The signing of the Treaty of Portsmouth, which ended the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905, awarded Japan the Kwantung Leased Territory, including Lüshun, Dalian, and Jinzhou. Japan then used this as a basis for expanding its colonial presence, an aspect of which included agricultural development. In November 1906, the Japanese government established an Agricultural Experiment Station under the authority of the Kwantung military administration, later renamed Kwantung (Kantō-shū) Agricultural Experiment Station in April 1919, with the goal of advancing agricultural development in the region.
The Archives is in possession of the document “Nongshi shiyanchang yaolan” (“Outline of the Agricultural Experiment Station”; published in March 1931 by the station), which offers a general introduction to the station’s institutional history, staffing structure, divisions, and major research achievements in both agriculture and livestock production. Moreover, the outline further highlights the wide range of professional responsibilities: increasing agricultural output, improving crop and livestock quality, conducting field experiments and scientific investigations, performing chemical and biological analyses, identifying plant and animal species, controlling pests, and disseminating agricultural technologies to local populations.