Building the Governance to Conserve and Utilize Industrial Heritage in East Asia: The Cases of Japan and Taiwan

This study examines the difference between Japan and Taiwan in building governance for the conservation and reuse of industrial heritage. Japan started paying attention to industrial facilities as heritage due to the neglect of heritage, regional decline, and awareness of asset conservation in both cases. In contrast, conservation projects in Taiwan started because under policy of disposing of public properties, the abandoned heritage was at the risk of redevelopment. Japan’s policy goal was to conserve assets in both cases, while Taiwan aimed at regenerating modern industrial heritage and revitalizing the region. In all three cases, we found that there was a promotion organization which consisted primarily of residents and citizens. In Japan’s case, local governments played a more prominent role than the central government; in Taiwan, both the central and local governments did their part appropriately. These differences between the two countries are also observed in the process of decommissioning industrial facilities and citizens’ awareness of industrial heritage.