Kanji Dictionary Publishing Society

KANJI DICTIONARY PUBLISHING SOCIETY

Background

The New Japanese-English Character Dictionary (NJECD), first published in 1990, required 66 man-years to compile. Upon publication it became a standard reference work for the serious study of kanji, and has been warmly supported by eminent Japanese language authorities around the world. Numerous users and scholars soon pointed out that the NJECD's many unique features could be utilized to offer kanji learners and researchers a full range of learning tools tailored to their specific needs. The NJECD thus became the first step in a series of computer-edited dictionaries and applications for the study of kanji, known as the Kanji Integrated Tools (KIT). 

Kanji Dictionary Publishing Society

To make KIT a reality and coordinate the compilation projects, the Kanji Dictionary Publishing Society (KDPS) was established in late 1993 as a part of the Institute of Modern Culture at Showa Women's University. The Society, headed by Showa Women's University President Professor Kusuo Hitomi, is directed by the Editorial Committee, which includes Japanese language education specialists such as Professor Osamu Mizutani, the director general of the National Language Research Institute, and other eminent Japanese language scholars. The Society is funded by the University and other organizations such as the Toyota Foundation. 

These projects have also attracted the welcome support of the Japanese government and related agencies, including former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone, The Japan Foundation, the National Council on Educational Reform, The National Language Research Institute, The Society for Teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language, The Society of the National Language (Japan), the Association for Japanese-Language Teaching, and others.