Geodesy in Japan: legends and highlights

Abstract

Here, I review modern history of geodesy and geodynamics in Japan, highlighting a few episodes during the last two centuries. The review starts with the first measurement of the meridional arc length in Japan by Tadataka Ino (1745–1818) early in the nineteenth century, done as a part of the mapping campaign of the country. Next, I mention the first international recognition of Japanese geodesy realized by the discovery of a new term in the Earth’s polar motion by Hisashi Kimura (1870–1943) at the beginning of the twentieth century. Finally, I review an unsuccessful campaign to detect present-day continental drift in Japan shortly before World War II, conducted by the Geodetic Committee of Japan being inspired by the hypothesis of active opening of the Sea of Japan by Torahiko Terada (1878–1935). [Figure not available: see fulltext.].