On March 17, 2026, the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) launched the JIRCAS Research Archive (JIRCAS研究アーカイブ).

Developed as part of the "Showa 100" initiatives, this archive systematically organizes reports on field surveys and research collaborations conducted worldwide by overseas researchers from the Tropical Agriculture Research Center (TARC) and JIRCAS. It also includes photographic records documenting activities from that era.

Many of the included images are digitized versions of slide films originally stored in the "Tropical Agriculture Research Slide Information System (TROSIS)" by the TARC Research Information Division. These slides capture research activities carried out across 85 countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America between the 1970s and 1990s and are valuable visual records illustrating the history of Japan’s international agricultural cooperation. The new archive builds on the JIRCAS Photo Archive, released in January 2018 on Flickr, which contained about 12,000 photos. It refines and reconstructs this dataset by examining past documents to verify metadata related to field missions and research projects.

Within the JIRCAS Research Archive, users can browse images organized by research project in the “Project List” section, or search using combinations of keywords such as country, region, or time period through the “Advanced Search” function. The archive also includes a “Timeline” feature that allows users to view research projects chronologically. All images may be freely used — including reproduction, public transmission, or adaptation — as long as proper attribution is given. We are currently cataloging images from unidentified research projects, and additional materials will be made available as verification is completed.

JIRCAS will continue contributing to the sustainable development of agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, and to solving global challenges through the dissemination and sharing of research knowledge.

Archive URL:

https://www.jircas.go.jp/ja/database/jircasresearcharchive