Tens of Thousands of Plant Specimens Years in the Making Turned into Trash Overnight... Japan in Uproar

Nara Prefectural University Discards Donated Plant Specimens
Botany Community 'Outraged'... "Must Clarify Disposal Circumstances and Response"

A Japanese university made a major mistake by accidentally discarding 10,000 donated plant specimens. Among the specimens were plants that have already gone extinct, drawing severe criticism from the academic community.

Plant specimens stored by Nara Prefectural University that were accidentally discarded in October last year.
[Photo by Nara Botanical Society, Asahi Shimbun]

On the 23rd, Asahi Shimbun reported, "On the 22nd, Nara Prefectural University, located in Nara City, Nara Prefecture, revealed that plant specimens donated in 2001 by the 'Group to Establish a Prefectural Natural History Museum' and managed by the university were discarded in October of last year." The university expressed deep regret, stating, "We are very sorry that such an incident occurred and apologize for the great inconvenience caused to those involved."

The discarded plants were collected between the 1950s and 1980s by botanist Iwata Shigeo (1916?1988), who served multiple terms as president of the 'Nara Botanical Society.' The academic community highly valued these specimens, referring to them as the "Iwata Collection." After Iwata Shigeo passed away, members of the 'Group to Establish a Prefectural Natural History Museum,' who managed his specimens, sorted the plant samples, placed them between sheets of newspaper, and stored them in lockers within the university’s specimen warehouse. They visited the university twice, in 2009 and 2010, to check on their condition.

More than ten years passed without inspecting the specimens, and the fact that they had been discarded came to light when Jun Matsui, president of the Nara Botanical Society, visited the university in March. The university explained, "During the demolition of the building where the plant specimens were stored, a general affairs staff member found the specimens in the warehouse but thought of them only as 'plants pressed between faded newspapers.' We searched for someone to take over the specimens, but no one responded, so they were discarded as 'industrial waste.'"

Masaki Okudo, president of Nara Prefectural University, apologized, saying, "We mistakenly discarded materials that might have led to new discoveries for future research." Jun Matsui stated, "This is a huge loss for Japanese botany and a loss of property for the people of Nara Prefecture," and demanded, "The university must clarify the circumstances under which the specimens were discarded and explain their future response."