From: Paul Eggert <eggert@twinsun.com> Subject: Re: FW: Asia/Ishigaki? Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1998 21:38:44 -0800 (PST)
only JST (+0900) is used everywhere in Japan including Ishigaki island.
Can you please forward a reference for this? This will be useful when correcting the tables. In particular, is this a recent change, or has Ishigaki always used JST?
Okay, I have no reference fot this now. As far as I know, the law enacted in 1886 says that the standard time for general use in this country is defined as the time on the meridian at E135 degree. (This sentence may not be precise due to my bad English.) At this time, Ishigaki is in the possessions of Japan. It may be changed later, but maybe I can find it in Japanese law. I'll report the result if I find it. Actually, Ishigaki island is in Okinawa prefecture, and my friends who have been to Okinawa main island said JST was used there...
The situation in Japan is a bit tricky. E.g. my guess is that Macarthur insisted on Japan using DST from 1948-1951, but Japanese birth records were always recorded in standard time regardless of Macarthur's edict, which is why Shanks omits DST for Tokyo during that time. Probably the right thing to do is to uncomment those parts of the rules, but I would like confirmation of my guess first.
Sorry, I don't know who (what?) Shanks is. I heard from my parents that DST was surely used right after the World War II. But I don't know the details either... Now I understand the problems, so I will check these points including Marcus island (Minami-Tori-shima: thanks for Japanese name!) when I can. Thank you for your information. -- hideyuki