Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi posted on X on Thursday that she is "very glad" Japan's calligraphy is set to be inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list, calling it a precious part of the country's culture.
The inscription is expected to be formally decided at a UNESCO intergovernmental committee meeting in December. "The government will also work toward a formal decision on the inscription," Takaichi wrote.
She described calligraphy as a Japanese tradition in which characters are expressed with brushes, ink, inkstones and paper, using traditional brushwork and techniques. "It has been passed down over a long time in daily life," she wrote.
“Characters left through calligraphy play an important role in passing on knowledge, values and cultural memory across generations.”Sanae Takaichi, prime minister, in a post on X
Takaichi also expressed "heartfelt respect" for those working to carry the practice forward.