Diplomatic Archives
Documents on Japanese Foreign Policy (Nihongaikobunsho)
April 10, 2025
In 1936 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs published the first volume of Documents on Japanese Foreign Policy with the goal of clarifying the background of Japan’s diplomacy since the Meiji Restoration, while at the same time providing basic historical documents that could potentially offer precedents for diplomatic negotiations.
Subsequently, in 1963 it completed the series of Documents on Japanese Foreign Policy for the Meiji Period, and in 1987 it completed the volumes for the Taisho Period.
Where the Showa Period is concerned, the Ministry has already completed compiling and publishing its historical documents for Showa Era, Series I (1927-1931) and Showa Era, Series II (1931-1937), along with feature volumes such as on the Manchurian Incident, the Limitation and Reduction of Naval Armaments issue and Japan-U.S. negotiations (1941). Currently, the Ministry has completed Showa Era, Series III (1937-1945). Additionally, in 2002 the Ministry also began compiling and publishing records from the Post-war Period, including reproducing Records related to the conclusion of the Treaty of Peace with Japan.
The latest issue of Documents on Japanese Foreign Policy is Reparations Negotiations Following the Conclusion of the San Francisco Peace Treaty Related Reports Volume 1 (published in March 2025).
The Digital Archive of Documents on Japanese Foreign Policy
The Project to Compile Diplomatic Documents
Work on the project to compile diplomatic documents at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is introduced in the following articles published in the Journal of the Diplomatic Archive (Gaikoshiryokanpo) .
- “The background behind the project to compile diplomatic documents” (PDF) (Japanese text only).
This article focuses on the compilation of documents starting from the Zokutsushinzenran (an anthology of historical diplomatic documents from the end of the Tokugawa Period that was compiled at the beginning of the Meiji Period) through to the compilation of the Taisho Period’s Documents on Japanese Foreign Policy (published 1964-87). The author, Michio Yoshimura, is a former General Editor of Documents on Japanese Foreign Policy. The article was published in the first issue of Journal of the Diplomatic Archives (published in 1988).
- “The 70-year path of Documents on Japanese Foreign Policy” (PDF) (Japanese text only)
This article focuses on the compilation of Documents on Japanese Foreign Policy, from 1965 to the present. The article was published in the 20th issue of Journal of the Diplomatic Archives (published in 2006).
List of publications by fiscal year
| Fiscal Year | Publication Volume / Book Name | Number of Books | Cumulative Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Reparations Negotiations Following the Conclusion of the San Francisco Peace Treaty Related Reports Vol.1 | 1 | 230 |
| Reparations Negotiations Following the Conclusion of the San Francisco Peace Treaty Part2 (Japanese text only) | 1 | 229 | |
| 2023 | Reparations Negotiations Following the Conclusion of the San Francisco Peace Treaty Part1 (Japanese text only) | 1 | 228 |
| 2022 | Reversion of Okinawa Vol.1 (Japanese text only) | 1 | 227 |
| 2021 | Japan’s Accession to GATT (Japanese text only) | 2 | 226 |
| 2020 | Showa Era, Series IV, Japan-U.S. Relations Vol. 1-1, and Vol.1-2 (1952-1954) (Japanese text only) | 1 | 224 |
| 2019 | Treaty of Peace between Japan and the Republic of China（Japanese text only) | 1 | 222 |
| 2018 | Japan’s Admission to the United Nations（Japanese text only) | 2 | 221 |
| The Era of Occupation, Special Studies（Japanese text only) | |||
| 2017 | The Era of Occupation, Vol.3 （Japanese text only) | 1 | 219 |
| 2016 | The Era of Occupation, Vol.1, Vol.2 (Japanese text only) | 2 | 218 |
| 2015 | Showa Era, Series III, Special Studies: Gaikoshiryo (Japanese text only) | 1 | 216 |
| 2014 | Showa Era, Series III, Vol. 3 (Japanese text only) | 1 | 215 |
| 2013 | Showa Era, Series III, Vol. 1, Vol. 2 (Japanese text only) | 2 | 214 |
| 2012 | The Second World War in Europe, 1939-1941, Vol. 2, (Japan’s policy towards the European War and the advance into Southeast Asia) (Japanese text only) | 2 | 212 |
| 2011 | The Second World War in Europe, 1939-1941, Vol. 1, (Conclusion of the Tripartite Pact and the Japanese-Soviet Neutrality Pact) (Japanese text only) | 1 | 210 |
| 2010 | Sino-Japanese War 1937-41, Vol. 1, Vol. 2, Vol. 3, Vol. 4 (Japanese text only) | 4 | 209 |
| 2009 | The Pacific War, Vol. 1, Vol. 2, Vol. 3 (Japanese text only) | 3 | 205 |
| 2008 | Treaty of Peace with Japan, Signing and Entry into Force (Japanese text only) | 1 | 202 |
| 2007 | Showa Era Series II Part 1, Vol. 5-1, Vol. 5-2 (Japan-China Relations, 1936, Jan. - 37, Jul. ) (Japanese text only) | 2 | 201 |
| 2006 | Treaty of Peace with Japan, Negotiations with the United States (Japanese text only) | 2 | 199 |
| Showa Era , Series II Part 2, Vol. 5 (Japan’s Relations with Foreign Countries other than China, International Conferences, 1936) (Japanese text only) | |||
| 2005 | Treaty of Peace with Japan, Preparatory Work (Japanese text only) | 3 | 197 |
| Showa Era, Series II Part 1, Vol. 4-1, Vol. 4-2 (Japan-China Relations, 1935) (Japanese text only) | |||
| 2004 | Showa Era, Series II Part 2, Vol. 4 (Japan’s Relations with Foreign Countries other than China, International Conferences, 1935) | 1 | 194 |
| 2003 | Records related to the conclusion of the Tripartite Pact | 1 | 193 |
| 2002 | Records related to the conclusion of the Treaty of Peace with Japan, Vol. 5 | 1 | 192 |
| 2001 | Records related to the conclusion of the Treaty of Peace with Japan, Vol. 1 | 4 | 191 |
| Records related to the conclusion of the Treaty of Peace with Japan, Vol. 2 | |||
| Records related to the conclusion of the Treaty of Peace with Japan, Vol. 3 | |||
| Records related to the conclusion of the Treaty of Peace with Japan, Vol. 4 | |||
| 2000 | Showa Era, Series II, Part 1, Vol. 3 (Japan-China Relations, 1934) | 2 | 187 |
| Showa Era, Series II, Part 2, Vol. 2 (1933), Supplemental Volume, Report on Trade Negotiations between Japan and India | |||
| 1999 | Showa Era, Series II Part 2, Vol. 3 (Japan’s Relations with Foreign Countries other than China, International Conferences, 1934) | 1 | 185 |
| 1998 | Showa Era, Series II, Part 1, Vol. 2 (Japan-China Relations, 1933) | 1 | 184 |
| 1997 | Showa Era, Series II Part 2, Vol. 2 (Japan’s Relations with Foreign Countries other than China, International Conferences, 1933) | 1 | 183 |
| 1996 | Showa Era, Series II, Part 1, Vol. 1 (Japan-China Relations, 1932) | 1 | 182 |
| 1995 | Showa Era, Series II Part 2, Vol. 1 (Japan’s Relations with Foreign Countries other than China, International Conferences, 1932) | 1 | 181 |
| 1994 | Showa Era, Series I (1931) Part 1, Vol. 5 | 1 | 180 |
| 1993 | Showa Era, Series I (1930) Part 1, Vol. 4 | 2 | 179 |
| Reports on the Economic Conference of the League of Nations in Showa Era, Vol. 2 | |||
| 1992 | Showa Era, Series I (1929) Part 1, Vol. 3 | 2 | 177 |
| Reports on the Economic Conference of the League of Nations in Showa Era, Vol. 1 | |||
| 1991 | Showa Era, Series I (1927-1931) Part 2, Vol. 4 | 2 | 175 |
| Showa Era, Series I (1927-1931) Part 2, Vol. 2 | |||
| 1990 | Showa Era, Series I (1928) Part 1, Vol. 2 | 2 | 173 |
| Japan-U.S. Talks in 1941 Vol. 2 | |||
| 1989 | Reports on the Conference for the Reduction and Limitation of Armaments of the League of Nations, Vol. 3 | 2 | 171 |
| Japan-U.S. Talks in 1941 Vol. 1 | |||
| 1988 | Showa Era, Series I (1927) Part 1, Vol. 1 | 3 | 169 |
| Showa Era, Series I (1927-1931) Part 2, Vol. 3 | |||
| Report on the Conference for the Reduction and Limitation of Armaments of the League of Nations, Vol. 2 | |||
| 1987 | Showa Era, Series I (1927-1931) Part 2, Vol. 1 | 2 | 166 |
| Report on the Conference for the Reduction and Limitation of Armaments of the League of Nations, Vol. 1 | |||
| 1986 | Taisho Era (1926) Vol. 2-2 | 2 | 164 |
| Proceedings of the London Naval Conference of 1935 | |||
| 1985 | Taisho Era (1926) Vol. 2-1 | 2 | 162 |
| Documents on the London Naval Conference of 1935 | |||
| 1984 | Taisho Era (1926) Vol. 1 | 2 | 160 |
| Documents on the London Naval Conference of 1930, Vol. 2 | |||
| 1983 | Taisho Era (1925) Vol. 2-2 | 3 | 158 |
| Documents on the London Naval Conference of 1930, Vol. 1 | |||
| Records of the Privy Council’s Examination of the Naval Disarmament Treaties | |||
| 1982 | Taisho Era (1925) Vol. 2-1 | 3 | 155 |
| The Conference for the Limitation of Naval Armament, held at Geneva from June 20th to August 4th, 1927 | |||
| Diplomatic Memoirs of Harukazu Nagaoka (1900-1935) | |||
| 1981 | Taisho Era (1925) Vol. 1 | 3 | 152 |
| The Manchurian Incident, Vol. 3 | |||
| The Preliminary Negotiations of the London Naval Conference and the Explanatory Notes of the London Naval Treaty | |||
| 1980 | Taisho Era (1924) Vol. 2 | 3 | 149 |
| The Manchurian Incident, Vol. 2-2 | |||
| The Manchurian Incident, Supplement | |||
| 1979 | Taisho Era (1923) Vol. 3 | 3 | 146 |
| Taisho Era (1924) Vol. 1 | |||
| The Manchurian Incident, Vol. 2-1 | |||
| 1978 | Taisho Era (1923) Vol. 2 | 3 | 143 |
| The Washington Conference, Vol. 2 | |||
| Summaries of the Proceedings of the London Naval Conference | |||
| 1977 | Taisho Era (1923) Vol. 1 | 4 | 140 |
| The Manchurian Incident, Vol. 1-2, Vol. 1-3 | |||
| The Washington Conference, Vol. 1 | |||
| 1976 | Taisho Era (1922) Vol. 2, Vol. 3 | 3 | 136 |
| The Manchurian Incident, Vol. 1-1 | |||
| 1975 | Taisho Era (1921) Vol. 3-2 | 3 | 133 |
| Taisho Era (1922) Vol. 1 | |||
| The Washington Conference: The Far East | |||
| 1974 | Taisho Era (1921) Vol. 1-2 | 3 | 130 |
| Taisho Era (1921) Vol. 2 | |||
| Taisho Era (1921) Vol. 3-1 | |||
| 1973 | Taisho Era (1920) Vol. 3-1, Vol. 3-2 | 4 | 127 |
| Taisho Era (1921) Vol. 1-1 | |||
| The Washington Conference, on the Limitation of Armament | |||
| 1972 | Taisho Era (1920) Vol. 1-2 | 4 | 123 |
| Taisho Era (1920) Vol. 2-1, Vol. 2-2 | |||
| Annexes to Summary of the Course of Negotiations between Japan and the United States concerning the Problem of Japanese Immigration in the United States | |||
| 1971 | Taisho Era (1919) Vol. 3-2 | 3 | 119 |
| Taisho Era (1920) Vol. 1-1 | |||
| Summary of the Course of Negotiations between Japan and the United States concerning the Problem of Japanese Immigration in the United States | |||
| 1970 | Taisho Era (1919) Vol. 2-2 | 3 | 116 |
| Taisho Era (1919) Vol. 3-1 | |||
| Summaries of the Proceedings of the Paris Peace Conference | |||
| 1969 | Taisho Era (1918) Vol. 2-2 | 4 | 113 |
| Taisho Era (1918) Vol. 3 | |||
| Taisho Era (1919) Vol. 1 | |||
| Taisho Era (1919) Vol. 2-1 | |||
| 1968 | Taisho Era (1915) Vol. 3-2 | 4 | 109 |
| Taisho Era (1917) Vol. 3 | |||
| Taisho Era (1918) Vol. 1 | |||
| Taisho Era (1918) Vol. 2-1 | |||
| 1967 | Taisho Era (1915) Vol. 3-1 | 4 | 105 |
| Taisho Era (1916) Vol. 3 | |||
| Taisho Era (1917) Vol. 1, Vol. 2 | |||
| 1966 | Taisho Era (1915) Vol. 2 | 3 | 101 |
| Taisho Era (1916) Vol. 1, Vol. 2 | |||
| 1965 | Taisho Era (1914) Vol. 2, Vol. 3 | 3 | 98 |
| Taisho Era (1915) Vol. 1 | |||
| 1964 | Taisho Era (1913) Vol. 2, Vol. 3 | 3 | 95 |
| Taisho Era (1914) Vol. 1 | |||
| 1963 | Meiji Era, Vol. 45- 2 | 3 | 92 |
| Meiji Era Supplement, Vol. 2 | |||
| Taisho Era (1913) Vol. 1 | |||
| 1962 | Meiji Era, Vol. 44-1, Vol. 44-2 | 4 | 89 |
| Meiji Era, Vol. 45- 1 | |||
| Meiji Era, Supplement, Vol. 1 | |||
| 1961 | Meiji Era, Vol. 42-1, Vol. 42-2 | 4 | 85 |
| Meiji Era, Vol. 43-1, Vol. 43-2 | |||
| 1960 | Meiji Era, Vol. 40-2, Vol. 40-3 | 6 | 81 |
| Meiji Era, Vol. 41-1, Vol. 41-2 | |||
| Meiji Era, Vol. 37, Vol. 38, Supplement, the Russo-Japanese War V | |||
| Meiji Era, Vol. 44, Vol. 45, Supplement, the Xinhai Revolution | |||
| 1959 | Meiji Era, Vol. 39-1, Vol. 39-2 | 5 | 75 |
| Meiji Era, Vol. 40-1 | |||
| Meiji Era, Vol. 37, Vol. 38, Supplement, the Russo-Japanese War II | |||
| Meiji Era, Vol. 37, Vol. 38, Supplement, the Russo-Japanese War IV | |||
| 1958 | Meiji Era, Vol. 37- 2 | 5 | 70 |
| Meiji Era, Vol. 38- 1, Vol. 38-2 | |||
| Meiji Era, Vol. 37, Vol. 38, Supplement, the Russo-Japanese War I | |||
| Meiji Era, Vol. 37, Vol. 38, Supplement, the Russo-Japanese War III | |||
| 1957 | Meiji Era, Vol. 36- 1, Vol. 36-2, | 4 | 65 |
| Vol. 37-1 | |||
| Meiji Era, Vol. 33 Supplement, the Boxer Rebellion, Vol. 3 | |||
| 1956 | Meiji Era, Vol. 35 | 2 | 61 |
| Meiji Era, Vol. 33 Supplement, the Boxer Rebellion, Vol. 2 | |||
| 1955 | Meiji Era, Vol. 32, Vol. 33, Vol. 34 | 5 | 59 |
| Meiji Era, Vol. 33 Supplement, the Boxer Rebellion, Vol. 1 | |||
| The Hague International Peace Conferences, Vol. 2 | |||
| 1954 | Meiji Era, Vol. 31-1, Vol. 31-2 | 7 | 54 |
| Documents on Japanese Foreign Policy Relating to Commerce Treaties, Vol. 1-2 | |||
| Documents on Japanese Foreign Policy Relating to Commerce Treaties, Vol. 1-3 | |||
| The Hague International Peace Conferences, Vol. 1 | |||
| Chronological Table and Key Documents Relating to Japanese Diplomacy, Vol. 1, Vol. 2 | |||
| 1953 | Meiji Era, Vol. 28-1, Vol. 28-2 | 6 | 47 |
| Meiji Era, Vol. 29, Vol. 30 | |||
| Documents on Japanese Foreign Policy Relating to Commerce Treaties, Vol. 1-1 | |||
| Documents on Japanese Foreign Policy Relating to Treaty Revisions, Supplement | |||
| 1952 | Meiji Era, Vol. 25, Vol. 26 | 6 | 41 |
| Meiji Era, Vol. 27- 1, Vol. 27- 2 | |||
| The History of Komura Diplomacy, Vol. 1, Vol. 2 | |||
| 1951 | Meiji Era, Vol. 17, Vol. 19, Vol. 22 | 5 | 35 |
| Meiji Era, Vol. 23, Vol. 24 | |||
| 1950 | Meiji Era, Vol. 13, Vol. 14, Vol. 15 | 9 | 30 |
| Meiji Era, Vol. 16, Vol. 18 | |||
| Documents on Japanese Foreign Policy Relating to Treaty Revisions, Vol. 4 | |||
| Documents on Japanese Foreign Policy Relating to Treaty Revisions, Supplement, An Outline of the Background | |||
| Documents on Japanese Foreign Policy Relating to Treaty Revisions, Supplement, Changes to Commerce Policy and Treaties | |||
| Comparison Table between Lunar Calendar and Solar Calendar in Modern Times | |||
| 1949 | Meiji Era, Vol. 10, Vol. 11, Vol. 12 | 3 | 21 |
| 1948 | Meiji Era, Vol. 21 | 2 | 18 |
| Documents on Japanese Foreign Policy, Relating to Treaty Revisions, Supplement, Proceedings | |||
| 1947 | 0 | 16 | |
| 1946 | Meiji Era, Vol. 20 | 1 | 16 |
| 1945 | 0 | 15 | |
| 1944 | Documents on Japanese Foreign Policy, Relating to Treaty Revisions, Vol. 3 | 1 | 15 |
| 1943 | 0 | 14 | |
| 1942 | Documents on Japanese Foreign Policy, Relating to Treaty Revisions, Vol. 2 | 1 | 14 |
| 1941 | Documents on Japanese Foreign Policy, Relating to Treaty Revisions, Vol. 1 | 1 | 13 |
| 1940 | Meiji Era, Vol. 8, Vol. 9 | 2 | 12 |
| 1939 | Meiji Era, Vol. 6, Vol. 7 | 2 | 10 |
| 1938 | Meiji Era, Vol. 3, Vol. 4, Vol. 5 | 3 | 8 |
| 1937 | Meiji Era, Vol. 2-1, Vol. 2-2, Vol. 2-3 | 3 | 5 |
| 1936 | Vol. 1-1, Vol. 1-2 | 2 | 2 |