.S. Forces Japan. Success in these projects required meetings with various stakeholders, including the Prefectural and local municipal Boards of Education in Honshu and Okinawa, Japan. These investigations have contributed to ongoing processes of inventory and evaluation of historic architectural properties, archaeological sites, and traditional cultural properties, as well as the development of detailed management procedures for addressing effects of proposed projects on significant cultural resources at U.S military facilities. These international investigations have allowed us to reflect on the Section 106 process followed stateside, and compare it to the Section 402 process of the NHPA and other cultural resources guidelines that are applicable to U.S. military installations in Japan. This paper considers the complexities of cultural resources compliance in Japan, where regulations can extend beyond federal land and undertakings. Additionally, we will discuss the higher incidence of government-funded archaeologists in Japan and the roles of those stakeholders at the local scale of archaeological practice.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• Realities on the Ground: Pasts, Presents, and Futures of the National Historic Preservation Act

Keywords

Spatial Coverage