International Library of Children's Literature (国際子ども図書館)

International Library of Children's Literature

Most people may think of Ueno Zoo, Shinobazu Pond, or the Tokyo National Museum when they hear about Ueno Park (上野恩賜公園) in Tokyo. However, in the quieter northwestern corner of the park stands a Renaissance-style building, the International Library of Children's Literature (国際子ども図書館). It is part of the National Diet Library (国立国会図書館), Japan's national library system, and is the country's only national library dedicated to children's books.

The building was originally completed in 1906 to house the Imperial Library. It sustained minor damage in the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake. During World War II, it escaped damage from the Tokyo air raids, partly because it was located away from densely populated residential areas.

After the war, in 1949, the building became the Ueno Library, a branch of the National Diet Library. It continued to serve in this capacity until 1998. Following extensive renovations, it partially reopened as the International Library of Children's Literature in May 2000 and fully opened in May 2002.