The Geography and Map Reading Room contains the world's largest cartographic collection. This reading room has custody of historical and contemporary atlases and different kinds of maps (e.g., political, relief, topographical, guide) of Japan and the former Japanese empire. Please contact Geography and Map reference staff to inquire about specific materials.

The division's online collections include a number of maps of Japan and the former Japanese empire. Below is a sampling of historically significant Japanese maps that have been digitized.

The Law Library is the world's largest legal collection, and all materials on legal topics, in any language, are served in its reading room. The Law Library's Japanese-language holdings comprise government publications, scholarly monographs, and periodicals from all time periods. These holdings include a rare book collection and many pre-1946 publications of research significance, such as printed materials produced by the South Manchuria Railway Company and the colonial governments of Taiwan and Korea.

The Manuscript Reading Room provides access to more than twelve thousand separate collections, including some of the greatest manuscript treasures of American history and culture. Several collections have papers of organizations or individuals relating to Japan.

Below is a representative sample of materials related to Japan or Japanese Americans that are available in the Manuscript Division. The following titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are included when available.

The Moving Image Research Center, which is part of the Library's Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division (MBRS), provides access to one of the largest collections of motion pictures in the world, including hundreds of Japanese films from all time periods. For an overview of the Library's moving image collections and instructions on how to search for and request access to films, please consult the following research guide.

Of particular interest to researchers are the significant holdings of pre-1946 films, including features, newsreels, and short documentaries. One excellent example is the documentary footage that captures Emperor Hirohito's enthronement ceremony in 1928. The following post from "Now See Hear!", the official blog for the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center, describes this documentary film and showcases several video clips from it.

Below is a representative sample of Japanese films available through the Moving Image Research Center. The following titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are included when available.

The Performing Arts Reading Room provides researcher access to materials such as published musical scores along with books and periodicals on music-related subjects. The Library-assigned call numbers of this material typically contain Class M, including M, ML, and MT, which provide an idea of their subject matter.

Most of the Japan-related materials in this reading room are works in English or other European languages. In principle, Japanese-language publications on music-related subjects are accessible in the Asian Reading Room; however, there are some 250 Japanese-language books or musical scores held in the Performing Arts Reading Room. Below is a representative sample of Japan-related materials available in the Performing Arts Reading Room. The following titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are included when available.

The Prints and Photographs Reading Room provides public access to more than 15 million images, which include photographs, fine and popular prints and drawings, posters, and architectural and engineering drawings. The collections are international in scope. Browse the Prints and Photographs Online Catalog to discover digitized materials, as well as many more non-digitized items and collections available onsite in the reading room. Please note that some digitized images are freely available online, others are only available onsite at the Library of Congress and may be described as a "group" of images.

In addition to numerous materials available for viewing in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room, the following three digital collections related to Japan and Japanese Americans are freely accessible online.

Today, the Rare Book and Special Collections Reading Room provides access to nearly 800,000 books, broadsides, pamphlets, theater playbills, title pages, prints, posters, photographs, and medieval and Renaissance manuscripts. In this reading room, researchers will find early, pre-1801 printed works about Japan in several European languages, as well as special collection materials from later time periods. The Oliver Wendell Holmes Collection, donated by the late Supreme Court justice, contains some 50 works related to Japanese art.

Below is a representative sample of Japan-related materials available in the Rare Book and Special Collections Reading Room. The following titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are included when available.

The Recorded Sound Reference Center, which is part of the Library's Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division, has nearly 3.5 million recordings, with new acquisitions averaging from 75,000 to 100,000 yearly. Japanese-language collection materials, available in a number of formats, include traditional, folk, and contemporary music as well as radio broadcasts and spoken word. Before visiting, researchers should contact the Recorded Sound Reference Center to schedule a listening appointment at least two weeks in advance.

Below is a representative sample of Japan-related materials available in the Recorded Sound Research Center. The following titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are included when available.