The Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition in progress and its organization

Abstract

Abstract A brief history, organization, current scientific activities and logistics of the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition (JARE), Japan’s national Antarctic program, are introduced in relation to international frameworks to some extent. JARE was started on the occasion of the International Geophysical Year (IGY), an international scientific research campaign, planned 1957-1958 for geophysical observation on the globe. The government of Japan decided to participate in IGY with establishment of a Japanese Antarctic station Syowa on East Ongul Island, according to a proposal by the Science Council of Japan and continues JARE until now. Headquarters was established for JARE in the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and decides plans for JARE. Operation and logistics of JARE is managed by the National Institute of Polar Research and many research institutions and universities participate in the JARE. The Antarctic Treaty System is a fundamental framework for the Antarctic research expedition and other non-governmental bodies like the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research and the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Program are also very important fora for international collaboration on Antarctic science and logistics, respectively.

Keywords

• Key words: JARE, Syowa station, ATCM, SCAR, COMNAP