How to Use for Genealogy Research
The National Diet Library (NDL) is Japan’s largest library, holding local history documents, old maps, official gazettes, domain records, and ancient documents—many available digitally through the NDL Digital Collections. Especially valuable for genealogy are Meiji, Taisho, and Showa era gazetteer dictionaries, regional histories, and biographical registers.
Overview
Three facilities: Tokyo Main Library, Kansai-kan (Kyoto), and International Library of Children’s Literature. Legal deposit ensures nearly all Japanese publications are collected.
Useful Resources for Genealogy
- NDL Digital Collections: Free online access to digitized public domain materials and NDL-digitized resources
- Kanpō (Official Gazette): From the Meiji era onward; records honours, pensions, company registrations
- Regional Materials: Prefectural and municipal histories, local records
- Colonial-era Materials: Records from former Manchuria, Korea, Taiwan, Karafuto, etc.
- Biographical Directories: Meiji, Taisho, and Showa era who’s-who publications
Access
NDL Digital Collections: free online access (some materials require free NDL Digital Collections account or library/personal delivery service registration).
- Personal Delivery Service: Register for free to access out-of-print titles online
- Tokyo Main Library: 1-10-1 Nagatacho, Chiyoda, Tokyo
- Kansai-kan: 8-1-3 Seikadai, Seika-cho, Soraku-gun, Kyoto
