How to Apply

There are three methods available for using the BCCWJ - the online tools "Shonagon" and "Chunagon", and a Paid edition. At this time "Shonagon" can be used without a subscription. "Chunagon" and the Paid edition do currently require a subscription, so please apply following the instructions below. Please note that the Paid edition does not include the software environments required to retrieve the data.

* Please be certain NOT to include the date on the user license agreement.

【　NOTICE　】
As recently there has been a large volume of applications, the approval process will take approximately one month. It usually takes more time in the end of academic year (i.e. January-March), because we receive even more application in this season. We ask for your understanding. In order for the application process to go smoothly, please reference the instructions and samples offered below.

How to apply for the Paid edition of the BCCWJ

Please note that the Paid edition of the BCCWJ does not include any proprietary software for data search.

(1) [From applicants] Submission of application via the application form

Click on the banner below to access the application form. Please ensure that you fill out the form with all the required information.

(2) [From the National Institute for Japanese Language and Linguistics (hereinafter, “NINJAL”)] Mailing of the license agreement

We will prepare a license agreement with the details that you have provided in the application form. A PDF of this document will then be sent to the email address that you have registered with us.

(3) [From applicants] Mailing of required documents

Please mail the following documents to NINJAL.

License Agreement: 2 copies (leave the date blank)
Copy of Identification: 1 copy

※ Please provide a copy of your staff ID card, employee ID card, student ID card, or other identification that clearly shows the organization with which you are affiliated.

Mailing Address:

"Balanced Corpus of Contemporary Written Japanese" public release section
National Institute for Japanese Language and Linguistics
10-2 Midori-cho, Tachikawa City, Tokyo 190-8561, Japan

(4) [From NINJAL] Mailing of the license agreement (copy), application form (copy), and invoice

NINJAL shall review the license agreement received from the applicant. If your application is approved, we will send you an invoice along with copies of the license agreement and application form (each dated and in a single copy).

(5) [From applicants] Payment

Please make the payment using the invoice sent to you. We kindly request that the payment be made in advance via bank transfer.

(6) [From NINJAL] Mailing of the original license agreement, delivery slip, and the Paid edition of the data

Upon receipt and verification of the payment mentioned in (5), we will mail the following items to you: an original copy of the license agreement, a delivery slip, and the Paid edition of the data. If you require a receipt, kindly provide us with the name to be printed on the receipt ahead of time.

Chunagon account

Upon subscribing to the Paid edition, you will concurrently be granted a Chunagon account. Your Chunagon account serves a dual purpose. Not only does it grant you access to the Chunagon search system, but it also enables you to download a variety of data and tools available with the Paid edition. This is made possible through authentication via your Chunagon account. This is an important account. Therefore, please follow the setup instructions provided in the package accompanying the items listed in (6).

For those who want to use the Chunagon search system as soon as possible.

Your Chunagon account will be activated upon receipt of the corpus, as outlined in (6). Therefore, if you wish to start using the Chunagon search system as soon as possible, please apply for Chunagon separately from the application for the Paid edition of the corpus.
→ Click here to apply for Chunagon
When applying for Chunagon and the Paid edition of the corpus, please make sure to use the same email address in both applications. Specifically, the email address you provide as your username in the Chunagon application should match the one you enter in the “Corpus Administrator” field of the application for the Paid edition.

Already have a Chunagon account?

Please log in to Chunagon with your existing account and submit an application to access the "Balanced Corpus of Contemporary Written Japanese" to use the Chunagon search system.
When applying for the Paid edition of the corpus, it is important to ensure consistency in your account details. Specifically, the email address you enter in the "Corpus Administrator" field should match the one you are already using as your username (the email address you use to log in) for Chunagon.