Japanis often regarded as a 'culture of translation'. Oral and written translationhas played a vital role in Japan over the centuries and led to a body ofthinking and research rooted in a context about which little information hasbeen available outside of Japan in the past.

Thechapters examine the current state of translation studies as an academicdiscipline in Japan and a range of historical aspects (e.g., translation of Chinesevernacular novels in early modern times, the role of translation in Japan'smodernization, changes in stylistic norms in Meiji-period...