Aozora Bunko

Aozora Bunko (青空文庫, lit. 'Blue Sky Library', also known as the "Open Air Library") is a Japanese digital library. This online collection encompasses several thousands of works of Japanese-language fiction and non-fiction. These include out-of-copyright books or works that the authors wish to make freely available.

Aozora Bunko
青空文庫
LocationJapan
TypeDigital library
Established7 July 1997[1][2][3][4] Edit this on Wikidata
Collection
SizeOver 15,100 works (as of January 2019)
Criteria for collectionJapanese works in public domain or allowed by author
Other information
Websitewww.aozora.gr.jp

Since its inception, in 1997, Aozora Bunko has been both the compiler and publisher of an evolving online catalog.[5] In 2006, Aozora Bunko organized to add a role as a public policy advocate to protect its current and anticipated catalog of freely accessible e-books.[6]

History and operation
This is an explanatory illustration prepared by Aozora Bunko as part of project encouraging Japanese citizens to contact Diet members in an effort to express a point-of-view.

Aozora Bunko was created on the Internet in 1997 to provide broadly available, free access to Japanese literary works whose copyrights had expired. The driving force behind the project was Michio Tomita (富田 倫生, 1952–2013), who was motivated by the belief that people with a common interest should cooperate with each other.[7]

In Japan, Aozora Bunko is considered similar to Project Gutenberg.[8] Most of the texts provided are Japanese literature, and some translations from English literature. The resources are searchable by category, author, or title; and there is a considerable amount of support on how to use the database in the form of detailed explanations. The files can be downloaded in PDF format or simply viewed in HTML format.[5]

After the passing of Tomita in 2013, the Future of Books Fund (本の未来基金, hon no mirai kikin) was established independently to assist funding and operations for Aozora Bunko.[9]

Aozora Bunko currently includes more than 15,100 works as of 5 January 2019.[10]

Public policy advocacy

Aozora Bunko joined with others in organizing to oppose changes to the Japanese copyright law. That opposition has led to encouraging Japanese citizens to submit letters and petitions to the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs and to members of the Diet.[6]

Graphic icon illustrating Aozora Bunko's opposition to proposed changes to Japan's copyright laws

Japan and other countries accepted the terms of the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, an 1886 international agreement about common copyright policies. Aozora Bunko adopted an advocacy role in favor of continuing with a status quo of laws that do not go beyond the minimum copyright terms of the Berne Convention have copyrights that run for the lifetime of the author plus 50 years as preferable to changes proposed by a number of powerful forces.[6]

The evolution of Aozora Bunko from a digital library to a public policy advocacy organization was an unintended consequence which developed only after the perceived threat to the Aozora Bunko catalog and mission became otherwise unavoidable.[8]

Problems

Aozora Bunko pointed that extension of the copyright term had been influenced from the document, "The U.S.–Japan Regulatory Reform and Competition Policy Initiative."[11] Through these annual reports, the U.S. Government was requiring that the protected period of copyright should be extended to the Japanese government: 70 years after one's death for a work by an individual, and 95 years after publication for a work by a corporation. In response, the Agency for Cultural Affairs in Japan has expressed that a conclusion was obtained at the Council for Cultural Affairs copyright subcommittee by the end of 2007. If the legal revision which extends a protected period will be actually carried out, Aozora Bunko would be forced not to publish books which have already and almost been published because of the 20 years' extension of protection of copyright. Therefore, Aozora Bunko released the counter declaration against enforcement of the revised law on 1 January 2005; they started to collect the signatures for a petition on 1 January 2007.[12]

Due to the regime change in 2009 in Japan, Japanese government stopped to receive these reports from the U.S. government. Aozora Bunko does not show any responses toward that and their petition calling for opposition against the extension of copyright term stopped from the modification of October 2008.[12] Instead of the document, the website of the embassy of United States inserted the "UNITED STATES–JAPAN ECONOMIC HARMONIZATION INITIATIVE" in February 2011.[13] In the document, the U.S. government promoted the extension of copyright law for protection of intellectual property rights toward Japanese government so that it was "in line with emerging global trends, including those of its OECD counterparts and major trading partners."

On 30 December 2018, Japan did extend the period to 70 years,[14] which was a requirement stemming from the EU–Japan Economic Partnership Agreement.[15]

See also

Notes
  1. "青空文庫編 青空文庫のしくみ". Retrieved 25 August 2021. 1997年７月に青空文庫が生まれました。
  2. Error: Unable to display the reference properly. See the documentation for details.
  3. "図書カード：青空文庫ものがたり". Retrieved 25 August 2021. 青空文庫では、公式な"誕生日"を九七年七月七日としている。このメッセージを産声として、青空文庫が育っていったからだ。最初の五冊のエキスパンドブックも、登録日をこの七月七日とした。
  4. "青空文庫のしくみ". Retrieved 25 August 2021. 「本を電子化して、誰でも読めるようにしておくと面白い」　そう考える者、数人が集まって、青空文庫は生まれました。「こんなことができないか？」と相談をはじめたのは、1997年の2月です。ほんの数タイトルを並べ、〈開館〉にこぎ着けたのは、この年の8月でした。
  5. Intute: Intute web site, Aozora Bunko project description
  6. "Aozora Bunko" (in Japanese). Aozora Bunko. Archived from the original on 24 November 2009. Retrieved 1 November 2009.
  7. "Electronic Library National Liaison Conference FY2003", National Diet Library Newsletter. No. 30, April 2003.
  8. Tamura, Aya. "Novelists, others want copyright protection extended". The Japan Times Online. September 30, 2006.
  9. Tsuda, Daisuke (1 September 2013). 青空文庫呼びかけ人・富田倫生さんを偲んで／追悼イベントのお知らせ. HuffPost Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  10. "Aozora Bunko". Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  11. "U.S.–Japan Regulatory Reform Reports". Embassy of the United States in Japan. Archived from the original on 15 July 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  12. "Petition calling for no extension of the term of copyright protection". Aozora Bunko. Archived from the original on 29 May 2007. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  13. "United States–Japan Economic Harmonization Initiative". Office of the United States Trade Representative. Archived from the original on 17 October 2011. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  14. JIJI Staff (10 December 2018). "Japan to extend copyright period on works including novels and paintings to 70 years on Dec. 30". The Japan Times. Jiji Press. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  15. "Proposal for a COUNCIL DECISION on the signing, on behalf of the European Union, of the Economic Partnership Agreement between the European Union and Japan, Article 14.13". European Commission. The term of protection for rights of an author of a literary or artistic work within the meaning of Article 2 of the Berne Convention shall run for the life of the author and for 70 years after the author's death

References
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