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Background: Depression is a major social concern in Japan. It is therefore necessary to develop a scale in Japanese that can assess depression literacy. Aims: The present study aimed to develop the Japanese version of the Depression Literacy Scale (D-Lit-J), and examined its validity and reliability. Methods: Three groups were administered the D-Lit-J, including 117 first-year university English literature students, 112 first-year medical school students, and 53 psychiatrists. Among these, 112 (95.7%), 112 (100%), and 29 subjects (54.7%) returned completed questionnaires, respectively. The total D-Lit-J scores were compared between the three groups to assess known-group validity, and internal reliability was examined by calculating Cronbach's alpha coefficients. Medical students were asked to complete the questionnaire a second time, 3 weeks later (11 students did not respond), to assess the test–retest reliability using the intra-class correlation coefficient. Results: The total D-Lit-J scores (mean ± SD) were 7.61 ± 4.18, 9.51 ± 4.37, and 17.7 ± 3.15, for English literature students, medical students, and psychiatrists, respectively, and there were significant differences between the three groups (p <.05). The Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranged from.800 to.834 in all students, and was.764 in psychiatrists, revealing a good internal consistency. The intra-class correlation coefficient of the scale was.769. Conclusions: The D-Lit-J showed a credible known-group validity, with good internal and test–retest reliabilities. Additional studies with a greater variety of subjects and that examine concurrent or discriminant validity will be necessary in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]