List of Online Services

Here is a list of services at the National Diet Library (NDL) that are available via the Internet.
User registration is required to use some of these services, for example the Remote Photoduplication Service for either overseas patrons or patrons in Japan.

• User Registration

Japanese-language pages are marked with an asterisk (*).

• Discovery services
• Legislative information
• Search guides
• Digital Exhibitions
• Bibliographic data and open data
• Services for children
• Services for persons with disabilities
• Information portal on libraries
• NDL publications
• The Next-Generation Library system

NDL Search enables patrons to perform comprehensive searches of materials and digital content at the NDL as well as at public, university, and specialized libraries or academic research institutions in Japan. Patrons can search for library materials, digital content that can be viewed via the Internet, publication information, and more.
Patrons can also apply to become a registered user or request library services.

The NDL Digital Collections enables patrons to search and browse a variety of digital materials acquired by the NDL. For example, works for which copyright protection has expired or for which the copyright holder has granted permission are available via the Internet and can be browsed on a patron's own device.
Also, official registered users of the NDL who reside in Japan and who have agreed to the latest version of the terms of service are able to access out-of-print and other hard-to-find materials via the Digitized Contents Transmission Service for Individuals.

The Rekion collection comprises sound recordings that have been digitized from 78-rpm records that were released in Japan during the first half of the 20th century. Patrons can search genres such as Japanese traditional music, popular songs, and lectures. An introductory guide to this collection is available.

The Web Archiving Project (WARP) archives the content of Japanese websites on a regular basis. This enables patrons to view an archived version of a websites as it was at the time it was collected.

The Web NDL Authorities enables patrons to search for and access authority data created by the NDL. Authority data for authors and subjects helps patrons to more easily find relevant resources when using the NDL Search.

This service enables patrons to search and browse full-text versions of e-journals and e-books. Materials that are labeled 館内限定 may only be viewed by patrons on the premises at the NDL, but a limited number of these materials may also be accessed via the Internet on a patron's own device.

Japan Search is a national platform that aggregates metadata from a wide variety of digital resources—including books, official documents, cultural artifacts, and works of art as well as materials related to the humanities, natural history or science and engineering, academic assets, broadcast media, or movies—and promotes the use of this content via an integrated search interface.

The NDL Great East Japan Earthquake Archive (HINAGIKU) acquires, preserves, and provides access to records related to the Great East Japan Earthquake, in order that the lessons of this experience may be passed down to future generations to be used as a reference for the recovery and reconstruction of the disaster-afflicted areas and in future disaster preparedness planning.

This page provides patrons with access to documents and other information produced by the Research and Legislative Reference Bureau as reference material in support of the legislative activities of either House of the National Diet, their committees, or their individual members.

This database enables patrons to search and browse the minutes of National Diet plenary sessions and committee meetings in either text or image format, starting with the inaugural session in May 1947.

This database enables patrons to search and browse shorthand records of plenary sessions and committee meetings of the Imperial Diet between November 1890 and March 1947 in either text or image format.

This database enables patrons to search for and browse laws or regulations that have been in force since February 1886 as well as bills submitted to either the Imperial Diet or the National Diet, including amendments to or the repeal of existing laws and regulations as well as the deliberation of bills.

This database enables patrons to search for information on laws and regulations promulgated during the early Meiji period, starting with the restoration of Imperial rule (Taisei Hokan) in 1867 and lasting until the formulation of official documents (Kobunshiki) in February 1886.

RESEARCH NAVI provides an introduction to key research techniques, reference materials, useful databases and websites, indexed by subject matter and resource category. These articles are primarily in Japanese, although some are also available in English.

The Collaborative Reference Database enables patrons to search for responses to past reference queries and research guides on specific subjects that have been collected from public libraries, university libraries, school libraries, special libraries, the NDL, and others.

This page provides information on how patrons may make reference inquiries either by fax or via a library.

The NDL Gallery features digital exhibitions of some of the NDL's unique collections together with easy-to-understand explanations.

The NDL Image Bank provides access to selected visual materials from the NDL's collection of ukiyo-e prints, magazines, books, and other media.

This page provides information on online services in order to use bibliographic data, authority data, and Japanese Periodicals Index data produced by the NDL.

The Web Japanese National Bibliography (Web JNB) enables patrons to search national bibliographic data (standard bibliographic data for publications published in Japan and Japanese-language publications) by bibliographic completion date or other attribute. This service also enables patrons to download their search results all together in MARC format, MARC tag format, and other formats.

The Japanese Periodicals Index is a database of articles from Japanese-language periodicals published domestically that are currently compiled and organized by the NDL or have been in the past. It also includes articles from some Japanese-language periodicals published outside Japan and some Western-language periodicals published domestically. The List of Indexed Periodicals in the Japanese Periodicals Index enables patrons to find the periodical titles that have been selected and indexed.

This page provides information on NDL's services for which application programming interfaces (APIs) are available.

This page provides access to datasets that have been made freely available for reuse in either commercial or non-commercial purposes without prior approval from the NDL.

This website provides easy-to-understand explanations about the NDL and the International Library of Children's Literature (ILCL) for elementary school students.

This webpage enables elementary school pupils to search for books and other materials available in the Children's Library, Meet the World room, and the Teens' Research Room as well as the entire collection of the ILCL.

This content is designed to support reading and learning by providing useful information for research and book introductions for elementary school students.

This content is designed to support reading and learning by providing useful information for research and book introductions for junior high and high school students.

Mina Search was designed specifically to provide those who are blind, visually impaired, dyslexic, or otherwise print disabled with a single interface from which to search for reading materials in a variety of accessible formats. And it is suitable for use with screen-reader software.

The NDL produces and acquires reading materials in accessible formats, which it makes available via the Internet through its Data Transmission Service for Persons with Print Disabilities. This service can be accessed either from a patron's personal device or at participating libraries and institutions.

The Current Awareness Portal is a website created by the NDL to provide access to information on libraries and library information science.

This page provides information on recent publications of the NDL. Those published in digital format are available online.

The NDL Lab is a website for demonstrating elemental technologies that are expected to contribute to the development of next-generation library systems.

This website is a prototype search service with full-text and image search functionalities.