The Institute for Japanese Studies (IJS) at Northeast Normal University (NENU) is one of the earliest research institutes established in China for studies of Japanese issues. In the 1950s, a section for studying Japanese history was set up in the Department. of History with the approval of the Ministry of Education. Meanwhile a library of Japanese studies was established and currently has more than twenty volumes of books and a dozen of academic journals. In the 1960s, four sections for studying Japanese politics, Japanese economy, Japanese literature and Japanese education, were respectively organized in Department. of Political Education, Department. of Chinese Language and Literature, and Department. of Education. On this basis and after taking in the section for studying Soviet Union in the Dept. of Foreign Languages and Literature, the above five sections were merged into Institute for Foreign Studies with the approval of the Ministry of Education in 1975. In the 1970s the Institute entered into a period of rapid development. Sections involved in Soviet studies were separated and became an independent institute and sections studying Japan were named the Institute for Japanese Studies in 1979.Since the Institute has four sections of Japanese studies, including Economy, Political Science, History and Literature. And the Institute prepares to enlarge the area of Japanese studies such as sociology, Law and Legal system. The first director of the Institute was Professor Zhou You Heng of the Japanese history research laboratory was the first director and the incumbent director is Shang Xia.

In 1992,the Institute for Japanese Studies was rated by National Education Commission as in the first place among institutions in Chinese universities engaged in studies of foreign countries.

For years the Institute takes in M.A. and Ph.D. students in the fields of Japanese Politics, Economics, History and Literature. Currently more than seventy students graduated and found their place in research institutions, universities and governments. ect..