JIIA is a comprehensive foreign policy/security think-tank established in December 1959 at the urging of former Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida. JIIA was certified as a public interest incorporated foundation in March 2012, and in April of that year it transitioned into the public interest incorporated foundation that it remains today. In addition to a wide range of research projects, the institute promotes dialogues and joint studies with other institutions and experts at home and abroad, examines Japanese foreign policy and makes proposals to the government, and disseminates information on international relations to the public.

On February 12, 2019, JIIA began an institutional repository -- "Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) Repository" -- upon receiving approval from the National Institute of Informatics (NII) as a research institution transmitting academic information. We plan to use this electronic library system to disseminate open access research results alongside other universities and research institutions. Researchers and students will be able to search the Repository with an academic paper search engine such as CiNii or Google Scholar.