The Encyclopedia Nipponica (日本大百科全書, Nihon Dai Hyakka Zensho, lit.
When it was founded in 1922, Shogakukan specialized in study books and magazines for elementary school students.
According to its websites, Nihon hyakka daijiten (日本百科大事典) published in 1962 was the first encyclopedia from Shogakukan.
It focuses on local regions and their histories, holding 3,325 entries on Japanese place names.
At the same time, it explains foreign countries, their culture, history, and society, focusing especially on their relationships with Japan.
The National Diet Library in Tokyo, Japan, holds the first and second version of Encyclopedia Nipponica.