Research on the archival policies and the record keeping processes in the former Japanese colonies and occupied territories

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The present research project intends to investigate and analyze historical records relating to the archival policies and the record keeping processes in the former Japanese colonies and occupied territories focusing on the northeast China, Shanghai-Nanking area of China, Korean peninsula, Malaya-Singapore, and the Dutch Indies. It aims especially : (1) to clarify the document management systems of the Japanese colonial and military governments and by doing so to strengthen the foundation of the studies of Japanese colonies and occupied territories, as well as to make the clearer images of the Japanese colonial and military governments from point of the archival policies ; (2) to clarify the realities of the destruction of records of Japanese military governments and of the capture of records by the Allied and other powers, especially at the end of war, as well as to trace the whereabouts of remaining records ; and also (3) to clarify the realities of looting, destruction and migration of local records during the Japanese colonial administration or military occupation as well as to trace the whereabouts of remaining local records. During the three-year research period, a lot of useful historical records have been found especially in the northeast China, Korean peninsula, and in Malaya-Singapore. Also found were many historical sources, which also made a remarkable progress in the present research, in such area as Taiwan, Australia and the Netherlands. Many articles and lectures have already been made by the head and other investigators using these historical sources. It is under consideration to publish both a list of collected sources and a research report by the project members. It should be added lastly that a new Grant-in-Aid Research Project titled "Archival scientific research on the sharing of historical records relating to former Japanese colonies focusing on the Chosen General Government Records" is just on foot in order to put the present research forward.