Accessing Japanese-Era Land Records

About These Notes

Which Route Should You Take?

Start by identifying the information you already have.

Both routes converge at Step 3 to complete the same application for cadastral transcripts and related records, then proceed to Step 4 to request the records at a land office.

Route A · Start with a Japanese-Era Parcel Number

1Match the Historical Parcel to a Postwar Cadastral Section

① Identify the cadastral section corresponding to the historical town

When cadastral sections were reorganized after the war, section names often retained the former town name . Names associated with Japan, such as 明治, 大正, 旭 or 兒玉, could be replaced entirely. In such cases, identify the earliest postwar section name: later mergers and reorganizations can obscure the relationship, and only that earliest postwar subdivision matches the Japanese-era town.

For other Taipei town names, see the name cross-reference.

② Open the old/new parcel-number query service

1. Open the Ministry of the Interior old/new parcel-number service and select Taipei City to access Taipei’s old/new parcel-number query service.
2. Select Land (土地), then enter the section name in the section/subsection search field (搜尋段小段): 幸段.

3. Select the correct cadastral section from the dropdown: 幸段 (This example has no historical chōme subdivision, so choose 幸段 without a subsection. If the town has a numbered chōme, select the corresponding subsection.)

4. Enter parcel number 147-54 and click Search (查詢).

5. Open the Old/New Land and Building Numbers (新舊地建號) tab to display the number cross-reference. Record both the old and the new parcel numbers (see the tips after Step 2).

2Find the Present-Day Administrative District

The application requires the current administrative district. Use the new section name, 臨沂段一小段, to identify it.

1. Open NLSC Map Service
2. Enter 臨沂段 in the search field
3. The administrative district is Zhongzheng District (中正區) (use this for the Township/City/District field on the application)

3Complete the Cadastral Records Application

Use the Cadastral Transcript and Related Records Application (地籍謄本及相關資料申請書) download page to obtain the form, or ask for a copy at the land office. Complete it as shown below:

• Select 6. Other (六、其他)
• In the field below, request Japanese-era registration books (日據時期登記簿) and land ledgers (台帳)

4Request the Records at the Land Office

Route B · Start with a Present-Day Address

1Find the Current Parcel from the Street Address

1. Open Online Cadastral Map Service
2. Select the Address (門牌) tab, enter the address and search

Record the current parcel number:

2Match the Current Parcel to Its Historical Number

As in Route A, Step 1, open Taipei’s old/new parcel-number query service, this time using the current section to find its Japanese-era counterpart.

1. Select Land (土地), then enter the section name in the section/subsection search field (搜尋段小段): 金華段.
2. In the section dropdown, select 金華段一小段.

3. Enter parcel number 142 and click Search (查詢).

4. Open the Old/New Land and Building Numbers (新舊地建號) tab and record the old parcel number.

3Complete the Cadastral Records Application

Again, use the Cadastral Transcript and Related Records Application (地籍謄本及相關資料申請書) download page to obtain the form. Complete it as shown below, with the same selections as Route A: Select 6. Other (六、其他), then write 日據時期登記簿 (Japanese-era registration books) and 台帳 (land ledgers).

4Request the Records at the Land Office

Submit the request at the land office, as in Route A (see the tips in Route A, Step 4).

Practical Tips

Appendix · Taipei Historical Names and Cadastral Sections

A postwar cadastral cross-reference containing 86 records. Expand the table below and use the search field to filter it. Original Chinese names are retained as searchable identifiers.

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