 Purpose of Establishment
The Japanese General Social Survey (JGSS) Research Center at Osaka University of Commerce was accredited by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) as a Joint Usage/Research Center in October 2008 and was reaccredited in April 2013, April 2019, and April 2025. The current accreditation period runs through March 31, 2031. The designation of “Joint Usage/Research Center” is given to research institutions attached to universities that are recognized as being able to make a meaningful contribution to academic development by sharing their resources with external researchers. At the JGSS Research Center, we invite social scientists to submit research issues they have in mind, screen the research issues submitted, and conduct social surveys to collect the data necessary to explore and investigate such issues.
To be more specific, we conduct the Japanese General Social Surveys (JGSS) on a nationwide basis every two years to assist our joint researchers in analyzing the data obtained through the surveys and reporting research findings to the public. We make the data available through the JGSS Data Download System (JGSSDDS) and also deposit them with data archives in Japan and overseas, allowing researchers around the world to access and analyze the data. JGSS includes some question modules developed by the East Asian Social Survey (EASS). Through these activities, we aim to promote joint research, both in Japan and overseas, deepen understanding of change and the current state of affairs in Japanese society, and identify the position of Japanese society in the context of East Asia.
Starting in the autumn of 1998, the JGSS Research Project was designated as a “Key Institution on the Frontiers of Academic Projects” by MEXT for two successive five-year terms from FY1999 to FY2008. From June 2008 to March 2013, the project was selected for MEXT’s “Program for Promotion of Joint Research Centers in Humanities and Social Sciences.” From April 2016 to March 2019 and again from April 2020 to March 2023, the project was selected for MEXT’s “Program for Promotion of Unique Joint Research Centers: Promotion of Functional Enhancement.” From October 2018 to March 2023, the JGSS Research Center served as a core institution in the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Program for Constructing Data Infrastructure for the Humanities and Social Sciences. As part of this program, the Center developed the JGSS Data Download System (JGSSDDS) and strengthened its data-sharing infrastructure."
Brochure of JGSS Project
A brochure to introduce JGSS project was published.
 Published July 2026
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