Japanese font trouble

[akai_kenshi]

I posted this to Launchpad (https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/language-support-ja/+question/126691), but have yet to get a reply so I thought I'd try here:

By default, Ubuntu uses the Takao series of fonts to display Japanese, which I am satisfied with. However, installing any additional Japanese fonts, either through Ubuntu Software Center, Synaptic, or manually with Font Viewer will change the display of Japanese text system-wide to the newly-installed font. It changes in webpages, titlebars, menus, everything.

What is causing this behavior, and how can I control it?

[mips]

Sorry I can't help but have you tried contacting the Nippon team?
http://www.ubuntulinux.jp/community

They might have encountered the same problem as well as a possible solution.

[akai_kenshi]

That's probably the best idea, it just requires me to try to use Japanese in a technical context. :frown:

10.10 is just around the corner, so I might wait to see if it's addressed there. I think it has to do with how the system selects fonts in place of 'sans.'

[akai_kenshi]

Okay, so after some help from the the Ubuntu Japan forum and pulling and editing a font config file from an Ubuntu Japanese Remix live disk, here's the solution I came up with for anyone who might be having the same problem:

1) Open a terminal.

2) Type:


sudo gedit /etc/fonts/conf.d/69-language-selector-ja-jp.conf

3) Copy and paste this code into the opened file:


<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!DOCTYPE fontconfig SYSTEM "fonts.dtd">
<fontconfig>
<!-- Japanese (ja) -->
<match target="pattern">
<test qual="any" name="family">
<string>serif</string>
</test>
<edit name="family" mode="prepend" binding="strong">
<string>DejaVu Serif</string>
<string>Takao P明朝</string>
<string>IPA P明朝</string>
<string>IPA モナー P明朝</string>
<string>梅P明朝</string>
<string>さざなみ明朝</string>
<string>東風明朝</string>
</edit>
</match>

<match target="pattern">
<test qual="any" name="family">
<string>sans-serif</string>
</test>
<edit name="family" mode="prepend" binding="strong">
<string>DejaVu Sans</string>
<string>Takao Pゴシック</string>
<string>IPA Pゴシック</string>
<string>IPA モナー Pゴシック</string>
<string>UmePlus P Gothic</string>
<string>梅Pゴシック</string>
<string>VL Pゴシック</string>
<string>さざなみゴシック</string>
<string>東風ゴシック</string>
</edit>
</match>

<match target="pattern">
<test qual="any" name="family">
<string>monospace</string>
</test>
<edit name="family" mode="prepend" binding="strong">
<string>DejaVu Sans Mono</string>
<string>Takaoゴシック</string>
<string>IPAゴシック</string>
<string>IPA モナー ゴシック</string>
<string>UmePlus Gothic</string>
<string>梅ゴシック</string>
<string>VL ゴシック</string>
<string>さざなみゴシック</string>
<string>東風ゴシック</string>
</edit>
</match>

<match target="pattern">
<test qual="any" name="family">
<string>Ryumin</string>
</test>
<edit name="family" mode="prepend" binding="strong">
<string>Takao P明朝</string>
<string>IPA P明朝</string>
<string>IPA モナー P明朝</string>
<string>梅P明朝</string>
<string>さざなみ明朝</string>
<string>東風明朝</string>
</edit>
</match>

<match target="pattern">
<test qual="any" name="family">
<string>GothicBBB</string>
</test>
<edit name="family" mode="prepend" binding="strong">
<string>Takao Pゴシック</string>
<string>IPA Pゴシック</string>
<string>IPA モナー Pゴシック</string>
<string>UmePlus P Gothic</string>
<string>梅Pゴシック</string>
<string>VL Pゴシック</string>
<string>さざなみ ゴシック</string>
<string>東風ゴシック</string>
</edit>
</match>

<match target="font">
<test name="family" compare="contains">
<string>Takaoゴシック</string>
<string>Takao Pゴシック</string>
<string>TakaoExゴシック</string>
<string>Takao明朝</string>
<string>Takao P明朝</string>
<string>TakaoEx明朝</string>
<string>IPAゴシック</string>
<string>IPA Pゴシック</string>
<string>IPAexゴシック</string>
<string>IPA明朝</string>
<string>IPA P明朝</string>
<string>IPAex明朝</string>
<string>IPA モナー ゴシック</string>
<string>IPA モナー Pゴシック</string>
<string>IPA モナー UIゴシック</string>
<string>IPA モナー 明朝</string>
<string>IPA モナー P明朝</string>
<string>梅ゴシック</string>
<string>梅ゴシックC4</string>
<string>梅ゴシックC5</string>
<string>梅ゴシックO5</string>
<string>梅ゴシックS4</string>
<string>梅ゴシックS5</string>
<string>梅Pゴシック</string>
<string>梅PゴシックC4</string>
<string>梅PゴシックC5</string>
<string>梅PゴシックO5</string>
<string>梅PゴシックS4</string>
<string>梅PゴシックS5</string>
<string>梅明朝</string>
<string>梅明朝S3</string>
<string>梅P明朝</string>
<string>梅P明朝S3</string>
<string>梅UIゴシック</string>
<string>梅UIゴシックO5</string>
<string>UmePlus Gothic</string>
<string>UmePlus P Gothic</string>
<string>VL ゴシック</string>
<string>VL Pゴシック</string>
<string>さざなみゴシック</string>
<string>さざなみ明朝</string>
<string>東風ゴシック</string>
<string>東風明朝</string>
<string>TakaoGothic</string>
<string>TakaoPGothic</string>
<string>TakaoExGothic</string>
<string>TakaoMincho</string>
<string>TakaoPMincho</string>
<string>TakaoExMincho</string>
<string>IPAGothic</string>
<string>IPAPGothic</string>
<string>IPAexGothic</string>
<string>IPAMincho</string>
<string>IPAPMincho</string>
<string>IPAexMincho</string>
<string>IPAMonaGothic</string>
<string>IPAMonaPGothic</string>
<string>IPAMonaUIGothic</string>
<string>IPAMonaMincho</string>
<string>IPAMonaPMincho</string>
<string>Ume Gothic</string>
<string>Ume Gothic C4</string>
<string>Ume Gothic C5</string>
<string>Ume Gothic O5</string>
<string>Ume Gothic S4</string>
<string>Ume Gothic S5</string>
<string>Ume P Gothic</string>
<string>Ume P Gothic C4</string>
<string>Ume P Gothic C5</string>
<string>Ume P Gothic O5</string>
<string>Ume P Gothic S4</string>
<string>Ume P Gothic S5</string>
<string>Ume Mincho</string>
<string>Ume Mincho S3</string>
<string>Ume P Mincho</string>
<string>Ume P Mincho S3</string>
<string>Ume UI Gothic</string>
<string>Ume UI Gothic O5</string>
<string>Ume Gothic</string>
<string>Ume P Gothic</string>
<string>VL Gothic</string>
<string>VL PGothic</string>
<string>Sazanami Gothic</string>
<string>Sazanami Mincho</string>
<string>Kochi Gothic</string>
<string>Kochi Mincho</string>
</test>
<test name="pixelsize" compare="less_eq">
<double>18</double>
</test>
<edit name="hintstyle" mode="assign">
<const>hintnone</const>
</edit>
<edit name="embeddedbitmap">
<bool>false</bool>
</edit>
</match>
<!-- Japanese (ja) ends -->
</fontconfig>

4) Save the file, close it, and restart your computer.

You should now have a desktop with a nice looking English and Japanese font display, and you can install as many Japanese fonts as you like without altering it.

:guitar:

[mips]

Good to know you came right.

[stevepoppers]

I know this is old, but it just helped me after trying KDE reamed my system fonts. Just wanted to point that out to anyone else who happens to wander here. I actually didn't try it for a while because there was no follow and I didn't have any idea what it would do. So, anyone else with this problem, this worked for me too.

Thanksk.

[daithib8]

There is already a preset in the /etc/fonts/conf.avail directory. To activate it create a symlink to it in /etc/fonts/conf.d.
cd /etc/fonts/conf.d
sudo ln -s /etc/fonts/conf.avail/69-language-selector-ja-jp.conf