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The NDL not only cooperates with national libraries abroad individually, but also works with international library organizations and domestic groups engaged in global exchange activities in a variety of fields.

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) has more than 1,700 members in about 150 countries. The NDL became an associate member in 1966 and a regular member in 1976, and has since worked closely with the IFLA by participating in annual and other conferences, presenting various papers and answering questionnaires.
IFLA's annual conferences are reported by NDL staff in the National Diet Library Monthly Bulletin (in Japanese). Information on the annual meetings is available on the IFLA's Web site and the Committee on International Relations page of the Japan Library Association's Web site (in Japanese).

The IFLA Strategic Programme on Preservation and Conservation (IFLA/PAC) is a program for preserving materials. Since it was designated as the Regional Centre for Asia in 1989, the NDL has been involved in this activity. For more information, please visit the following Web sites:

• Japanese
• English

The Conference of Directors of National Libraries (CDNL) is composed of directors of world national libraries. An annual meeting is usually held at the same time as the annual conference of the IFLA, with the first one convened in 1974 in Canada. From the NDL, the Librarian or a proxy participates in the annual meeting every year, and their reports appear in the National Diet Library Monthly Bulletin (in Japanese).

The Conference of Directors of National Libraries in Asia and Oceania (CDNLAO) is intended to promote information sharing and mutual cooperation among libraries in Asia and Oceania. The NDL has participated in CDNLAO since the first meeting in Australia in 1979, and hosted the second meeting in 1982 and the 16th meeting in 2008. The NDL runs the CDNLAO Web site, as well as editing the newsletter.

• CDNLAO Newsletter

The Congress of Southeast Asian Librarians (CONSAL) was founded in 1970 to establish a unified library association in Southeast Asia. It now has 10 member countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The CONSAL holds a meeting every three years, to which the NDL has been sending delegates since the fifth conference in 1981.

The Association of Parliamentary Librarians of Asia and the Pacific (APLAP) was established in 1990 to boost parliament services in the Asia-Pacific region, through close cooperation among the region's parliamentary libraries. With about 30 member libraries, the APLAP holds a conference biennially in an Asia-Pacific nation. The NDL, a member since the Association's inception, sends staff of the Research and Legislative Reference Bureau to the conference. In 2018, the 12th conference convened in Tokyo.

• APLAP Tokyo Conference

The European Association of Japanese Resource Specialists (EAJRS) was set up in 1989 to promote the exchange of information among European researchers of Japanese studies and acquisition of information on Japan. The NDL has sent staff to present reports at the annual conferences of the EAJRS since its inception.

The Council on East Asian Libraries (CEAL) was formally established in 1967 as a lower branch of the Association for Asian Studies (AAS). The CEAL is composed of about 50 member libraries in North America, which manage materials written in East Asian languages. In the council, members discuss common issues to promote exchange activities and the effective use of resources. NDL staff participate in the CEAL annual meetings, presenting reports mainly in the Committee on Japanese Materials.

The North American Coordinating Council on Japanese Library Resources (NCC) was founded in 1991 to support North American researchers on Japan, by coordinating the joint establishment of Japanese studies collections, promotion of access to information on Japan, and training of Japanese studies librarians. The board of directors consists of representatives from Japanese information-related associations. NDL staff participate in open meetings and seminars, which are held every year, and occasionally give lectures.

The Japan Foundation was originally established in 1972 as a special legal entity under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the purpose of promoting international mutual understanding and friendship on the international scene. It became an independent administrative institution on October 1, 2003. The Japan Foundation and the NDL cooperate, for example, by cosponsoring international conferences held in Japan. The two institutions have also jointly hosted training programs for Japanese studies librarians abroad.

The International House of Japan, a non-profit private organization, was established in 1952 to promote mutual understanding in the world, through cultural exchange and intellectual cooperation between the people of Japan and those of other nations. The NDL cooperates with the International House of Japan in a similar way as with the Japan Foundation.