Greetings from the Director-General of JACAR
The Japan Center for Asian Historical Records (JACAR), National Archives of Japan, is a “digital archive” established in 2001 with the aim of facilitating access to digitized images of modern and contemporary historical records held by the government for the general public and citizens of relevant nations through the internet, thereby contributing to the promotion of mutual understanding with neighboring Asian countries and others.
“Modern and contemporary historical records held by the government” refers to Asian historical records (Japanese government documents and other records that are important as historical records concerning Japan’s relations with neighboring Asian countries and others during the modern and contemporary periods) preserved and made available by the three principal institutions: the Diplomatic Archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Center for Military History at the Ministry of Defense’s National Institute for Defense Studies (NIDS), and the National Archives of Japan. The collection generally covers records from the early Meiji era through the end of World War II (1868-1945), and JACAR has been receiving these records from the three institutions. Currently, the scope of target records has been expanded, and for the time being, we are proceeding with the provision of records generally up to 1972. To date, we have received and made public a cumulative total of approximately 33.97 million images (approximately 2.25 million records) from the three institutions combined (as of March 2026). The records already made available account for 80% of the total holdings of the Diplomatic Archives and 90% of the total holdings of the Center for Military History of NIDS.
(1) Our Motto: “Anytime, Anywhere, By Anyone, and Free of Charge”
Users can view and copy images of original records provided by the three institutions in their existing form.
(2) Work Efficiently Toward Getting to the Records Needed
While JACAR does not collect or digitize records itself, it has enhanced its search functions to enable users to efficiently access the records they need.
For example, the first 300 characters of all records are converted to text to improve search accuracy. Additionally, a variety of search tools are available, including a dictionary function to handle synonyms and related terms, as well as English translations of catalog information.
(3) Searching the Collections of Multiple Institutions at Once
Users can perform cross searches and keyword searches to search the collections of all three institutions simultaneously. For example, by entering a single event, users can view and print all related records held by the three institutions at once.
JACAR has earned high praise from Japanese studies scholars abroad, particularly those residing overseas, for making it easy to access modern and contemporary Asian historical materials held by the three Japanese institutions without having to visit them in person. We have also received positive feedback from the general public interested in history and members of the media regarding our convenient access to primary sources.
JACAR is undertaking two main initiatives to address the diverse needs of our users.
(1) Expansion of Available Materials to Include Postwar Materials
Since fiscal year 2017, we have been expanding our collection of postwar records with the cooperation of the Diplomatic Archives and the National Archives of Japan. For the time being, the records provided generally cover the period up to the normalization of Japan-China diplomatic relations and the reversion of Okinawa in 1972. Records related to constitutional revision, post-occupation reforms, Japan’s admission to the United Nations, and the Treaty of Peace with Japan and former Security Treaty are being released sequentially.
(2) Provision of Records via Link Partnerships
We are providing records by creating catalog data at JACAR for libraries, archives, and historical museums in Japan and abroad that publish historical records as digital images and linking the images to the databases of each institution.*
* University of the Ryukyus Library; The Institute for Economic and Business Research Shiga University; Hokkaido Prefectural Library; Archives of Hokkaido; Kobe University Library; Research Support Office, Faculty of Economics, Oita University; Hoover Institution, Stanford University; Library, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO); The Oriental Library (Toyo Bunko); Japan Press Research Institute; Yamaguchi University Library
JACAR, established approximately a quarter of a century ago as a cutting-edge digital archive center, has achieved significant results. However, amid the rapid digitization of recent years, the environment surrounding JACAR has also undergone major changes.
In recent years, AI has evolved rapidly and become widespread, making it increasingly possible to convert individual historical documents into full-text format. Furthermore, technological innovations in multilingualization through machine translation (translation and transcription into Chinese and Korean, in addition to English) are advancing.
Additionally, the number of high-quality digital archives is surging in East Asia, Europe, and the United States. Establishing mutual cooperation among digital archives with different linguistic systems—the creation of a “Digital Archive Network”—is expected to become a key challenge in the near future. The establishment of such a network has the potential to serve as a powerful intellectual foundation for the sharing historical records internationally and deepening mutual understanding regarding the interpretation of history.
Moving forward, JACAR will continue to advance its activities while responding appropriately to these rapidly changing social and technological conditions.
In light of the ongoing evolution of digital archives, JACAR is adapting its operations flexibly with a view to 2030 while also implementing initiatives in line with “Vision 2030,” a proposal by an Advisory Committee comprising external experts.
Significant changes are underway in the realm of history education, for example, such as the introduction of “Rekishi Sōgō” (Modern and Contemporary History) and “Tankyū Gakushū” (Inquiry-Based Study) in high schools. Given these changes in the environment surrounding history education, it is believed that the official records and other primary sources digitally published by JACAR have the potential to be widely utilized not only by historical researchers but also in the fields of history education, including school and community education. To promote the utilization of these digitally published primary sources, JACAR is thus exploring various initiatives—such as enhancing content for the general public and students—as part of its public relations activities.
In 2024, we marked the 30th anniversary of the Murayama Statement (issued in 1994, when the concept for establishing JACAR was first proposed), and the 25th anniversary of the 1999 Cabinet decision that established JACAR.
The development of JACAR is made possible only through the active use and cooperation of our users. To promote mutual understanding with neighboring Asian countries and others, we intend to explore initiatives for multilingualization utilizing AI and work to develop a database that is easily accessible to users overseas. We appreciate your continued support.
Dr. Toshikazu INOUE
Director-General
Japan Center for Asian Historical Records