French-Japanese Workshop on Material Sciences for Cultural Heritage
For the purpose of discussing science for cultural heritage and building new research collaborations between France and Japan, a symposium titled “French-Japanese Workshop on Material Sciences for Cultural Heritage” was held on March 13 in 2024 in the seminar room of the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN). The seminar was co-organized by the Embassy of France in Japan, the National Center for Research and Restoration in French Museums, the Foundation of Science for Cultural Heritage, and TOBUNKEN.
The program of the symposium consisted of five sessions: ceramic, paper, wood, painting, and environment/sustainable conservation. On each topic, lectures were provided by French and Japanese researchers, followed by discussions. Also, a lively panel discussion followed the five sessions and went beyond a summary of the symposium to include future prospects for the sciences for cultural heritage (Participants: 61, including 8 French researchers).
A closed roundtable meeting was held on March 14 with participation of all the speakers and moderators of the symposium. Fruitful discussions were held for establishing new research collaborations concerning sciences for cultural heritage between French and Japanese experts.