The new neutron deficient isotope ${}^{212}$Pa has been produced in the ${}^{182}\mathrm{W}{(}^{35}\mathrm{Cl},5n)$ reaction at a beam energy of 182.5 MeV. Evaporation residues have been separated with the JAERI recoil mass separator and identified on the basis of time- and position-correlated $\ensuremath{\alpha}$-decay chains. The $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ decay from the ground state of ${}^{212}$Pa has been observed with an $\ensuremath{\alpha}$-particle energy of 8.270(30) MeV and a half-life of 5.1${}_{\ensuremath{-}1.9}^{+6.1}$ ms.