This study examines how Japanese structures translated as English wh-clefts or English it-clefts correspond to these two types of English cleft constructions at the pragmatic level. By examining empirical data, this study demonstrates that both Japanese wa-clefts and Japanese non-cleft structures render the discourse functions of wh-clefts and it-clefts and that these two Japanese structures tend to complement each other with respect to the types of discourse functions they render or the information status of the constituents in the salient position. The results also shed light on the similarities and differences among the three cleft constructions –wa-clefts, wh-clefts and it-clefts – with respect to the types of discourse functions and the range of constituents permitted in the salient position.