Modified Hepburn Romanization System in Japanese Language Cataloging: Where to Look, What to Follow

The ALA-LC Romanization Table for Japanese instructs catalogers to consult multiple editions of Kenkyusha’s New Japanese-English Dictionary and the American National Standard system concerning the Modified Hepburn romanization system. These resources and editions, however, not only vary in scope, but also present some conflicting policies, which may be hindering the operation of romanization. This study addresses the issues of Japanese romanization guidelines by clarifying what the Modified Hepburn system is, and analyzing the discrepancies among the guidelines. Selected romanization data in OCLC WorldCat records are also examined to see how this problem has affected the current practices.