Can't get italics to display for Japanese font using xelatex

Question

I can't get italics to display correctly with xelatex for Japanese or Latin text using Japanese fonts.

Sample file:

\documentclass{book}

\usepackage{fontspec}
\setromanfont{MS Mincho}

\title{Test}
\begin{document}
regular テスト
\emph{italics テスト}
\end{document}

It should show "italics テスト" or at the very least "italics テスト" but instead shows "italics テスト".

The log says: LaTeX Font Info: Some font shapes were not available, defaults substituted.

So I guess most Japanese fonts don't have italics built in even for the latin characters. Does anybody know of free or inexpensive fonts with true italics like these that DOESN'T cost $595.00? http://store1.adobe.com/cfusion/store/html/index.cfm?store=OLS-US&event=displayFontPackage&code=1801
http://store1.adobe.com/cfusion/store/html/index.cfm?store=OLS-US&event=displayFontPackage&code=1800

Answer 1

Japanese doesn't have italics, as far as I know. Emphasis is indicated in other ways: dots placed next to the characters, use of katakana instead of hiragana or kanji, enclosing in Japanese quotation marks, etc.

Answer 2

The concept of "italic" is indeed not useful for Japanese characters; you can, of course, slant the characters, but not knowing Japanese I have no idea how a reader would interpret such.

My system does not have the font MS Mincho, but I do have a few Adobe Japanese fonts, and none of them have oblique versions. What you are seeing in other programs is probably the creation of a fake italic font by taking the "roman" (actually Japanese characters in this case) glyphs and just drawing them skewed. LaTeX has some concept of typography, and TeX will refuse to bastardize fonts in this way. If you want slanted Japanese characters, you will have to find a font for them.

Really, though, why do you want to "italicize" Japanese characters anyway? To indicate emphasis? If that's what you want, you really ought to find out how this is properly done in Japanese, and do it that way.

Answer 3

Hi Tai...

I would suggest that you ask this question on the Tokyo Linux User Group (TLUG). In fact, there was a recent thread about beautiful Japanese fonts in LaTeX. Just Google Tokyo Linux User Group and get on the mailing list. They should be able to help you.

-N

Answer 4

As others have said, if the font doesn't contain italics then you're not going to have much luck.

However, sometimes you just need to be able to fake it, and recent versions of XeTeX+fontspec allow you to do just that:

\setmainfont[ItalicFont=MS Mincho,
  ItalicFeatures={FakeSlant}]{MS Mincho}

or something along those lines.

Answer 5

The Meiryo fonts work great and free too (for Windows users)! http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=f7d758d2-46ff-4c55-92f2-69ae834ac928&displaylang=en

It has italics for the latin characters to they will italics will probably show without having to switch to another font.