TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A student at the University of Tokyo (Todai) has unearthed a list of theses and dissertations published in 1985 that clearly lists Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen's (蔡英文) Ph.D. from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

Despite the fact that Tsai has provided ample proof that her Ph.D. dissertation from LSE is real, such as by making the original document public, conspiracy theorists still cling to the belief that it is somehow fake. The theory took another hit after a Todai student recently discovered a catalog of theses and dissertations printed in 1985 that mentioned Tsai's LSE dissertation.

In the spirit of separating fact from fiction, the student searched Todai's law library and discovered a document titled "Legal research in the United Kingdom 1905-1984 : a classified list of legal theses and dissertations successfully completed for postgraduate degrees awarded by universities and polytechnics in the United Kingdom from 1905-1984." The 1985 catalog lists Tsai's work as "1313. TSAI I W London LSE PhD Unfair trade practices and safeguard actions," which is consistent with the title of the document Tsai has repeatedly shown the public in various formats.



Glimpse inside document. (Photo by Todai student)

The student was cited by the Liberty Times as saying that "unless Tsai is so powerful that she could fake a publication printed in 1985 and cross the sea to place a copy in Todai's library, Tsai did receive her doctorate, without a doubt." Despite substantial proof of its veracity, over 50 percent of respondents said that if Tsai's dissertation was found to be fake, it would be a "serious matter," in the latest poll by the Taiwan Public Opinion Foundation (TPOF, 台灣民意基金會).



View of the document's library card. (Photo by Todai student)