KYOTO -- The Cultural Affairs Agency began operations Monday in Kyoto after relocating from Tokyo.
The relocation was part of the government's efforts to rectify the overconcentration of population and other matters in Tokyo and boost other communities.
This is the first time that a central government office has been relocated to outside Tokyo.
Some of the agency's operations will remain in Tokyo and work with the Kyoto office on measures to protect cultural properties and promote Japanese culture overseas, among other initiatives.
The new office consists of the three-story former main building of the Kyoto Prefectural Police Headquarters and a six-story administrative building newly built next door, and is located on the premises of the Kyoto prefectural office.
On Monday morning, a ceremony was held to unveil the nameplate of the new government building, with agency Commissioner Shunichi Tokura, local officials and others in attendance.
Five of nine divisions of the agency are being relocated to Kyoto from Tokyo's Kasumigaseki district. Among the five is a division related to cultural properties.
About 390 employees, or 70% of a total 590 staffers, are set to work in Kyoto.
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