Japan

Japan Collection

The Japan Collection was established in 1920 with the strong support of the local Japanese immigrant community. This broad based backing from the community led to what would become the core collections for Japanese studies in Hawaii.

Acquisitions of several notable special collections have provided depth to the Japan Collection over the years.

The Japan Collection now offers several major newspaper databases, Audio/Visual materials, online article databases, eBooks and online reference sources such as Japan Knowledge Database.

The Japan Collection offers many primary sources, both originals, and reproductions. Many original WWII era photos, postcards, and documents have been acquired. In recent years, publications on Japanese companies describing their organization histories, or “Shashi,” have been collected. In 2017, the acquisition of resources on Ainu began to shed light on the indigenous peoples of Japan/Hokkaido.

Hawaii’s geographic location and historic ties to Japan ensures the importance and value of the UHM Japanese Collection.

Questions and comments, including requests for materials and inquiries about how to use the collection, may be directed to Mitsutaka Nakamura, Japan Studies Librarian, via email mitsutak@hawaii.edu.

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