Count Shimpei Goto (1857-1929) was a famous statesman of the Meiji and Taisho eras. His particular efforts were concentrated in modernizing Japan in various fields, including administration, the economy and foreign relations, medical science and education. For instance, he worked for the government monopolization of sugar and camphor and also for the development of railways in Taiwan, then under Japanese rule, and the suppressing of revolts against Japanese rule by the people of Taiwan. He was appointed Minister of State and took an active part in the process and development of Japanese Imperial expansion. In 1928, Goto became Mayor of Tokyo and invited a representative of the U.S.S.R. unofficially for the restoration of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The original documents are deposited in the Goto Shimpei Memorial Museum, which is situated in Goto's birthplace, Mizusawa City, in Iwate Prefecture. This production is the complete collection of all Goto's papers and has been put in chronological order.