Rare Film Footage Released: Oldest Known Record of Takeshima

About the Film Footage: Nihonkai/Takeshima no Ashika Ryo

Since its establishment in 2017, the Center for Territory and History at the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) has conducted research and public outreach in the fields of territory, sovereignty, and historical studies. As part of these efforts, we are announcing the public release of newly discovered archival film footage titled Nihonkai/Takeshima no Ashika Ryo [Sea Lion Hunting around Takeshima, Sea of Japan]. The footage will be made available to the public on February 22, 2026—Takeshima Day—in cooperation with Shimane Prefecture and Okinoshima Town.

The footage is a film discovered in the storage vault of the National Film Archive of Japan (Chuo-ku, Tokyo), documenting a 1934 landing on Takeshima. It is the oldest known visual record to date.

Guided ashore by hunters from Okinoshima, the film crew recorded the island’s magnificent natural environment—including Japanese sea lions and seabirds. The footage vividly conveys the activities of Japanese people on Takeshima at the time and also serves as a valuable historical record of the Okinoshima region before the Second World War.

With the permission of the National Film Archive of Japan, the holding institution, JIIA has digitized the film and will make it publicly available. In this process, Dr. Takao Inoue, Professor Emeritus at Tottori University, conducted a detailed study of the film.

We hope that the release of this footage will help ensure that the rich way of life and memories of the Japanese people on Takeshima are passed on to future generations.

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