The editorial staff of the University of Tokyo's campus newspaper is offering 1 million yen to anyone who can supply them with a copy of the journal's first issue, published 80 years ago.

Copies of the inaugural issue of Teikoku Daigaku Shimbun, or Imperial University Newspaper, were preserved in the Imperial Library, the predecessor of the National Diet Library, and in the university library. However, the copies were lost after both libraries were destroyed in the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923. The editorial office of Teikoku Daigaku Shimbun, now Tokyo Daigaku (Todai) Shimbun, also kept copies of the first issue, but they were lost during the general turmoil after Japan's defeat in World War II.

The search for an extant copy of the founding issue, dated Dec. 25, 1920, began 17 years ago, on the belief that former students who had either bought the newspaper or alumni who had been sent a copy would still have one in their possession.

About 10,000 copies were distributed when the paper was pressed, but to date, nobody has responded to the appeal.

"As a document, the newspaper has historical value and no doubt reflects the feelings and work of the people who produced the paper. We want to show our present-day readers what it was like," said a member of the newspaper's current editorial board.

The reward money was raised primarily from the university's alumni.

The first issue appeared in a 20-page tabloid format featuring large print headline text and a huge image of Michelangelo's "Biblical Adam" on its front page, according to the Tokyo Daigaku Shimbun staff. The newspaper's editors are also seeking copies of issues two through 56, but without the offer of a reward. Some 35,000 copies of Tokyo Daigaku Shimbun are currently distributed to students, their family members and alumni.