The center was established in 1994. The purposes of the center are to unite the scholars of Japanese historical and cultural studies from the Institute of World History (IWH) and other institutes of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences(CASS), to promote studies on Japanese history and culture, so as to produce more achievements and talents; to strengthen academic ties between China and Japan, enhance mutual understanding between Chinese and Japanese people and scholars, and promote the development of Sino-Japanese relations through academic research and academic exchange activities,

The business scope of the center covers:

Øextensively contacting and organizing the related branches and personnel of the CASS and the IWH to undertake projects and do researches coordinately on Japanese history and culture;

Øorganizing academic activities inside and outside the IWH and carrying out academic exchanges;

Øappraising the research achievements of the center and its clients;

Ørecommending publication of works;

Øimproving the research team and training talents on Japanese historical and cultural studies.

Since the establishment, the center has carried out interactions with the Japan-China Exchange Center of Japan, and published The Catalog of Chinese Social Sciences Papers and6 issues of The Index of Chinese Social Sciences and Humanities Major Paperswith Chinese and Japanese editions in Japan. More than 10 international academic seminars and more than 20 small-scale lectures on Japanese history and culture were held jointly by the center and other domestic institutions.

Wu Yin, Tang Chongnan and Zhang Jingwei had served as the director of the center successively. The current director is Zhan