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Policy Research Institute, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

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Library ─ a sub branch of the National Diet Library

The library has collected and provides lending services for approximately 200,000 volumes from a wide range of disciplines, mainly those ralated to the policies on agriculture, forestry and fisheries, including agricultural economics, economics, law and sociology. It also possesses many historically valuable books and documents published inside and outside Japan.

library

Library Information

  • Open from 09:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., and from 13:00 p.m. to 16:00 p.m.
  • Closed on Saturdays, Sundays, holidays, yearend through new-year holidays
  • Outside visitors: The materials may be used only within the library. Be advised to come to the reception desk and take necessary procedures.
  • Library catalogue is available on the website.   https://opac.cc.affrc.go.jp/?lang=english

Special collections

Amery collection

Dr. G.D. Amery (1890-1955), British, Lecturer of Oxford University, who wrote a bibliography of the works of Arthur Young, the famous British agricultural economist, had a collection of 2,403 volumes, mainly on agriculture, sociology, economy and history in UK and Europe in 18th and 19th centuries. After his death, the institute purchased the collection from his wife. It contains some valuable materials that had never been available in Japan.

Tobata collection

Dr. Seiichi Tobata served as the first Director-General of the institute from 1946 to 1956, while maintaining his professorship at The University of Tokyo (and also served as the Chairman of the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research Council, the President of the Institute of Asian Economic Affairs, the Chairman of the Research Committee on Basic Issues Concerning Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Chairman of the Agricultural Policy Council, the Chairman of the Committee on Tax Systems, etc.). From his collection of 20,000 books, he selected and donated 5,073 to the institute, most of which were books in English and German on agriculture, sociology and economy of Germany and other countries, which he had collected until his retirement from Tokyo University in 1959. Some of these books were collected in early Showa period during his study years in the US and Germany.

In addition, the library has various statistical reports, DAI NIPPON NOKAI HO (Journal of the Agricultural Society of Japan), kanseki (classical Chinese books) and books and journals in Russian, Chinese and Korean.