abstract

CiNii Research, operated by the National Institute of Informatics, is able to search a wide variety of contents such as books and journal articles, but it can hardly be said to be adequate in dealing with papers and articles in books, which is an important position for research in humanities and social sciences, such as the center of "Japanese studies". There are several reasons for this, but one of them is that almost no records of "microcontents" such as "chapter" and "part" that constitute the contents of these books have been created in the country. Therefore, papers and articles that have been included in the so-called "collection of articles" in book form are not listed in the search results of CiNii Research, and their authors' achievements have not been sufficiently visualized.

This presentation introduces, to Japanese studies scholars in Europe, some of the outcomes of an ongoing initiative on the structuring of textual data for the humanities. The initiative is being carried out by Keio University—through its implementing body, Keio Museum Commons (KeMCo)—as a sub-contractor of the National Institutes for the Humanities (NIHU), under the MEXT-commissioned project "Research and Development Promotion Project toward the DX of the Humanities and Social Sciences" (JPMXP1624).
In March 2026, the project has published two principal deliverables: the Guidelines for Structuring East Asian Textual Data in the Humanities and a set of Tutorials(1) that bridge the Guidelines to actual practice.

For libraries and GLAM institutions, the widespread adoption of generative AI represents a significant turning point. This panel discussion examines, from multiple perspectives, how libraries should engage with generative AI.
Specifically, the discussion is structured around two key aspects: (1) utilisation, understanding and education from the perspective of those using generative AI, and (2) the question of how data should be provided to generative AI systems.

Tohoku University Digital Archives (ToUDA) is a platform that integrates Japanese resources held across Tohoku University—including its library, archives, museum, and archaeological unit—and publishes images and metadata via a bilingual Japanese/English interface. Launched in April 2024 with the guiding concepts of "integration, visibility, and research use," ToUDA aims to excavate dormant content, visualize it centrally, and expand continuously based on a versatile data design. It is operated through a faculty–staff collaborative framework centered on the University Library, the Center for Academic Resources and Archives, and the Center for Integrated Japanese Studies.

Since traditional Japanese books are paper-based materials, it is often assumed that their conservation follows standardized methods, aside from differences in binding structures. In practice, however, conservation approaches are determined based on careful observation of each item’s condition, including the degree of deterioration, the fiber composition of the paper, the properties of inks and pigments, and traces remaining on the surface, such as needle holes and crease marks. In addition, the anticipated frequency of use and the storage environment are also taken into account in determining appropriate treatment policies.
Additionally in conservation practice, reversible materials with reversible properties are used in many cases, taking into account the possibility of future re-treatment.

Three university libraries in the Kansai region of Japan, Kyoto University, the University of Osaka, and Kobe University, signed an agreement in 2023 to closely cooperate with each other to promote expansion of electronic resources and open science.

This presentation will introduce the features of the digital archives of our libraries and report on our past efforts and future challenges from the perspective of research support.

In order to research an author fully, it is important to make a comprehensive review of his work. Insofar, however, as so many of these plays have never been properly transcribed into typeset editions, it is necessary to rely on books published during the Edo period. Many libraries place restrictions on the use of materials published in the Edo period, and photoduplication services are often unavailable. In recent years, the rapid progress of digitization means that the number of plays and related materials that can be referenced on the Internet has increased dramatically. In this presentation, I will introduce the digital resources that I use to access both original and related material as well as provide references to earlier research.

Last year in Sophia, Willy Vande Walle presented the CEEJA Japan Library in Colmar, France.
In our presentation this year, as a follow-up, we will discuss the three issues.

The National Center for Art Research (NCAR) was established in 2023 within the National Museum of Art, Japan, as a central institution dedicated to the promotion of the arts in Japan. While it does not have a physical library-like space, NCAR operates Art Platform Japan (APJ), a web-based portal that provides a range of tools and resources to support both domestic and international research on modern and contemporary Japanese art.

The Art Research Center (ARC) of Ritsumeikan University has been building a large-scale digital archive of materials related to Japanese culture and art for over 25 years. ARC has developed a unique set of databases organized by type of material, enabling researchers to conduct effective research activities. The database clusters include not only materials held by ARC, but also materials digitized by ARC from museums in Europe and North America, as well as materials provided by institutions such as the National Institute of Japanese Literature and the National Diet Library.