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Japan's development and influence have long been reflected in its architecture, and that influence is set to continue.
International architecture has changed dramatically in the last 50 years. There is presently no predominant school of thought, no one style that can guarantee an investor success, no visionary who can singularly lead an architectural movement and no one building that sums up the Zeitgeist as was so often the case throughout the 20th century. The 21st century has begun with a greater emphasis on the ecological footprint of buildings and their sustainability, rather than just aesthetics.
Japanese architecture not only reflects this change, but is in many ways beating a path for the rest of us. Japan understands it must deal with the regional climate and risky environment, and express its traditional culture in a contemporary architectural language that is appropriate to its citizens' needs. From the Kyoto Protocol in 1997 which marked an awakening to the issue of
climate change, to the Fukushima disaster in 2011, not only have architects begun questioning costs, but the decisions of past generations. There is a new holistic rethinking about genius loci, privileging the right concept for the right place. The involvement of local citizens in discussions, the development of their 24/7 living, working and recreation quarters, Japan's ageing society, and its seismic exposure compel architects to seek better answers that are acceptable to all citizens, young and old.
Architecture has always developed through cross-fertilisation, and the import and export of techniques around the world. This "copy and paste" has produced some of the great architectural wonders of the world-in Nara, the capital of Japan from 710 to 784, for example, the national museum was built during the Meiji period in 1894 and designed by Katayama Tökuma in the French Renaissance style. Or take Tokyo central train station, designed by...