On September 3, the Akita Prefectural Governor announced plans to donate the former Akita Prefectural Art Museum to Akita City.
Due to the building's age and deterioration, the prefecture originally planned to demolish the 49-year old building. Akita City, however, have plans to repair and use the building. The estimated cost to repair and retrofit the building had earlier been estimated at over 1.1 billion Yen (9.2 million USD), while demolition would cost just 160 million Yen (1.3 million USD).