Help : Legal Deposit System

This is in order to preserve materials as shared cultural assets of the nation and promotetheir wider use, as well as conveying to future generations a record of the intellectual activities of theJapanese people.

As a general rule, all publications issued for the purpose of distribution. This includes notonly books, periodicals, and newspapers, but also CDs, DVDs, videos, records, music, and maps. However,simple publications such as notebooks and calendars are not subject to the legal deposit system.

When a private publication has been published, the publisher must deposit a complete copy ofits best edition to the NDL.

Materials are required to be deposited within 30 days from the date of publication.

You can either deposit publications through a collective agency such as the Japan PublicationWholesalers Association, or send by mail or bring in person to the Library directly.

For private publishers, academic institutions, private research institutions, privateuniversities, companies, organizations, or individuals issuing a publication, the legal deposit requirementis one copy only.
However, if a second copy is donated, as a general rule the Tokyo Main Library willhold the first copy and the Kansai-kan Library will hold the second copy.

Domestic Materials Division, Acquisitions and Bibliography Department, National DietLibrary
1-10-1 Nagata-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8924 JAPAN

The National Diet Library Law obliges the publisher for legal deposit of a "perfect copy of thebest edition" of each publication.
Of all the multiple versions of a publication (including those with different recording media or bindings)that contain the same content issued at the same time by the same publisher, the "best edition" is theversion most suitable to contribute for the purposes of deposit for accumulation and use as a culturalasset.A "perfect copy" is a copy without disordered or missing pages, without scratches or damage or dirt, capableof being played back successfully on equipment, and containing all additional material beyond the main bodyof the publication, such as instruction manuals or appendices.
Packaged digital publications are ranked according to the following criteria: Blu-ray > video tape, boxedversion > non-boxed version.
When the same content is published in both print media and digital media versions (such as a CD-ROM and abooklet), the best edition of each of these versions is subject to legal deposit.

Criteria for the "best edition" of digital publications (a "best edition" is one that fulfils all thefollowing points)

1. Excellent storage stability of the recording medium.
2. Has a container for storing the recording medium.
3. Does not require specific equipment or facilities for storage.
4. Has an attached commentary or instruction manual relating to use.
5. Uses widespread equipment standards both for the recording media and packaged digital publication.
6. Any special functions are added. However, when these special functions are added for specificpurposes, the specific functions shall not be added.

After deposited publications are registered as library materials and bibliographic data (the Japanese National Bibliography) is created, so thatyou can search for bibliographic data using NDL Search.
In addition to contributing to the legislative activities of the National Diet, publications housed in theclosed stacks is available for use via the branch libraries of administrative and judicial departments. They can be read and copied by Library visitors, and can be used for Remote photoduplication service available to registered users via NDL Search.

There is no limit. Publications are stored as long as possible in an appropriate archivalstorage environment, and shared for use.

The Library makes effective use of space at its three facilities (the Tokyo Main Library, theKansai-kan Library, and the International Library of Children's Literature) to ensure the closed stacks donot blow out. The Library also has long-term plans for extension of the closed stacks.

In order to achieve an exhaustive collection of publications issued in Japan, the Library isworking to spread public awareness of the legal deposit system, including the production and distribution ofbrochures (aimed both at publishers and the general public) explaining the legal deposit system.
In addition, the Library is striving to further spread awareness of the legal deposit system by establishingMay 25 of every year as "Legal Deposit System Day" (inJapanese).