This volume contains the proceedings of ASIACRYPT '91, thefirst international conference on the theory and applicationof cryptology to be held in the Asian area. It was held atFujiyoshida, near Mount Fuji in Japan, in November 1991.The conference was modeled after the very successful CRYTOand EUROCRYPT series of conferences sponsored by theInternational Association for Cryptologic Research (IACR).The IACR and the Institute of Electronics, Information andCommunication Engineers were sponsors for ASIACRYPT '91.The papers from the conference were improved and correctedfor inclusion in this volume. The papers are grouped intoparts on: differential cryptanalysis and DES-likecryptosystems; hashing and signature schemes; secretsharing, threshold, and authenticationcodes; block ciphers- foundations and analysis; cryptanalysis and new ciphers;proof systems and interactive protocols; public key ciphers- foundations and analysis. Also included are four invitedlectures and impromptu talks from the rump session.