Goal 8: DECENT WORK AND ECONOMIC GROWTH
SDG Goal 8 is to promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, productive full employment and decent work for all.
In recent years, the traditional craft industry has been experiencing a downward trend and the number of artisans supporting the industry has been declining proportionally. The cause of these serious problems is the decline in sales of Japanese crafts and the lack of popularity among young people. In addition, the. revitalization of rural areas is essential factor for achieving sustainable economic growth. Also, the number of young people moving to urban area increased can be linked to decrease in labor inputs in rural area, which may bring negative impact on regional development.
In Kyoto, where our company Suigenkyo is based, there are still many craft studios that support traditional Japanese culture. However, whenwe talk to craftspeople, we often hear that the craft industry is losing its momentum compared to previous years. This case is not only for craftspeople in Kyoto; there are craftspeople all over Japan, and many crafts are made by taking advantage of the local climate and raw materials. In fact, in order to break out of the current state of the craft industry, craftspeople in each region are working with their creativity and ingenuity to create new works of art and to promote the attractiveness of Japanese crafts to the world. We believe that these changes in the craft industry will continue, and that if every craftspeople’s work got exposed to public more, it will create a virtuous circle in the employment rate and economic development of those regions. With this point of view, we would like to contribute to solving the problem of Objective 8 ‘Decent Work and Economic Growth’ by promoting the attractiveness of traditional crafts both at domestic and international market.
