The Polar Years and Japan

Abstract

National expeditions aimed at the discovery of uncharted lands, new sea passages, and the elusive North Pole dominate the early history of Arctic exploration. It was in reaction against these costly expeditions that Karl Weyprecht (1838–81) initiated what became the first International Polar Year (IPY). Based on his experiences in the far north, he declared that the primary purpose of exploration should not be geographic conquest, but rather the pursuit of scientific knowledge gained through international cooperation. Despite the strength and resilience of Weyprecht’s original vision, national ambitions have challenged the core spirit of international cooperation in the polar years from the very beginning. This tension between nationalism and internationalism is particularly evident in the IPY contribution of Japan. Perhaps more than any other nation in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the Japanese were obsessed with achieving both national development and international, namely Euro-American, acceptance. The polar years played a significant role in the pursuit of both goals.