In recent years, the number of Japanese cultural facilities has increased dramatically. Countless new art, history, science museums, as well as concert halls and other venues have been founded in the past two decades. Such facilities are the mainstay of a society that promotes lifelong learning, and play a vital role in the creation, maintenance and development of regional culture. At present, however, many such institutions lack an adequate staff of well-trained trained professionals to manage and support them. The "Arts Management" course, one of the first of its kind at a Japanese national university, was established in order to help remedy this situation. The program is built on a foundation of cultural and artistic understanding and sensitivity, and a thorough knowledge of management methods and skills gained through practical training and experience. The program aims to produce arts management personnel (curators, concert managers, administrators in private and public organizations, etc.) skilled in various fields of culture, including event- planning, management, education, and outreach. These skills allow program graduates to mediate between artists and audiences and help bridge the gap between the world of the arts and society at large.