Sources on the history of development of Karafuto from the Hokkaido University Library collection

This article provides an analysis of documents from the Northern Studies Collection of the Hokkaido University Library, which is dedicated to Karafuto Prefecture (the southern part of Sakhalin Island under Japanese rule). The development of this region between 1905 and 1945 led to the accumulation of a significant number of written sources in Japanese. Most of these materials are stored in Japanese archives, including the Hokkaido University Library collection, and remain largely unknown to Russian scholars. As part of this research, the library catalogue was analyzed and the search for documents covering various aspects of the history of Karafuto was conducted. The sources identified in the library catalog were systematized into several groups. The first part of the article is devoted to documents related to the study of natural resources and the industrial development of Karafuto. The second part focuses on sociological and historical research. The article examines the circumstances and reasons behind the creation of these sources and provides a summary of their contents. Particular attention is paid to the changing academic interest in Karafuto within Japanese scholarly circles during the first half of the 20th century. The author concludes that most sources related to the history of Karafuto Prefecture are research papers. It was found that, during the early period of Karafuto's development, Japanese scholars actively studied the region’s natural and geographical features, population, infrastructure, and economic conditions. The results of these scientific studies laid the foundation for subsequent socioeconomic reforms. Key research areas during this period included geology, geography, biology, and economics. Research in ethnography and history was also actively pursued. In addition to academic works, the Hokkaido University Library holds reports from departments of the Karafuto Administration Office, statistical materials, periodicals, internal documents of industrial enterprises, and other sources. All the discovered materials are of significant scientific and historical value and reflect the Japanese government's comprehensive approach to the study and governance of Karafuto.