This section organizes some basic resources on doing academic research on Japan.
Directory of Japanese Studies in the United States and Canada
Compiled by the Japan Foundation, this online directory lists Japanese Studies programs at American and Canadian universities and colleges, libraries and museum collections, as well as individual information about Japan specialists.
UM Resources on Japan
For links to University of Michigan resources on Japan including the Asia Library and the University of Michigan Museum of Art, see the UM Resources on Japan section of this website.
Funding for Research
For links to grants and fellowships for research on Japan related topics, see
- Student Funding section of this website for undergraduate and graduate students
- Links for Teachers and Students page in the Resources of this website for K-14 teachers and students
Professional Associations
Association for Asian Studies (AAS) is the main national professional association for Japanese Studies.
American Association of Teachers of Japanese (AATJ) is the national professional association focused on Japanese language and language pedagogy in elementary, secondary, and postsecondary education.
In addition, many discipline-based professional associations sponsor special interest groups that focus on Japan, East Asia, or Asia. The following is a partial list:
- Society for East Asian Anthropology, sponsored by the American Anthropological Association
- Japan Art History Forum, affiliated with College Art Association and the Association for Asian Studies
- Section on Asia and Asian America, sponsored by the American Sociological Association
Numerous special interest groups that focus on particular aspects or subfields of Japanese Studies provide scholars and students interested in a particular area to network and share resources and experiences. Many operate in conjunction with national and international professional associations such as AAS. Here is a partial list:
- Early Modern Japan Network (EMJNet, affiliated with AAS): focuses on the study of Japan in the early modern period; publishes an online journal Early Modern Japan: An Interdisciplinary Journal.
- Japanese Paleography and Textual Scholarship (J-PATS): Based in the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Cambridge and co-founded by Yamabe Susumu, Laura Moretti and Ellis Tinios, this international network promotes a variety of activities that relate to the study of Japanese early-modern Japanese resources in their original format.
Online Discussion Forums and Lists
H-Net: Humanities and Social Sciences Online maintains numerous discussion lists on topics related to the humanities and the social sciences. Lists may be organized by world region or by topic. H-Japan and H-Asia are two region-based lists that include discussion related to Japan.
PMJS: Premodern Japanese Studies is a worldwide network of scholars, students and professionals who do research specifically related to earlier periods of Japanese history, literature, art, culture, religion, and language. The core of PMJS is a listserve that functions to facilitate scholarly discussion among members. PMJS Papers publishes academic material in both traditional and non-traditional formats, styles, and lengths.
Research Guides by Subject
The North American Coordinating Committee on Japanese Library Resources (NCC) hosts a web portal on Japan-related research and study guides organized by subject.
Research Access at Japanese Libraries, Museums and Archives
NCC's Online Guide to Research Access in Japan's major Museums, Libraries and Archives (MLAs) with links to their key Websites
Links to Online Archives and Research Materials
Working Words: New Approaches in Japanese Studies contains thirteen essays by scholars of Japan in the humanities on topics such as music/sound, history, Buddhist confession, beauty, otaku, native land, memory, science, and western art. Made available through the University of California, Berkeley Center for Japanese Studies.
Kinema Club
Kinema Club is a website devoted to the study of Japanese moving image media (film, television, video), edited by scholars of Japanese film. This site provides research, education, and reference information on Japanese cinema and other media and is also a peer-reviewed electronic publication.
Online Learning Materials
Visualizing Japan is a three-part mini-course taught entirely online in MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) format. For more information and registration, see the course website.
