| Sumario: | This article focuses on the development of English–Japanese learners' dictionaries (EJLDs) during their Golden Age (1995–2005), a period marked by unprecedented market growth in bilingual English lexicography in Japan. During this era, publishers released a wide range of revised and new EJLDs tailored to different proficiency levels, driven by a competitive market. Key contributors to this success were the lexicographic traditions established at academic institutions such as Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS) and Kobe City University of Foreign Studies (KCUFS). Mentorship and apprenticeship models fostered generations of lexicographers who emphasised rigorous linguistic principles and collaborative dictionary-making practices. Pioneers such as Shigeru Takebayashi and Tomoshichi Konishi played pivotal roles and trained students, who later succeeded with flagship dictionaries like the Lighthouse English–Japanese Dictionary and the Genius English–Japanese Dictionary. The rise of academic societies in the 1990s, including the Japan Association of English Corpus Studies (JAECS) and the JACET Society of English Lexicography (JSEL), further facilitated the exchange of ideas among lexicographers. These organizations hosted workshops, symposia, and international conferences that promoted the adoption of new methodologies, such as corpus linguistics, and encouraged international collaboration. While the transition to electronic and digital resources has posed significant challenges to traditional dictionary publishing, this article argues that the legacy of the Golden Age offers valuable lessons for the future of EJLDs: the importance of sustained academic exchange and technological innovation to ensure the continued evolution of bilingual lexicography as a cultural asset.
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