Yale University Library Research Guides: Japan Studies: Journals

Fulltext Journal Databases

For articles in English, please see the English Language Resources in the right column.

CiNii CiNii (Scholarly and Academic Information Navigator, pronounced like "sigh-knee") is a database for information on academic articles published in academic society journals or university research bulletins, and for articles included in the National Diet Library's Japanese Periodicals Index Database.
J-Stage J-STAGE is a platform for scholarly publications accessing more than 3,200 journals, conference proceedings, and others from 1,800 publishers in Japan.

Online Fulltest Journals

Japanese language

Fūzoku Gahō 風俗画報 (JK:1889-1916) One of the first Japanese illustrated magazines from Meiji 22 (1889) to Taishō 5 (1916) depicting manners and customs of Meiji Japan. Including prints and photographs, all articles in the magazine are searchable by titles, authors, dates, place names and keywords. The database can also be used for finding pictorial and encyclopedic information about variety of topics. (Below are some examples of keywords.)
Taiyō 太陽 (JK:1895-1928) Taiyō was a comprehensive journal published by Hakubunkan from Meiji 28 (1895) to Showa 3 (1928). The collection includes a total of 531 issues (175,000 pages), with contributions from approximately 6,500 authors. Fields covered are government, economics, society, general natural science, literature, and manners and customs. Because of its comprehensiveness, the online version of this journal provides some of useful features, including indexing with controlled vocabularies. All the colored illustrations are also included and indexed. The Taiyō database includes special issues特別号 of Taiyō, except some maps and tables in supplements.
Tokyo Keizai 東洋経済新報/週刊東洋経済 (JK:1895-2015)
Taiwan Nichi Nichi Shinpō 臺灣日日新報 (1898-1911) Taiwan Nichi Nichi Shinpō is a newspaper published beginning in 1898, a result of the merger of Taiwan Shinpō and Taiwan Nippō. It consists of both a Japanese (1898.5-1944.3) and a Chinese language version (1905.7-1911.11), and covers legislation and news as well as cultural activities in Taiwan under Japanese occupation.
Taihō geppo 臺法月報 The database contains rare and important colonial Taiwan’s monthly law journal 法院月報 = Fa yuan yue bao = Hōin geppō. The journal later changed its name to臺法月報 =台法月報 = Tai fa yue bao = Taihō geppō.
Bijutsu shinto 美術新報 (JK: 1902-20) An authoritative art magazine from the Meiji and Taisho eras, scholarly articles on modern Japanese art history. Full of plates and illustrations.
Mita Bungaku Online 三田文学 (1910-1945) Japanese literary magazine in 1910 at Keio University. It includes early works by authors such as Mori Ōgai, Ishizaka Yōjirō, Izumi Kyōka, Kitahara Hakushū, Tanizaki Jun'ichirō, Minakami Takitarō, Kojima Masajirō, Akutagawa Ryūnosuke, and Sono Ayako. The online version is for issues from 1910 - 1950.
Bungeishunjū 文藝春秋 (JK:1923-75) This monthly magazine was founded by the author Kikuchi Kan in January 1923 (Taisho 12). The digital version available starts from there and goes up to December 1, 1950 (Showa 25). The monthly issues feature literary works, including recipients of famous literary awards it grants including the Akutagawa Prize and the Naoki Prize.
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Issues also include articles on various topics reflecting the general interests of people in the era. The database provides full-text search functions on 90,000 PDF pages of the original magazine.
Asahi Graph アサヒグラフ (Kikuzō: 1923-1945) "Asahi Graph, a pictorial magazine established in 1923. The database provides digital archive of images in color of issues up until 1945."
Kokusai shashin jōhō 國際寫眞情報 (International Photographic Information1922 -1968) "Kokusai Shashin Joho (International Photographic Information) was a monthly graphical magazine published by Kokusai Joho Sha from August 1922 to June 1968, with a break in publication during and after the war (the magazine was published before the war until March 1945 and resumed publication from the May 1951 issue). The magazine was published in various fields, including international affairs, politics, the imperial family, industry, social issues, education, architecture, art, medicine, religion, travel, entertainment, sports, science, fashion, entertainment, and daily life. It was composed of many photographs and texts from Japan and abroad.”
Seifūzoku kishō zasshi korekushon 性風俗稀少雑誌コレクション (1950s-1970s)
The Mainichi graphic 每日グラフ "Mainichi Graph was a photo news magazine published by Mainichi Shimbun in July 1948. After changing its format and frequency of publication and changing its name to "Amuse," the magazine ceased publication in 2001. It introduced a wide range of genres, from politics and economics to entertainment, music, and sports, and continued to attract attention for its innovative layout and pithy writing, even in an era when the graph magazines competed with each other."
AERA アエラ (Kikuzō:1988-) AERA can be searched and viewed as a part of Kikuzo database. Provide articles (without photos) from May 24, 1988 to present.
Shūkan Asahi 週刊朝日 (Kikuzō: 2000-) News articles portion of journal from April, 2000 to present can be searched in Kikuzo II database.
Shūkan Economisuto 週刊エコノミスト (JK: past 2 years) Useful online database that contains past 2 years of the journal accessible with keyword search.

English language

Index to Journal Articles

Articles published before 1980s

Kōseisha Zasshi Kiji Sakuin Shūsei Database (ざっさくプラス)
This combines content previously available in its other databases, such as MagazinePLUS. It indexes journals published in the Meiji, Taishō and early Shōwa periods, as well as minor journals that were published in local prefectures and cities.
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This database is one of several major journal index databases available for Japanese journals. It is the only one that provides an index of journal articles published in the Meiji, Taishō, and early Shōwa periods to the present. It also contains important local journals that were published in prefectures and cities that are not in the NDL journal index. Users can search terms in the modern language for words changed historically. In addition, each search clarifies which Japanese university library holds the specific journal and desired article.

Published after 1980

CiNii: Open Access Journals
J-Stage J-STAGE is a platform for scholarly publications accessing more than 3,200 journals, conference proceedings, and others from 1,800 publishers in Japan.
NDL Zasshi Kiji Sakuin- Japanese Periodicals Index
Most citations in this database for scholarly journal articles include author name readings in kana. These readings, especially little-known authors, may be otherwise impossible to find since Waseda and NACSIS only contain the names of book authors and journal editors/institutions.

Subject specific

Kokubungaku Rongun Mokuroku Database 国文学論文目録データベース
Comprehensive database for research on Japanese literature published from the 1920s to the present. It includes citations of any works on Japanese literature in books, journal articles, bulletins and annuals.
Web Oya
Web Oya is an online database of the index from the Ōya Sōichi Bunko (below), which is well known for its strong collection of popular weekly, general interest, and women's magazines. Web Oya lets you search titles, keywords and people (as authors or subjects) of popular magazine articles from 1988 to 1995. Although the database is rapidly and continuously adding contents from magazines published in 1868 to 1987, for full coverage of the collection, please consult their print version in the East Asia Library Reference. (Please note: this database is only for magazine index. It is NOT full-text. For obtaining the actual journal, please check Orbis for availability.)
Oya Sōichi Bunko
The Oya Sōichi Bunko is known for its strong collection of popular weekly, general interest, and women's magazines. Web Oya lets you search about 400 different titles from 1988 to 1995. For wider coverage from 1868 to 1995, consult their print version in the East Asia Library Reference.
Annual Bibliography of Oriental Studies 東洋学文献類目検索 [第 5.2α 版]
The version 5 of this database provides citations only for articles published before 1980.
Annual Bibliography of Oriental Studies 東洋学文献類目検索 [第 6.10 版]
Unlike its previous version, version 6 provides citations of articles up to 2006.
20-seiki media joho detabesu Index to the magazines and a portion of the Gordon W. Prange Collection newspapers. All of the publications date from the early years of the Occupation of Japan,1945-1949, and constitute the files of the Civil Censorship Detachment.

English Language Resources

Bibliography of Asian Studies
BAS contains citation records on all subjects (especially in the humanities and the social sciences) pertaining to East, Southeast, and South Asia published in Western-languages from 1971 to the present. The online BAS has all the data from BAS print editions from 1971 to 1991, which included citations to periodical articles, monographs, book chapters, conference proceedings, etc. But BAS has not added monographs published since 1992, so users need to search WorldCat for recently published monographs. BAS has identified 100+ most important periodicals in Asian Studies and indexed them on a priority basis.
Online English Journals in East Asian Studies
Lists major academic journals on East Asian and Japan studies. Click the "Japan Focus" link on the top to view full text journals specific to Japan online.

Yale University holds many Japan-related academic serials, whose full texts articles are accessible through online databases. Search with databases like Google Scholar to locate articles.

Japan Studies: Journals

Fulltext Journal Databases

Online Fulltest Journals

Index to Journal Articles

English Language Resources

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