Library Guides: Japanese Studies: Popular & Trade Sources

News & Current Events

The Asahi Shimbun Asia & Japan Watch
The English-language digital version of The Asahi Shimbun, Japan's leading daily newspaper.
The Japan Times (2015-)
The most widely read English language newspaper in Japan that provides articles originally written in English based on independent reporting (versus translations from Japanese articles). Articles published before 2015 can be accessed on the Japan Times Archives (1897-2014).
Yomidas Rekishikan [Licensed for 3 simultaneous users shared among 5 institutions]
Includes the full text of the Yomiuri Shinbun, from its initial publication in 1874 to date, as well as full text of the Daily Yomiuri, its English language equivalent, and a biographical dictionary of modern Japanese figures. Articles are searchable by keywords in Japanese and English. The database is divided into three sections--Meiji, Taisho and Showa Eras; Heisei Era (September 1986 to present); The Daily Yomiuri (English publication). An additional section--The Contemporary Who's Who is available in Japanese only.

Databases

Nexis Uni (formerly LexisNexis Academic) This link opens in a new window
Nexis Uni delivers unmatched depth and quality when it comes to content. With more than 15,000 news, legal and business sources, Nexis Uni helps students find credible sources including: Print and online journals, television and radio broadcasts, newswires and blogs; Local, regional, national and international newspapers with deep archives; Extensive legal sources for federal and state cases and statutes, including U.S. Supreme Court decisions since 1790; Unparalleled business information on more than 80 million U.S. and international companies and more than 75 million executives.
Factiva This link opens in a new window
Successor to Dow Jones News Service, Factiva provides access to global news and business information, including newspapers, same-day newswires, company reports, and media programs. Usage info: Licensed for 4 simultaneous users. Access info: Historically Factiva only worked with IE version 5 or higher. Since then, several other browser options have been added.
Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) daily reports This link opens in a new window
"Created by the U.S. intelligence community to benefit policy makers and analysts, FBIS Daily Reports offer foreign views and perspectives on historical events from thousands of monitored broadcasts and publications. Translated into English from more than 50 languages - from Arabic to Swahili - these comprehensive media reports from around the globe include news, interviews, speeches and editorial commentary."--Product description.
World news connection This link opens in a new window
Provides English translations of news sources prepared by the U.S. government from around the world. Successor to the Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS).

Film Reviews

Nexis Uni (formerly LexisNexis Academic) This link opens in a new window
More than 3,000 newspapers and 2,000 magazines from around the globe.

Proquest News & Newspapers
Click Advanced Search above the search box. In Document Type (under Search Options), select "Review."
Film Literature Index
Approximately 700,000 citations to articles, film reviews and book reviews published between 1976-2001. Searchable and browsable subject headings, names, and production titles.

Scholarly Projects & Communities

Japanese Historical Text Initiative (JHTI)
This database, hosted by the Center for Japanese Studies, University of California, Berkeley, provides access to a vast amount of historical texts in the Japanese original and the English translation. Included are: 1) Ancient chronicles (e.g., the Kojiki, completed in 712 CE; 2) Ancient gazetteers; 3) Ancient religio-civil code; 4) Medieval chronicles and tales; 5) Medieval and early-modern interpretive histories; 6) Religion and polity in the modern state; etc. For details, see About JHTI.
Guides to the Digital Archive of Japan's 2011 Disasters (JDA)
A navigation and reference guide to the Japan Disaster Archive, a digital collection documenting the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011.
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The JDA is a partnership of organizations including several terabits of data contained in Internet Archive, photographs archived by Yahoo! Japan, many layers of maps and and videos, tweets collected by Hypercities, testimonials from victims and visitors to the site, and much more.

Popular Sources

Web Japan
Information on Japan across many different genres including culture, sightseeing, society, history and nature. The content is provided primarily in English, but a portion of the site is multilingual. Sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and operated by a Japanese non government organization.
Japanese Book News
Japan Foundation's quarterly publication that provides information on new books and recent topics of Japan’s publishing culture. The site additionally provides information on support programs for translation and publication on Japan, and of Japanese works.
Nippon.com
Succeeding the magazine Japan Echo (1974-2010), the website provides "insightful views on the nation’s politics, economy, and society, as well as lighter looks at culture, food, and art that will appeal to a broad audience worldwide and paint a fuller picture of Japan." Published in seven languages, including Japanese, English, and Chinese.
The J Guide: Stanford Guide to Japan Information Resources
This topically arranged directory (maintained by the US-Asia Technology Management Center (USATMC), School of Engineering, Stanford University) provides links to online resources in and about Japan, including the government organizations (links to English and Japanese websites), universities, employment, traveling, etc.