The International Research Center for Japanese Studies (Nichibunken) was founded in Kyoto, 1987. Devoted to interdisciplinary and comprehensive research on Japanese culture from a global perspective, it is an inter-university research institute supported by government funds. Nichibunken provides research cooperation and support for Japanese studies scholars around the world.
Library and Resources
Nichibunken performs the role of resource center, providing information and bibliographical assistance to scholars and research institutions engaged in Japanese studies. The 560,000 titles in the library can be searched via OPAC, CiNii and OCLC WorldCat. Researchers outside may use the inter-library loan (ILL) system to apply for document copying and the borrowing of books and other materials. Among its special collections are books and maps relating to Japan published in Europe prior to 1854, and a multiplicity of other material. As well as the collection, we now provide public online access to forty-two databases (as of July 1, 2020). http://db.nichibun.ac.jp/en/
Publications
The results of research at Nichibunken are made widely available for the benefit of international society through books, scholarly periodicals, lectures, symposiums, and other means. Among them are Japan Review (in English) and Nihon kenkyū (in Japanese), two refereed interdisciplinary journals published by Nichibunken. Both invite the submission of full-length academic articles, research notes, and review articles. Submission to the journals is open to all those engaged in the study of Japanese culture past and present. All back issues are available on the Nichibunken website, and Japan Review is now featured on JSTOR.
Visiting Research Scholars and Fellows
As an international research center, Nichibunken opens its doors to the world by inviting many scholars from foreign countries to carry out international and interdisciplinary research related to Japanese culture. Foreign scholars are classified as “visiting research scholars,” who are accepted for periods from three months to one year and receive a salary from Nichibunken, and “visiting research fellows,” whose income is provided by public and other foundations. In addition to carrying out their own research, foreign scholars at Nichibunken take part in team research projects organized by Nichibunken and deliver presentations at seminars, forums, and international meetings. They also have the opportunity to publish the results of their research in the publications of Nichibunken. We hope that the close collaboration of these foreign researchers with the professors at Nichibunken and other Japanese scholars will become the base for the further development of Japanese studies around the world. Information regarding applications will be made available from: http://research.nichibun.ac.jp/en/employment/
Graduate Education
Nichibunken is the institutional home of the Department of Japanese Studies in the School of Cultural and Social Studies at the Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI. It is a national university founded in 1988 as Japan’s first institution of higher learning devoted exclusively to graduate education. The Department offers graduate instruction and guidance toward the Ph.D. degree. Nichibunken provides orientation and guidance on Japanese studies for Japanese and foreign graduate students who are affiliated with other educational institutions.
Nichibunken Official YouTube Channel (in Japanese)