The Architectural Institute of Japan, or AIJ, is a Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese professional body

Professional body

A professional association is usually a nonprofit organization seeking to further a particular profession, the interests of individuals engaged in that profession, and the public interest.The roles of these professional associations have been variously defined: "A group of people in a...

 for architect

Architect

An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...

s, building engineers, and researchers in architecture

Architecture

Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...

.

The institute was founded in 1886 as an institute for architects. It was renamed the Architectural Institute in 1905, and given its present name in 1947.

Today the institute has about 38,000 members. Its mission is to advance the science and technology of architecture through mutual collaboration by its members. It sponsors roughly 600 sub-committees and working groups under 16 standing research committees. The institute's central office and library is in Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

with nine regional chapters (Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kanto, Tokai, Hokuriku, Kinki, Chugoku, Shikoku and Kyushu).

The institute publishes the Journal of Architecture and Building Science, Transactions of AIJ, Selected Architectural Designs of the Architectural Institute of Japan, the AIJ Journal of Technology and Design, Summaries of Technical Papers of Annual Convention, the Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering (JAABE), and technical standards and specifications for the architectural design and construction professions. It also publishes the results of research committee studies, terminology dictionaries, textbooks, slides, videotapes, and books for the general public.

Prizes awarded by the institute for individual achievement, built work, and research are among the most prestigious in the industry.