In February 1965, Togawa visited the Yaeyama Islands. He had heard in Naha from a newspaper columnist that there were rumors of wild cats living on Iriomote. He at first assumed that, like reports of the extinct Japanese wolf, people must have been mistaking escaped and feral house pets for wild animals. He spoke with colleague Tetsuo Koura who knew of and believed there to be some truth to the rumors. Koura then entrusted Togawa with the task of acquiring evidence. Togawa then traveled to Iriomote to gather information for his own report and to collect information on the Iriomote cat and a specimen.