diff --git a/doc/extdev/appapi.rst b/doc/extdev/appapi.rst
index 584cf375b..46f847d1a 100644
--- a/doc/extdev/appapi.rst
+++ b/doc/extdev/appapi.rst
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ package.
 
 .. automethod:: Sphinx.add_post_transform(transform)
 
-.. automethod:: Sphinx.add_javascript(filename)
+.. automethod:: Sphinx.add_javascript(filename, **kwargs)
 
 .. automethod:: Sphinx.add_stylesheet(filename, alternate=None, title=None)
 
diff --git a/sphinx/application.py b/sphinx/application.py
index 784e47c8e..d7e0cad4f 100644
--- a/sphinx/application.py
+++ b/sphinx/application.py
@@ -998,25 +998,36 @@ class Sphinx(object):
         """
         self.registry.add_post_transform(transform)
 
-    def add_javascript(self, filename):
-        # type: (unicode) -> None
+    def add_javascript(self, filename, **kwargs):
+        # type: (unicode, **unicode) -> None
         """Register a JavaScript file to include in the HTML output.
 
         Add *filename* to the list of JavaScript files that the default HTML
         template will include.  The filename must be relative to the HTML
-        static path, see :confval:`the docs for the config value
-        <html_static_path>`.  A full URI with scheme, like
-        ``http://example.org/foo.js``, is also supported.
+        static path , or a full URI with scheme.  The keyword arguments are
+        also accepted for attributes of ``<script>`` tag.
+
+        Example::
+
+            app.add_javascript('example.js')
+            # => <scrtipt src="_static/example.js"></script>
+
+            app.add_javascript('example.js', async="async")
+            # => <scrtipt src="_static/example.js" async="async"></script>
 
         .. versionadded:: 0.5
+
+        .. versionchanged:: 1.8
+           Allows keyword arguments as attributes of script tag.
         """
         logger.debug('[app] adding javascript: %r', filename)
-        from sphinx.builders.html import StandaloneHTMLBuilder
+        from sphinx.builders.html import StandaloneHTMLBuilder, JavaScript
         if '://' in filename:
-            StandaloneHTMLBuilder.script_files.append(filename)
+            js = JavaScript(filename, **kwargs)  # type: ignore
         else:
-            StandaloneHTMLBuilder.script_files.append(
-                posixpath.join('_static', filename))
+            js = JavaScript(posixpath.join('_static', filename), **kwargs)
+
+        StandaloneHTMLBuilder.script_files.append(js)
 
     def add_css_file(self, filename, **kwargs):
         # type: (unicode, **unicode) -> None
diff --git a/sphinx/builders/html.py b/sphinx/builders/html.py
index 90558c0e4..e2860e329 100644
--- a/sphinx/builders/html.py
+++ b/sphinx/builders/html.py
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ class CSSContainer(list):
 
 
 class Stylesheet(text_type):
-    """The metadata of stylesheet.
+    """A metadata of stylesheet.
 
     To keep compatibility with old themes, an instance of stylesheet behaves as
     its filename (str).
@@ -162,6 +162,26 @@ class Stylesheet(text_type):
         return self
 
 
+class JavaScript(text_type):
+    """A metadata of javascript file.
+
+    To keep compatibility with old themes, an instance of javascript behaves as
+    its filename (str).
+    """
+
+    attributes = None   # type: Dict[unicode, unicode]
+    filename = None     # type: unicode
+
+    def __new__(cls, filename, **attributes):
+        # type: (unicode, **unicode) -> None
+        self = text_type.__new__(cls, filename)  # type: ignore
+        self.filename = filename
+        self.attributes = attributes
+        self.attributes.setdefault('type', 'text/javascript')
+
+        return self
+
+
 class BuildInfo(object):
     """buildinfo file manipulator.
 
@@ -1479,6 +1499,31 @@ def convert_html_css_files(app, config):
     config.html_css_files = html_css_files  # type: ignore
 
 
+def setup_js_tag_helper(app, pagename, templatexname, context, doctree):
+    # type: (Sphinx, unicode, unicode, Dict, nodes.Node) -> None
+    """Set up js_tag() template helper.
+
+    .. note:: This set up function is added to keep compatibility with webhelper.
+    """
+    pathto = context.get('pathto')
+
+    def js_tag(js):
+        # type: (JavaScript) -> unicode
+        attrs = []
+        if isinstance(js, JavaScript):
+            for key in sorted(js.attributes):
+                value = js.attributes[key]
+                if value is not None:
+                    attrs.append('%s="%s"' % (key, htmlescape(value, True)))
+            attrs.append('src="%s"' % pathto(js.filename, resource=True))
+        else:
+            # str value (old styled)
+            attrs.append('src="%s"' % pathto(js, resource=True))
+        return '<script %s></script>' % ' '.join(attrs)
+
+    context['js_tag'] = js_tag
+
+
 def setup(app):
     # type: (Sphinx) -> Dict[unicode, Any]
     # builders
@@ -1529,6 +1574,7 @@ def setup(app):
 
     # event handlers
     app.connect('config-inited', convert_html_css_files)
+    app.connect('html-page-context', setup_js_tag_helper)
 
     return {
         'version': 'builtin',
diff --git a/sphinx/themes/basic/layout.html b/sphinx/themes/basic/layout.html
index 4795f7397..04957be2e 100644
--- a/sphinx/themes/basic/layout.html
+++ b/sphinx/themes/basic/layout.html
@@ -88,8 +88,8 @@
 
 {%- macro script() %}
     <script type="text/javascript" id="documentation_options" data-url_root="{{ pathto('', 1) }}" src="{{ pathto('_static/documentation_options.js', 1) }}"></script>
-    {%- for scriptfile in script_files %}
-    <script type="text/javascript" src="{{ pathto(scriptfile, 1) }}"></script>
+    {%- for js in script_files %}
+    {{ js_tag(js) }}
     {%- endfor %}
 {%- endmacro %}