The Association for Japanese Literary Studies (AJLS) started as a study group for younger Japanese literature researchers in the Midwest in 1992, quickly developing as a regional, and then as a national association. It is the only academic group in North America that is devoted solely to the study of Japanese literature.

The Association for Japanese Literary Studies promotes the study of Japanese literary texts (poetry, prose narrative, theater, film, criticism, and popular literature and culture) from a variety of perspectives. Each year, a two-day conference is held, the proceedings of which are published the following year.

Prior to the founding of the Association for Japanese Literary Studies in 1999, the Association's predecessor, the Midwest Association for Japanese Literary Studies, organized five conferences on various themes and published five volumes of PMAJLS (Proceedings of the Midwest Association for Japanese Literary Studies).