increasingly in recent years, the agency's prevention of archaeological research regarding a large number (more than 740) of kofun period tombs putatively designated as "imperial" has come under criticism from academics. such research, particularly on the ancient tombs in the kansai region of western japan, has the potential to yield a great bounty of information on the origins of japanese civilization. the possibility that such finds could verify theories of formative civilizational ties with contemporary civilizations in china and the korean peninsula, with commensurate influence on thought about the origins of the imperial household itself, is generally considered to be the greater part of the jealousy with which the agency guards its authority over this large number of tombs (many of which are likely imperial only in name), and prevents scientific inquiry into these sites.