From: Hideyuki Suzuki <hideyuki@sat.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp> Subject: Re: FW: Asia/Ishigaki? Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1998 01:44:27 +0900
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.
I asked about it to Frequency and Time Standards Section in Communications Research Laboratory, where JST is maintained. Before the World War II, there are several laws regarding standard time. As I wrote, the ordinance No. 51 (1886) established "standard time" in Japan, which stands for the time on E 135 degree. In the ordinance No. 167 (1895), "standard time" was renamed to "central standard time". And the same ordinance also established "western standard time", which stands for the time on E 120 degree. This may be a ground of +0800. But "western standard time" was abolished in the ordinance No. 529 (1937). In the ordinance No. 167, there is no mention regarding for what place western standard time is standard... Please note that, since then, there has been no law which support standard time except for JST. I wrote "ordinance" above, but I don't know how to translate. In Japanese it's "chokurei", which means ordinance from emperor. They said there are no law regarding standard time in these days. However, they said that it is correct to say there are only one timezone now in Japan in the legal and factual sense. There may be no good reference to state there are only one timezone... -- hideyuki