The Japan Times Digital Archive

Over 125 years of Japanese perspectives on news, history and world affairs

The Japan Times Digital Archive features a wealth of content from the publisher of Japan’s oldest English-language newspaper. In addition to the namesake archive of The Japan Times, this collection includes illustrated journals, weeklies, special issues, and other English-language publications covering key moments in Japanese and world history. See below for a list of archive content and a timeline of the archive’s publications.

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The Japan Times Digital Archive Content

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The Japan Times 1860s (Meiji Restoration)

Weekly, September 1865–June 1866
Published during the turbulent years of the end of the Edo Period and the birth of the Meiji government, this separate newspaper preceded the launch of today’s The Japan Times and is a valuable resource for showing Japanese society through the eyes of foreigners during these changing times. Founded by a British publisher, The Japan Times of the 1860s contains contributions from Ernest Satow, a British diplomat who is said to have deeply influenced Japanese history, as well as information on foreign incoming/outgoing ships, domestic and foreign news, court trial coverage, commercial ads, and foreign embassies in Japan.
The Japan Times

Daily, 1897–2025
With the mottos, “All the News without Fear or Favor” and “The World’s Window on Japan”, The Japan Times has reported daily in English since 1897. Founded during the Meiji era to bridge cultural gaps and offer unbiased views, the newspaper has witnessed decades of key historical events, chronicling political, social and industrial revolution at home and abroad. During World War II the newspaper was renamed The Nippon Times due to wartime government restrictions on foreign-sounding names, before reverting back to its original title in 1956. Today, The Japan Times continues its mission of independent journalism, delivering unique perspectives on Japan, Asia, and beyond, including information not always published in the Japanese-language press.
The Japan Advertiser

Daily, 1913–1942
Launched in 1890 by American Robert Meiklejohn, the newspaper was once hailed as the Far East’s premier English-language newspaper before being absorbed by The Japan Times in 1940. The Japan Advertiser served as a hub of news written by and for people on the move – missionaries, diplomats, merchants, and journalists – who were based in Japan in the early 20th century, including a wide network of experienced American and European journalists.
The Herald of Asia

Weekly, 1916–1938
The Herald of Asia began as a weekly review of not only events in Japan, but also throughout East Asia from a Japanese perspective at a time when its power and influence in the region began to grow and World War I was raging in Europe. The newspaper’s mission was to present to the public a fair and honest view of current events in the region and to ensure that Japan’s voice on the region was heard abroad. For most of the critical decades between the world wars, The Herald of Asia was a unique voice among Japan’s English-language media, providing readers with news and views from the kind of Japanese viewpoint that none of the other newspapers could offer.
The Japan Times Enthronement Number 1928 and the Japan Advertiser Imperial Enthronement Issue

December 1928
Rare English-language records of Emperor Hirohito’s 1928 enthronement. Provides detailed descriptions of the imperial enthronement ceremony, photographs of the imperial family, and celebratory messages from around the world. Also includes insight into the imperial Japanese military, architecture, railways, shipping, trade, industry, manufacturing, finance, education, art, and sports.
The Japan Times Weekly & Trans-Pacific

Weekly, 1938–1941
A weekly chronicle of domestic and international affairs in Japan during the outbreak of WWII. Coverage by both Japanese and non-Japanese journalists provides insight into the English-reading community of Japan, as well as the image that Japan’s editorial censors hoped to convey overseas. The Japan Times Weekly & Trans-Pacific contains extensive reporting on the one-party reforms, the invasion of China, and Japan’s Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy. In addition, each 50-page issue includes arts and culture reviews, guides to Japanese language, and translations of key articles in major Japanese-language newspapers.
Japan Illustrated

Quarterly, 1963–1977
Japan Illustrated was published quarterly by The Japan Times between 1963 and 1977, at a time when the Japanese postwar economic miracle was in full flight. The magazine presents a photographic introduction to Japanese culture, fine arts and crafts, performing art, architecture, cultural heritage, nature, industry, major events and more. Japan Illustrated devoted entire issues to the major events of the era, including the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, the 1970 Osaka Expo, and the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo. It also provided snapshots and profiles of Japanese firms that were making world-class automotive and electronic products.
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Timeline of content in The Japan Times Digital Archive

Related Resources

Japan News Digital Archive
The Rafu Shimpo Digital Archive
Japanese Colonial Periodicals of Taiwan

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