Document And Entity Information - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Nov. 30, 2016	Mar. 31, 2016
Document Information [Line Items]
Entity Registrant Name	DAILY JOURNAL CORPORATION
Entity Central Index Key	0000783412
Trading Symbol	djco
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--09-30
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	No
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding (in shares)		1,380,746
Entity Public Float			$ 214,960
Document Type	10-K
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2016
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2016
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Amendment Flag	false