To study the history of Earth and life, as well as the history of science and technology, natural objects and the product of science and technology are essential. The mission of the National Science Museum is to collect and permanently store these items. Permanent storage is needed for the museum’s scientific material, such as its type specimens, which have been used to describe new species in taxonomic studies.

Specimens and materials contribute to current and future research, as well as helps deepen the public’s understanding of science through exhibitions and learning-support activities.

The Museum aims to establish a national collection which Japan can be proud of from the points of view of both volume and quality. We conserve diverse specimens and materials including animal, plant, and fungi specimens, as well as live plants, minerals, fossils, human bones, and materials relating to the history of science and technology. With vast specimen assemblages from both Japan and overseas comprising the core, our collection also includes globally precious specimens and materials such as type specimens for scientific identifications, and important cultural assets. It is one of the top class collections in Japan, both in volume and quality. As for biological specimens, the Museum collects specimens which can be used for heredity research covering various branches of life. By preserving the voucher specimen of collected DNA together with its genetic information, we are working to guarantee a collection that ensures scientific reproducibility.

For quantitative research, it is necessary to collect a vast number of specimens and materials of the same kind. This is because even biological specimens from identical species, or specimens from identical minerals, are never completely identical. For example, specimens of creatures from the same kind may vary according to such factors as age, gender and habitat. In addition, successively collecting specimens from various regions over a long period of time will help us to learn about changes in habitat and so on.

To maintain various specimens and materials in good condition for the future, it is necessary to ensure an adequate control of temperature and humidity, as well as an adequate overall storage environment. It is also important to reserve additional storage space for the growing number of specimens and materials to come.

As the national center for science museums, the National Museum of Nature and Science consolidates, shares, and widely disseminates information on the collections held by universities, research institutions, and various museums throughout Japan, pertaining to natural history and the history of science and technology. Our aim is to promote their use, and to ensure it safely passed down to future generations.

The Museum, with cooperation of universities and museums throughout Japan, operates the“Science Museum Network (S-Net)”, an integrated search system for materials held by various institutions. The information is also disseminated on a global scale via the “Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)” an international service for global sharing and use of information on biodiversity. Further, the Museum operates the “Natural History Specimen Safety Net” in collaboration with numerous organizations, to prevent loss of valuable specimen and collections owned by universities and museums.

Materials for the history of science and technology are accessible to the public via the “Collection Database of Specimens and Materials,” and information obtained through collaboration with academic societies and industrial associations on science and technology are accessible via a database for “Database of materials on the history of industrial technology”. The Museum is also creating the “HITNET,” a common database for the history of industrial technology among industrial museums around Japan, which is similarly available to the public. Materials with particular importance for research are registered as “Essential Historical Materials for Science and Technology (otherwise known as: Future Technology Heritage).”

The Museum digitizes a part of its specimen and material collection and makes this data available to the public through the “Collection Database of Specimens and Materials”. We also construct subject-specific databases to serve both domestic and overseas researchers, such as for type specimens, fishes, marine mammals, fungi, paleobotanical literature etc.

We are also creating digital archives of image data and other publicly available data to further promote the use of specimen and material information. Research materials and illustrated books are provided with easy to use form for both researchers and the public. These data are also available as electronic exhibits with commentaries.

New digital data are created every day with technology advances. They include high-definition photography, DNA information acquired from ancient specimens and 3-D digitalizations of specimens’ forms. From the perspective of preserving physical evidence, it is important to keep and store the specimens and materials together with their related data, and to pass them down to future generations, making use of them.