TOKYO.- The Foundation for Cultural Heritage and Art Research (Ueno, Taito Ward, Tokyo/ President: Ryohei Miyata) announced that a project entitled “Save Our Culture” has been launched in international collaboration with World Monuments Fund (NY, U.S.A/ President: Bonnie Burnham) and with cooperation from the Agency for Cultural Affairs and Tokyo University of the Arts.

SOC aims to raise domestic and international resources while identifying and assisting efforts at the local level to preserve and restore cultural heritage damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, contributing to rebuilding of afflicted communities.

SOC is seeking support for the rescue and restoration of three types of cultural heritage at risk that are the most urgent and/or have the most meaning nationally or locally: *Immovable (buildings and historic sites); *Movable (art objects and collections); and *Intangible heritage (material culture such as costumes, masks, and floats) associated with traditional Japanese arts, both visual and performing, for the many important festivals and rituals that have taken place in these communities for centuries.

Beginning Nov. 2, 2011, calls for fundraising will be made globally under the newly designed SOC logo and HP. (save-our-culture.jp). The period for submitting funding applications will be announced later for SOC’s further operation, including site selections in or before April 2012. The SOC initiative is tentatively set to continue for five years during which an initial goal is to raise 500 million Japanese Yen globally.

The SOC partners who have either made or committed donations as of today include (alphabetical order): Barclays Capital Japan Limited; Barclays Bank PLC, Tokyo Branch; Barclays Capital Fund Solutions Japan Limited; Deutsche Bank Group; HERMÈS JAPON CO., LTD.; JP Morgan; Mitsubishi Corporation; Nomura Foundation; Sompo Japan Insurance Inc.; and SOMPO JAPAN FINE ART FOUNDATION.