The article examines the study of the civilizational development of Japan. The purpose of the study is a thorough analysis of the work of the orientalist, academician Nikolai Iosifovich Konrad, who devoted more than 40 years of his life to the study of Japanese civilization, especially the history of its culture. N. Konrad is considered one of the first who was able to apply a comparative approach to Japanese culture with the cultures of the East and West, which subsequently allowed a new assessment of the contribution of Japanese civilization to world culture. The main conclusion of this study is that the legacy of N. Konrad is fundamental in the study of Japanese history, culture, literature and language, and his translations and commentaries on Japanese literature have become an important tool for understanding the Japanese people and their way of life.