The focus section of this issue is dedicated to Japan.

Of special interest in this number is the story about the 10th anniversary of the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao. The articles describe what a museum can do for a regional economy, the so-called Bilbao effect, but also expose that there are multiple conditions for success which are not easily met by potential imitators.

Worth attention furthermore: the brief portrait of the Vatican's new Minister of Culture, Monsignor Gianfranco Ravasi (p.14); the report on the broadband TV channel the Tate Gallery is planning to launch next month as an film and video resource on its website (p.51).

Also included: the dossier What's on providing information on activities of museums and galleries, fairs, auctions and so on worldwide