Interview / I I I I

Exploring the Future and Potential of the Digital Archive

Discussing Expectations and Challenges Surrounding Archive Sustainability as a Community

: “Open Strategy Meeting & Gathering” Report

This report examines discussions on the sustainability and utilization of the “DDD (JAPAN Design Resource Database),” an initiative aimed at preserving and transmitting design resources across Japan to future generations. Through an open strategy meeting and gathering involving experts from diverse fields, key issues such as the social significance of design archives, models of governance and operation, and the potential of community-driven development are explored. The report situates the project within its transition from public to private leadership and considers its current challenges and future prospects.

On February 16, 2026, an open strategy meeting titled “Creating Japan’s Design Resources from Archives — Considering the Sustainability and Utilization of Design Archives” was held at the auditorium of The National Art Center, Tokyo. The event was co-hosted by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Abstract Engine Inc., NHK Educational Corporation, and the Design-DESIGN MUSEUM Association. Designers, researchers, industry representatives, and cultural policymakers gathered to participate.
“DESIGN Design design – JAPAN Design Resource Database (DDD)” was launched in March 2025 as a project to digitally network design resources scattered across Japan and pass them on to future generations. While it has been promoted as a METI initiative, operations will now be transferred to Abstract Engine Inc. The central theme of the day was how to achieve a sustainable transition from government support to private-sector autonomy.

The event took place at the auditorium of The National Art Center, Tokyo.

Why Design Archives Now?

Facilitator Seiichi Saito (CEO of Abstract Engine Inc. / Director of Panoramatiks) pointed out that design resources scattered across Japan are currently being lost due to factors such as the closure of corporate museums, natural disasters, and generational turnover. The concept behind DDD is not to gather these resources in a single location, but to connect them digitally while they remain distributed across the country. Kyoko Kuramori (NHK Educational) described this by saying, “The entire network could be called Japan’s design museum.”

This marked the first time that the expert meetings—previously held twice in closed settings—were opened to the public. The aim was to gather broad knowledge on the sustainability of DDD and build momentum as a community by involving experts and industry stakeholders.

Saito and Kuramori provided an introduction, explaining that with the transition of DDD from a METI-led project to Abstract Engine Inc., the expert meeting—previously held behind closed doors—was being opened to the public for the first time.

Design Resources Gathered in DDD

In the first half of the event, newly participating institutions registered in the DDD database during the current fiscal year reported on their motivations for participation and the resources they had contributed.
Kazumi Sugiyama, Director of the Zojirushi-operated “Mahobin Memorial Museum,” explained her motivation as follows:
“Corporate museums can be closed at a company’s discretion. Even last year, two or three museums run by major corporations were shut down. Physical objects will eventually disappear. That is precisely why we decided to participate—as an initiative to preserve them permanently.”

From the museum, items such as the “Pelican Pot” (first released in 1948, with a reissued version in 1988) and the “ZUTTO Rice Cooker” (which received the Good Design Award in 2004) have been registered in the DDD database.

Next, Yoichiro Tomioka, Head of the LIXIL Design & Brand Japan LWT Design Center, took the stage. After introducing how the company’s internal archive is used as a starting point for designers when creating new products, he expressed his expectations for DDD: “I hope it will become a platform for creating new value, not limited to a single company.”

LIXIL, which marked its 100th anniversary in 2024 (counting from its predecessor INAX), houses design materials of historical significance at the INAX Live Museum in Tokoname City, Aichi Prefecture. These include early Meiji-to-early Showa period porcelain urinals, Japan’s first toilet with a warm-water bidet function (“Sanitariina 61”), what was at the time the world’s smallest tankless toilet (“Satis”), and “Colorcon Mosaic Tiles” used by architect Togo Murano. These materials are also registered in the DDD database.

Naoto Fukasawa’s Question: The Difficulty of “Choosing”

Naoto Fukasawa, Director of the Japan Folk Crafts Museum and Vice President of Tama Art University, appeared as a special guest. The museum holds approximately 17,000 items selected based on the criteria established by Soetsu Yanagi. While joking that “there is not much space left to store them,” Fukasawa spoke about the significance of preserving these items precisely because they are masterpieces.

He noted that in Europe, family businesses are sometimes acquired by investors together with their archives; however, without connoisseurs capable of nurturing them, brands cannot grow. In response, Saito remarked that “Japan is a rare country that has not sold off its crafts piecemeal,” highlighting the uniqueness of Japan’s design resources.

Fukasawa also emphasized that in an age where digitalization allows for virtually unlimited storage, it is not necessary to preserve everything: “If there is something that is sufficient on its own, that alone is enough.” This perspective, which underscores the importance of curation—identifying essential source designs—carried over into the strategy discussion in the latter half of the event.

Open Strategy Meeting: Exploring the Sustainability of Archives

In the core session of the event—the “Open Strategy Meeting”—guest speakers exchanged ideas on concrete measures for sustaining DDD as a private-sector initiative.

Yohei Azagami (Co-founder of Zebras and Company), who has worked on initiatives promoting the sustainability of local communities such as Omori Town in Iwami Ginzan, proposed a donation-based sustainability model. The idea is to increase the number of supporters who resonate with DDD’s mission and to build an operational foundation through their contributions. He further emphasized that the potential of design archives extends beyond the design industry itself. For example, attracting visitors from overseas through design tourism and increasing the number of fans of Japanese craftsmanship could ultimately contribute to peace. This broad scope was a defining characteristic of the discussion.

Azagami cited the podcast “COTEN RADIO” as an example, proposing a model in which supporters are gathered through engagement with public-interest issues, and operations are sustained through monthly donations.

Kota Iguchi (CEKAI), a visual designer known for creating the first-ever “moving sports pictograms” in Olympic history, spoke about the significance of archives from the perspective of creators themselves:
“I would like to make the Tokyo 2020 motion graphics open data. However, in reality, there is the issue of where they can be archived.”
The absence of a proper archival destination for digital works clearly illustrated one of the roles that DDD could potentially fulfill.

Iguchi also introduced the example of CyArk, a pioneer in digital cultural heritage archives, emphasizing that rather than focusing on selling data, it is important to build momentum by gaining public support for the activity itself.

Discussion also extended to the nature of the operating body. Junsuke Nakamura (Design Policy Office, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry), who has been in charge of this project since the year before last, noted that there are various possible approaches to managing public-interest initiatives.

Junsuke Nakamura (Design Policy Office, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry):
“Design resources are in fact lying dormant within corporate museums that do not fall under the Museum Act. Bringing these to light was one of METI’s underlying themes,” he explained, describing the starting point of the DDD initiative.

Sakura Nomiyama, Director of the Takenobu Igarashi Archive at Kanazawa Institute of Technology, presented concrete ideas to support operations, such as developing an agency business that provides cataloging templates and facilitating auction mediation. She also discussed a concept of aggregating the archives of the Good Design Award to function as a “fixed-point observation” of design history. With references available online, such a system could serve as a kind of “textbook” in design history education.

Sakura Nomiyama (Director, Takenobu Igarashi Archive / Kanazawa Institute of Technology):
Referring to the example of the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in the United States—where works are selected and acquired for each triennial—she discussed the potential for DDD to serve a similar role as a “fixed-point observation” of design.

Gathering: Expanding the Community and Building Momentum

Shinji Yajima (Japan Institute of Design Promotion), speaking during the gathering:
He suggested that by reconsidering design as “a mirror reflecting human desires and the spirit of the times,” it may be possible to uncover new business potential.

In the latter half of the event, the format shifted to a gathering that included participants from the audience. The boundary between speakers and attendees was removed, creating a space for sharing individual challenges and expectations for DDD.

Participants offered perspectives from their respective positions. Kazuo Tanaka of JIDA (Japan Industrial Design Association) emphasized the importance of incorporating perspectives on everyday life and culture as criteria for curation, and noted that relying solely on data monetization to sustain operations may not be realistic. Mr. Habata of Nakagawa Masashichi Shoten, drawing on his previous experience at METI, spoke about the ongoing disruption of craft supply chains and stressed the need to advance the preservation of techniques from an industrial perspective. A representative from the Agency for Cultural Affairs reported that discussions are underway within the Council for Cultural Affairs to correct the traditional bias toward fine arts in museums and to promote diversification of genres, including design.

The venue also included experts who had been involved in previous coverage related to the DDD project. Design researcher Takemi Kuresawa reflected on the event as a whole, evaluating it as a meaningful discussion rich in insights, while also raising a challenge for the next phase: “To actually mobilize design resources, a strong driving force may be necessary.” Yasuko Seki of the Architectural Thinking Platform cited an example of a Kyoto company with a 400-year history, where traditional patterns and confectionery forms continue to function as living resources today, illustrating how accumulated history can directly connect to contemporary business.

Closing: Beyond the Discussion

Saito and Kuramori, who had served as facilitators at the beginning, took the stage once again to close the event.
Quoting the words of Ikko Tanaka, Kuramori spoke about the significance of DDD as “a reference for future generations.” Its potential is not limited to a database, but extends to areas such as design tourism, education, and international collaboration.
Saito referred to the concept of a design museum, which has been discussed for over two decades, and stated, “I believe it is important to continue these discussions as a community.” He expressed his intention to further develop DDD together with the community in the coming fiscal year and beyond, following its transition from METI, and with this, the event came to a close.