Founded in 1974, the National Museum of Ethnology (Minpaku) is an Inter-University Research Institute, housing a research center and museum all in one. Since making a fresh restart in April 2004 as a member of the National Institutes for Humanities (NIHU), Minpaku has been promoting its own research as well as carrying out joint research with other members of the NIHU, comprehensively addressing the study of human cultures. Research achievements based on the ethnographical collection and information including 280,000 artifacts, 70,000 audio-visual materials and over 600,000 books, are presented through exhibitions and a variety of media to the public.