On 14 March 2016, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo (NRICP) and ICCROM, at the ICCROM offices in Rome, Italy.

The agreement consolidates the collaboration ongoing since 1992 between NRICP and ICCROM for the organisation of training events for paper conservation.  It will strengthen a partnership which has succeeded since 2003 in foreseeing implementation of the International Course on Conservation of Japanese Paper.

The MoU was signed by Prof Stefano De Caro, Director-General of ICCROM, and Dr Nobuo Kamei, Director of NRICP. Also in attendance were Dr Masato Kato, researcher at NRICP,  Katriina Similä, Project Manager, ICCROM and Akiko Umezu, Project Manager, ICCROM.

This MoU forms the basis for implementing the joint hosting of international training courses concerning Japanese restoration techniques of washi, or Japanese paper. The training course will be hosted  by the independent administrative institution of NRICP once a year in Japan. ICCROM is pleased to be able to reconfirm this longstanding collaboration with Japan, and is grateful for the commitment of the Japanese heritage authorities to this joint activity.

State represented: Japan