Notable Moments

April 28, 2022

At a press conference in April 1999, Kazuo Inamori, then President of the Kyoto Chamber of Commerce and Industry, expressed his intention to mediate reconciliation between the Kyoto City government and the Kyoto Buddhist Association, which had been in a long-standing conflict.

Upon inheriting the presidency of the Kyoto Chamber of Commerce and Industry from Koichi Tsukamoto, the founder of Wacoal, Inamori had a strong desire to resolve issues that could not be carried over into the 21st century during his tenure. One of those issues was the dispute between Kyoto City and the Kyoto Buddhist Association.

The conflict began in 1982 when Kyoto City proposed a tax on temple admission fees, a concept known as the Ancient City Tax. The Buddhist Association retaliated by suspending admissions three times from 1985, with the longest period lasting 10 months. While the Ancient City Tax was eventually abandoned, the Association strongly opposed the city's move to relax building height regulations in urban areas, leading to a prolonged conflict that significantly impacted the tourism industry.

With no heavy industry, Inamori saw the revival of tourism as a crucial factor in revitalizing Kyoto. He considered reconciliation between the two parties indispensable. Having established a relationship with the Buddhist Association through his conversion to Buddhism in 1997 and also having interacted with the then Mayor of Kyoto, Yorikane Masumoto, through his role as President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inamori stepped in as a mediator.

In response to Inamori's call to revitalize Kyoto's sluggish tourism, on May 20, 1999, both parties signed a joint declaration committing to work together for the revitalization of tourism in Kyoto and the creation of a cityscape with due consideration to the landscape. Inamori said, "It's heartening to see both parties' willingness to contribute to the development of Kyoto." On this momentous day, Inamori, Arima Raitei, the president of the Kyoto Buddhist Association, and Mayor Masumoto exchanged a firm handshake with each other, finally marking an end to the 17-year-long conflict.

Photo: From left, Kyoto Buddhist Association president Arima Raitei, Inamori, and Mayor Yorikane Masumoto exchanging a firm handshake