Top » Japan Professional Photographers Society, Activities
Establishing the Status of Photographers
We received a permit to operate as an incorporated body under the jurisdiction of MEXT. Since our establishment in 1950, JPS has promoted the creative activities of professional photographers, and worked to establish the photographers’ occupation and status on an ongoing basis.
Promoting Amendments to Copyright Laws and Educational Activities
JPS collaborated with the Japan Photographic Copyright Organization to create a campaign aimed at amending the copyright laws. As a result, the copyright duration has been extended to 50 years after the death of the artist. Based on the previous copyright law (which guaranteed works for a period of 10 years following the first public display or publication), however, the copyright duration for a number of existing works by photographers has already expired. We are campaigning to retroactively restore those copyrights.
JPS hosts symposiums related to the photography business, including copyrights, contracts and portrait rights, as well as lectures throughout Japan. JPS has published Photograph Copyrights (2003) related to copyright and portrait rights, and The Rules and Manners of Snapshot Photos (2007, Asahi Shinsho).
Photography Education and Hosting Lectures and Study Groups
JPS operates a Photo Learning Program for elementary school children at schools throughout Japan. We have also set up a series of Digital Photo Lectures for high school photo club advisers and conduct workshops on photography and technical guidance. JPS hosts Photo Forums, which discuss the social role of photographs for the general public and holds events aimed at promoting the further dissemination of the role and meaning of photographs. JPS hosts study groups related to newly developed products and digital technology, along with workshops.
Hosting JPS Exhibitions Open to Entries Submitted by the General Public and Promotion Photography
Through the JPS Exhibitions, which are held both in Kyoto and Tokyo, we make efforts to find promising new talent and exhibit and recognize these works in conjunction with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award. In an effort to promote photography, JPS also hosts lectures and seminars for photograph enthusiasts at various exhibition sites. The JPS Catalogue of Exhibited Works is published annually.
Establishment of Yonosuke Natori Photographic Award to Uncover New Talent
To find and promote budding photographers under 30 years of age, JPS accepts entries submitted on a general basis for this award. In addition to the award itself, winning works are exhibited.
Recognition via Japan Professional Photographers Society Award
JPS recognizes those who have contributed to photography-related inventions, development and cultural development with its Japan Professional Photographers Society Award.
Hosting Special Exhibitions and Compiling Photographic Histories
JPS hosts photo exhibitions by its members along with special exhibitions. Notably, material from the following exhibitions — A Century of Japanese Photography (1968), Japan Modern Photography (1975) and Modern Japanese Photography: The Eye That Records and Creates (1995) — was published in book form by Heibonsha as Japanese Photography History 1840–1945 (1971), History of Japanese Contemporary Photography 1945–70 (1977) and History of Japanese Contemporary Photography 1945–95 (2000). These books have become standard works on the history of photography in Japan. JPS also hosted the Sixty Years of Japanese Children exhibition, and a photographic collection under the same name was published by Shinchosha.
International Exchange and the Dispatch and Reception of Trainees
JPS sends representatives to international meetings and is also engaged in the recommendation of candidates participating in the Budding Artists Study Abroad System run by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. We also receive artists from overseas who are invited to visit Japan as trainees. JPS aims to deepen cultural exchange based on photography through the goodwill extended to overseas photographers visiting Japan.
JPS as a Source of Information
JPS publishes the Japan Professional Photographers Society Bulletin, established in 1956, published quarterly, and JPS News, established in 1969 and published 11 times a year. These present information on the society’s activities and members’ movements to both the photographic world and general public. We release information regarding the society’s activities through the JPS website http://www.jps.gr.jp/. JPS also publishes a List of Members on a biennial basis and History of the Japan Professional Photographers Society.
Establishing Photography Museums and Promoting the Campaign to Establish the Japan Photographic Preservation Center
JPS established the Committee to Promote Photography Museums and has succeeded in establishing numerous photograph museums. We are at present promoting a campaign to establish a Japan Photographic Preservation Center to engage in the collection, preservation and utilization of photo plates as a historic and cultural heritage.