Chemical Society of Japan
Japan’s national learned society and professional association dedicated to advancing chemistry through research, publishing, meetings, education, and cooperation with industry and international scientific organizations.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
The Chemical Society of Japan (CSJ) is a Japanese learned society and professional association serving the chemistry community. Established in 1878, it was created to advance chemical research and to improve communication among scientists, educators, and industry participants in Japan. Its formation was influenced by the British Chemical Society, reflecting an early effort to create a modern professional network through which chemical knowledge, experimental findings, and industrial developments could circulate nationally and across borders. The society is not a conventional commercial brand or chemical manufacturer. Its role is institutional and knowledge-based: it represents and connects people working in chemistry, provides channels for publication and scholarly communication, convenes scientific meetings, and supports collaboration between chemistry as an academic discipline and chemistry as an industrial capability. Its activities place it within Japan’s broader scientific and technological infrastructure rather than within a single chemical product category. A major part of the CSJ’s identity is its publishing program. The society supports the Bulletin of the Chemical Society of Japan, whose publication history extends back to 1926. It has also been associated with Chemistry Letters and Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry, publications that extend its reach across fundamental chemistry, applied chemistry, and related life-science fields. The monthly Chemistry & Chemical Industry periodical provides society members with information in a format oriented toward the relationship between chemical research, professional practice, and industry. The society makes a digital version available through its website to members, alongside the printed edition. The CSJ also organizes a large annual meeting in March. These meetings provide a forum for researchers to present results, exchange ideas, and maintain professional relationships across universities, research institutes, and industry. The society’s 101st annual meeting was conducted virtually from March 19 to March 21, 2021. Its 102nd annual meeting took place from March 23 to March 26, 2022, at the Nishinomiya Uegahara campus of Kwansei Gakuin University. These events illustrate the society’s ability to maintain its central convening function while adapting meeting formats to contemporary circumstances. The organization expanded its membership base in 1948 through a merger with the Society of Chemical Industry. That consolidation strengthened the connection between academic chemistry and industrial chemistry within the society’s constituency. In 2018, chemist Maki Kawai became the first woman announced as president, a notable milestone in the organization’s leadership history and in the representation of women within its senior governance. The CSJ’s stated mission is to promote chemistry for science and industry in cooperation with other domestic and international societies. Its continuing significance therefore rests on convening, publishing, professional representation, and knowledge exchange. The society operates primarily in Japan but participates in the wider international chemistry ecosystem through scholarly communication and relationships with peer organizations. Public reference material identifies it as an active organization, although detailed current information on membership size, present officers, revenue, and organizational finances is not established in the supplied sources.
History
The Chemical Society of Japan was founded in 1878 to advance chemistry and to provide a formal structure for communication among people engaged in chemical research and practice. Its creation took place during the development of modern scientific institutions in Japan. The organization was modeled in part on the British Chemical Society, an influential learned society that later became associated with the Royal Society of Chemistry. This model emphasized the circulation of new findings, the exchange of technical information, and the creation of a professional community that could connect domestic scientific work with international developments. From its beginning, the society’s purpose extended beyond the publication of isolated research results. It sought to foster communication throughout Japan and across national borders, helping chemistry develop as both an academic discipline and an industrial resource. The CSJ’s institutional role has consequently included support for scholarly publishing, scientific meetings, professional interaction, and cooperation with other chemistry organizations. The society’s publishing history is central to its development. Support for the Bulletin of the Chemical Society of Japan began in 1926, giving the organization a durable channel for disseminating chemical research. Other publications associated with the society include Chemistry Letters and Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry. These titles broaden the scope of the society’s communications across chemistry and adjacent bioscience fields. The monthly Chemistry & Chemical Industry publication serves the membership with information related to chemistry and its relationship to industrial activity. It has been produced in print and made available digitally through the society’s website for members. A significant organizational change occurred in 1948, when the society merged with the Society of Chemical Industry. The merger expanded the organization’s membership and reinforced its relationship with the industrial side of chemistry. This development is important to the CSJ’s identity because the society’s mission explicitly links chemistry’s scientific advancement with its industrial contribution. The combined organization could serve a broader professional constituency spanning academic researchers, industrial chemists, and others involved in chemical knowledge and practice. The CSJ maintains its role as a convening institution through an annual meeting held in March. The annual meeting is a major occasion for the exchange of research and professional information. In 2021, the 101st annual meeting was held virtually from March 19 to March 21. The 102nd meeting followed from March 23 to March 26, 2022, at the Nishinomiya Uegahara campus of Kwansei Gakuin University. These documented meetings show both the continuity of the society’s annual program and its use of different formats for bringing its community together. Leadership representation marked another milestone in 2018, when Maki Kawai was announced as the first woman president of the society. Her appointment represented a notable change in the organization’s leadership history and reflected the continuing evolution of professional participation in Japanese chemistry. Today, the Chemical Society of Japan functions as a national learned society and professional association. Its activities combine publishing, annual scientific events, membership communication, and cooperation with other domestic and international societies. It is best understood as an institution supporting the chemistry ecosystem rather than as a producer of commercial chemical products. The supplied reference material does not establish detailed information about its current membership, present executive roster, finances, or specific international partnerships.
- 2022
102nd annual meeting held at Kwansei Gakuin University
[1]The 102nd annual meeting was held from March 23 to March 26 at the Nishinomiya Uegahara campus of Kwansei Gakuin University.
- 2021
101st annual meeting held virtually
[1]The society’s 101st annual meeting took place online from March 19 to March 21.
- 2018
Maki Kawai becomes the first woman announced as president
[1]The appointment created a significant leadership milestone in the society’s history.
- 1948
Merger with the Society of Chemical Industry
[1]A merger expanded the society’s membership and strengthened its connection between academic chemistry and industrial chemistry.
- 1926
Support for the Bulletin of the Chemical Society of Japan begins
[1]The society began supporting the Bulletin of the Chemical Society of Japan, establishing a long-term publication channel for chemical research.
- 1878
Chemical Society of Japan founded
[1]The organization was established to advance chemical research and improve communication among chemists in Japan and internationally.
Products and positioning
A national learned society and professional association that connects academic chemistry, industrial chemistry, scientific publishing, and professional exchange in Japan.
Scientific journal · 1926
Bulletin of the Chemical Society of Japan
A scholarly publication supported by the Chemical Society of Japan since 1926. It provides a formal channel for communicating chemical research and is part of the society’s long-standing contribution to scientific publishing.
Scientific journal
Chemistry Letters
A chemistry publication associated with the society’s publishing activities. It extends the CSJ’s role in communicating research findings and professional information within the international chemistry community.
Scientific journal
Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry
A publication associated with the Chemical Society of Japan and focused on research at the intersection of bioscience, biotechnology, and biochemistry. Its inclusion reflects the society’s connection with chemistry-related life-science fields.
Professional periodical
Chemistry & Chemical Industry
A monthly periodical distributed to society members in print and made available digitally through the society’s website. It addresses chemistry in relation to professional practice and industrial activity.
Scientific conference
Annual Meeting of the Chemical Society of Japan
The society’s principal recurring scientific gathering, held each March. The meeting provides a venue for research presentations, professional exchange, and communication across academic and industrial chemistry communities.
Brand decisions
2021
Annual meeting moved to a virtual formatStrategyBackground
The society’s 101st annual meeting required a format that could support participation without an in-person gathering.
Action taken
The annual meeting was conducted virtually from March 19 to March 21, 2021.
Aftermath
The society maintained its annual scientific-convening function through an online event.
1948
Merger with the Society of Chemical IndustryM&ABackground
The society sought to broaden its membership and strengthen the relationship between academic chemistry and industrial chemistry.
Action taken
The Chemical Society of Japan merged with the Society of Chemical Industry.
Aftermath
The merger expanded the organization’s constituency and reinforced its role across both scientific and industrial chemistry.
Recent events
Toray receives Chemical Society of Japan award for technical development[3]
Reported:
Toray received the 2020 CSJ Award for Young Chemist in Technical Development for its prediction method for fluoropolymer interfacial free energy using molecular simulations.
Sources3 sources
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