Monkeys are common animals in Japan, often appearing in popular folk-tales. In the 1950s, Dr. Kinji Imanishi and his colleagues at Kyoto University began modern biological studies on the Japanese monkey (Macaca fuscata). Kyoto University’s Primate Research Institute keeps over 700 Japanese monkeys.
The monkeys are kept in open enclosures, retaining their original regional groups and genetic diversity, as well as in group and individual cages. The Japanese monkey continues to be an important subject in various fields of research, such as neuroscience, cognitive science, morphology, genetics, ecology, and conservation science. We are cooperating with other researchers and caretakers at the institute to develop primate models and bioresources
(skeletal and tissue specimens, cells, and DNA).