About American Centers About ACRS ACRS in Japan (hours, maps, holidays, etc) Catalog Core Collection (Executive / Legislative publications) Database Current Reports

Periodicals S.E.L.E.C.T (selected URLs) Electronic Journals Frequently Asked Questions about the U.S. Links to U.S. Federal Government, Research Organizations, etc

American Centers:

As part of the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Japan, the American Centers are responsible for disseminating information about the United States, its policies, culture and people to Japanese citizens in the regions where they are located. The American Centers accomplish this by providing library and research services through their state-of-the-art American Center Reference Services and by hosting a number of programs on topics related to the U.S. and U.S.-Japan relations, often co-sponsoring these programs with local Japanese institutions.  

What Is the ACRS?

The American Center Reference Service (ACRS) provides information about and research on the United States, its people and its policies in support of the Office of International Information Programs (U.S. Dept. of State) mission to promote mutual understanding, cultural and information exchange between the United States and Japan.

The ACRS resources range from general reference materials on the U.S. to specialized collections in international relations, international economy, and contemporary American politics and society. Although the ACRS facilities are open to the public, they do not loan materials. ACRS resources are intended for use by people conducting serious research on the United States, and must be read or photocopied at the ACRS site.

The ACRS has very limited reference information on American education and tourism. For information on study in the U.S., please contact the Japan-U.S. Educational Commission (JUSEC). For information on U.S. travel, you may try several gateway sites on travel. Visa information can be obtained at the Visa Services section of our homepage.

There are presently five ACRS facilities in Japan: Tokyo, Kansai, Nagoya, Fukuoka, and Sapporo. The Tokyo ACRS is the largest, followed by the Kansai ACRS in Osaka. The five ACRSs share resources and cooperate on information needs. 

Core Collection:

The core collection of the ACRS consists of interdisciplinary U.S. reference materials, U.S. Government publications, and public policy research institutions' reports. As some of the materials we have here are available on the internet, we made links to those sites.  (Year) after the title indicates holding period at Tokyo ACRS.

Executive Branch Publications and Resources

• U.S. Government Manuals (1974-)
• Budget of the U.S. Government (10 years)
• Economic Report of the President (5 years)
• Annual Defense Report (10 years)
• Statistical Abstract of the U.S. (1961-)
• Code of Federal Regulations (latest edition)
• Federal Register (1980- )
• Public Papers of the Presidents (1945- )
  
  

Public Papers of the Presidents websites Former Presidents: Clinton   Bush   Reagan   Presidential Libraries Current President: Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents



• Foreign Relations of the United States (1901- )
• American Foreign Policy and Treaty Index (1993-99)
• Public Diplomacy Query (PDQ)   (Index 1985-)
• U.S. Treaties and Other International Agreements (1950- )
• Treaties in Force (latest edition)
  
  

  Treaty websites (not all treaties are available on the internet.) Treaty Documents (via GPO Access) Internet Law Library Treaties and International Law Avalon Project at the Yale Law School (Pre18th-20th century) Arms Control Treaties and Agreements (Dept. of State Archive) Private International Law (Dept. of State)

Legislative Branch Publications and Resources

• Publications of the U.S. Congress, including congressional hearings, committee reports and documents compiled by  CIS, Inc. (15 years in microfiche)
• Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress (1774-)
• Congressional Directory (1983-)
• Congressional Record (10 years)
• CQ (Congressional Quarterly) Almanac (1962-)
• U.S. Code (latest edition)
• U.S. Code Congressional Administrative News (1968-)




Legislative Branch Internet Resources U.S. Senate U.S. House of Representatives Congressional Publications (Government Printing Office). Public Laws, Bill Texts and Congressional Record and other legislative information are also available via THOMAS (Library of Congress). U.S. Code Table of Popular Names



• General Accounting Office Reports 
• Congressional Research Service CRS Reports (5 years) 

             Newly Arrived CRS Reports

Research Centers Publications -- Please search our Catalog and Current Reports section.

        Research Organizations websites

Catalog (OPAC):

Reference books at the ACRS can be searched by keyword(s) in "title," "author," and "subject."  

Database:

Approximately 20 CD-ROM titles are available at each ACRS. CD-ROM resources range from periodical indexes to full texts on a wide variety of fields. A list of the CD-ROM titles is found here.

Internet access and the "ProQuest Direct"and "FirstSearch" online databases are also available at each ACRS for research on the subject(s) related to the ACRS mission.

Current Reports:

Reports and documents currently published by various research organizations, including Congressional Research Service, and U.S. government advisory committees are available at each ACRS. A list of major pamphlets received at the ACRS for the past three years is found here.

Periodicals:

Japan ACRSs have more than 150 U.S. magazines in hard copy. A ten year microform archive of the 150 magazine titles is held at the Tokyo ACRS. A list of the periodical holdings at the ACRS is found here.

More than 450 additional titles, some dating back to 1988, are available on the ProQuest General Periodical Ondisc CD-ROM system. The ProQuest Direct Online database is also available for the patrons at the ACRS site.

The New York Times is available at all ACRS. The New York Times archive (from the current year back to 1972) and a Washington Post archive (back to 1978) are available at the Tokyo ACRS.  Current issues of the Wall Street Journal in hard copy are available at the Kansai ACRS and an archive (from 1995) is available on CD-ROM at all ACRS. The Asian Wall Street Journal (3 months back from the current month) is held at the Tokyo and Nagoya ACRS, and the International Herald Tribune (3 months back from the current month) is available at Tokyo, Nagoya, and Fukuoka ACRS. 

Electronic Journals:

Electronic journals, published by the U.S. Dept. of State's Office of  International Information Programs,  examine major issues facing the United States and the international community, and inform foreign publics about the United States.

The electronic journals -- "Economic Perspectives", "Global Issues", "Issues of Democracy", "U.S. Foreign Policy Agenda" and "U.S. Society & Values" -- provide analysis, commentary and background information on specific thematic areas. Articles may be reproduced and translated outside the United States, unless there are specific copyright restrictions cited by the articles.

S.E.L.E.C.T:

S.E.L.E.C.T (Sources for Electronic Library: Electronically Collected Texts) provides URL addresses of major reports and speeches recently released by U.S. Government agencies or public policy research institutions in the United States. This information is divided into eight subject categories, e.g. "International Politics & Security," "Asian Politics & Security," "International Economy & Trade," "U.S. Politics." "U.S. Economy," "U.S. Social Issues," "Environment and NGOs," and "Information and Telecommunication." Although the given WEB site texts are in English, the introductory explanations are in Japanese.

American Center Reference Services in Japan:

ACRS is open Monday through Friday, and closed on both U.S. and Japanese holidays.  Check each ACRS for the temporary closing schedule.

TOKYO:

American Center Reference Service

ABC Bldg. 11th floor, 6-3 Shibakoen 2-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0011
Tel: 03-3436-0901      Fax: 03-3436-0273
Opening hours: 12:00 noon - 18:00 (Monday - Friday)
Telephone inquiry: 13:00 - 17:00 (Monday - Friday)
Map

Office:
Tel: 03-3436-0904    Fax: 03-3436-0900
Office hours: 09:30 - 18:30 (Monday - Friday)

NAGOYA:

Nagoya Kokusai Center Bldg. 6th floor, 47-1 Nagono 1-chome, Nakamura-ku, Nagoya 450-0001
Tel: 052-581-8641     Fax: 052-561-7215
Opening hours: 13:00 - 17:00 (Monday - Friday)
Map

Office:
Tel: 052-581-8631     Fax: 052-581-3190
Office hours: 09:00 - 18:00 (Monday - Friday)

KANSAI:

Consulate General of the United States of America, Osaka-Kobe. 
11-5 Nishitenma 2-chome, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-8543
Tel: 06-6315-5970     Fax: 06-6315-5980
Opening hours: 13:00 - 17:00 (Monday - Friday)
Map

Office:
Tel: 06-6315-5965     Fax: 06-6315-5999
Office hours: 09:00 - 18:00 (Monday - Friday)

FUKUOKA:

Nishitetsu D Bldg. 8th floor, 2-67 Tenjin 2-chome, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka 810-0001
Tel: 092-733-0246     Fax: 092-716-6152
Opening hours: 13:00 - 18:00 (Monday - Friday)
Map

Office:
Tel: 092-761-6661     Fax: 092-721-0109
Office hours: 09:30 - 18:30 (Monday - Friday)

SAPPORO:

American Consulate General Sapporo 1F, Kita 1-jo, Nishi 28-chome, Chuo-ku, Sapporo 064-0821 
Tel: 011-641-3444     Fax: 011-641-0911
Opening hours: 13:00 - 18:00 (Monday - Friday)
Map

Office:
Tel: 011-641-1115     Fax: 011-643-1283
Office hours: 08:30 - 17:30 (Monday - Friday)