A team of Japanese archaeologists has found wooden tablets dating back to the seventh century within remains located in the city of Dazaifu, Fukuoka Prefecture in southwestern Japan. The tablets are believed to be the oldest census registration record in Japan's history.

After the team examined the tablets with infrared rays, writing was found clearly in one of the tablets which measures 31 centimeters in length and eight centimeters in width, according to the city's Cultural Assets Section.

Among the writing words on both sides are at least 16 names of families together with their titles and relationships. Since the description in the tablet also includes some words related to change of address or historical names of places, which were only used during the period between the year 685 and 701, the tablet is believed to be used as a census registration note, or form arranged in the ancient era.

Nobuhide Yamamura, a spokesperson of the city's cultural assets section said that although similar wooden tablets dating back to the eighth century had been unearthed in other areas of Japan, the artifact found in Dazaifu was identified as the country' s oldest file to record information about local residents.

"The discovery is epoch-making to learn how the ancient government controlled people living in regions of the southwestern Japan before the Nara period (701-794), when the enactment of Taiho Ritsuryo formed a nation managed under the 'ritsuryo'legal code system," he said.

The team has uncovered an area of about 370 hectares in the site since March and found a total of 10 wooden tablets by Monday.