| • Science | • People | • Locations | • Timeline |
Before the Meji Era , each local region had been using a timezone in which the noon was set when the Sun is exactly at South. As mordern transportations like train were adopted, this practice started to cause confusions. For example, there is a difference of about 5 degrees in terms of longitude between Tokyo and Osaka and because of this, a train that departed Tokyo would arriave at Osaka at 20 mintues ahead of the time in Tokyo.
In 1886, an Imperial Ordinance was issued in response to this, which states:
明治十九年勅令第五十一号（本初子午線経度計算方及標準時ノ件） （明治十九年七月十三日勅令第五十一号）
According to this, the standard time (標準時) was set 9 hours ahead of GMT ( UTC was not established yet.) In the above ordinance, the first clause mentions about GMT, the second defines east longitude and west longitude and the third says the standard timezone would be valid from 1888.
Coincidetally, a city of Akashi in Hyogo prefecture is located exactly on 135 degrees east longitude and the city subsequently has become known as the town of time in Japan.
With annexation of Taiwan in 1895Events January events January 5 Dreyfus Affair: French officer Alfred Dreyfus is stripped of his rank and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island. February events February 14 First showing of Oscar Wilde's last play The Importance of Being Earnes, Western Standard Time (西部標準時) was defined with 120° longitude, and the previous Standard Time was renamed to Central Standard Time (中央標準時). Western Standard Time was used in Taiwan and some part of Okinawa, until 1937Events January January 1 Anastasio Somoza becomes President of Nicaragua January 11 The first issue of Look magazine goes on sale in the United States. January 19 Howard Hughes sets a new air record by flying from Los Angeles to New York City in 7 hours,.
Japan Standard Time is the same as Korea Standard TimeThe Korea Standard Time (KST) is the standard timezone in South Korea and is 9 hours ahead of GMT: ie. when it is midnight (00:00) in GMT, it is 9 am (09:00) in Korea Standard Time. The difference to GMT is the same as that in Japan standard time. See als.