The Institute's library specializes in Asian studies and contains over 600,000 books and 5,600 periodicals. Its collection of Chinese books, which is internationally well known among Sinologists, is one of the three best collections in Japan and includes numerous rare and valuable books.

　　　The library supports the research activities of the staff of the Institute and other researchers at the University of Tokyo. It also offers research facilities to researchers in Japan and those from abroad. Besides the Institute's researchers, each year approximately 12,000 persons make use of the facilities, 4,000 of whom are annual registered users. More than twenty percent of the annual registered users are researchers from abroad.

　　　This fact indicates that the Institute is playing a leading role in Asian studies not only in Japan but also in the international network of Asian studies.