Donation of the Historical Collection “Asai and Ogawa Materials on Taiwan’s Indigenous Peoples” to the National Library, Taiwan: Donation Ceremony and Symposium Held

June 22, 2026

On Friday, June 19, 2026, a ceremony and symposium were held at the Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA), Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS) to commemorate the donation of the “Asai-Ogawa Taiwan Indigenous Peoples Collection”—a collection of historical materials on the languages of Taiwan’s indigenous peoples—to the National Central Library (NCL), Taiwan. This event marked an important milestone in “returning” to Taiwan the valuable “knowledge” that Japanese researchers had painstakingly collected since the 1930s, and in establishing a new symbol of academic exchange between Japan and Taiwan.

The materials donated this time are an extremely valuable collection of primary sources on the languages of Taiwan (Formosan languages), gathered by Japanese researchers such as Naoyoshi Ogawa, Eirin Asai, and Shigeru Tsuchida from the 1930s through the 1940s. The scale and content of the collection are overwhelming, comprising approximately 400 field notes, over 22,000 vocabulary cards, and more than 14,000 photographs and audio recordings. In particular, the copies of the “Xingang Documents”—contracts dating from the 17th to the 19th centuries—and the records of languages that have since become extinct are recognized as being of unparalleled global significance in the fields of linguistics and ethnology.
Of special note is the long-standing effort by the ILCAA to systematize this vast collection in a way that benefits future research, thereby preventing its dispersion. Since fiscal year 2000, the ILCAA has been conducting a collaborative research project led by former Director and Professor Emerita Yuko Mio (currently a professor at Keio University), and has continued the work of classification, organization, and digitization for nearly a quarter of a century. Thanks to the meticulous analysis and dedication to digital archiving led by Professor Emerita Mio, these valuable records—which might otherwise have been lost to the mists of history—have been revitalized as academic assets that contemporary researchers can utilize.

Examples of donated materials: Comparative vocabulary of Taiwanese Indigenous languages (field notes)

At the donation ceremony, moderated by Professor Hitoshi Noda of the ILCAA, Director Nobuaki Kondo of the ILCAA delivered the opening remarks on behalf of the organizers. Following this, Acting Director of NCL, Dr. Chih-Tsung Wen, representing the recipient, expressed his deep gratitude for the donation. In addition, Deputy Representative Mr. Shyue-Yow Chou of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan took the stage as a guest of honor and, along with his congratulatory remarks, expressed his hopes for the long-standing academic ties between Japan and Taiwan. Following this, the catalog of materials and a certificate of appreciation were exchanged.

Address by Acting Director Weng Zhicong of the National Library, Taiwan

Remarks by Deputy Representative Zhou Xueyou of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan

Commemorative photo (Commemorative photo including symposium presenters)

To conclude the ceremony, Professor Emeritus Mio—who, as the representative of the “Asai–Ogawa Taiwan Indigenous Peoples Materials” joint research project, has played a central role and dedicated many years to the organization and analysis of these materials—delivered a lecture titled “The Ogawa–Asai Materials: History and Organization”, detailing the historical context of these materials and the progress of the organization work up to the present day.

Commemorative Lecture by Professor Emeritus Mio

Following a break, the commemorative symposium “Japanese Contributions to Taiwan: Perspectives from Formosan Linguistics” was held. Prof. Paul Li of the Academia Sinica in Taiwan delivered the keynote address, in which he highly praised the linguistic contributions made by early Japanese researchers. In the subsequent research presentations, four speakers took the stage: Umi Shibata (Academia Sinica, Taiwan), Naomi Tsukita (Aichi Prefectural University), Izumi Ochiai (Asahikawa City University), and Kazuta Imanishi (S.I. Co., Ltd.). The event concluded successfully with closing remarks once again delivered by Dr. Paul Jen-Kuei Li.

This donation, made possible through many years of research, marks a new beginning as these valuable materials are returned to their original home in Taiwan, paving the way for future research.

A discussion during a courtesy visit held prior to the donation ceremony

Commemorative photo (from left: Dr. Wende Huang, Head of the Liaison Division, Center for Chinese Studies, NCL; Ms. Joyce Chen, International Affairs Manager, International Cooperation Division, NCL; Toshihide Nakayama, Vice President of TUFS; Dr. Chih-Tsung Weng, Acting Director-General, National Central Library (NCL); Nobuaki Kondo, Director of the ILCAA; Mr. Sheng-Ming Huang, Acting Director of the Education Division, Representative Office in Japan)

(This text was translated by AI.)