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NIPR in number

1,April 2023

Syowa Station (Antarctic)
Established: January 1957
Location: 69°00’25’’S, 39°35’01’’E
Altitude: 28.8m
Minimum temperature record: -45.3℃ (September 4, 1982)
Maximum temperature record: +10.0℃ (January 21, 1977)
Annual mean temperature: -10.4℃
Annual average wind: 6.7m/s

Mizuho Station (Antarctic, closed)
Established: July 1970
Location: 70°41’58’’S, 44°16’52’’E
Altitude: 2,244m
Minimum temperature record: -61.9℃ (July 16, 1985)
Maximum temperature record: -2.7℃ (January 12, 1982)
Annual mean temperature: -32.3℃
Annual average wind: 11.0m/s

Asuka Station (Antarctic, closed)
Established: March 1985
Location: 71°31’29’’S, 24°07’50’’E
Altitude: 980.3m
Minimum temperature record: -48.7℃ (August)
Maximum temperature record: +0.5℃ (January 12, 1982)
Annual mean temperature: -18.3℃
Annual average wind: 12.6m/s

Dome Fuji Station (Antarctic)
Established: February 1995
Location: 77°19’01’’S, 39°42’12’’E
Altitude: 3,810m
Minimum temperature record: -79.7℃ (May 14, 1996)
Maximum temperature record: -18.6℃ (January)
Annual mean temperature: -54.3℃
Annual average wind: 5.8m/s
Deep ice core: 3055.22m, 720,000 years ago


Ny-Ålesund Station (Arctic)
Established: April 1991
Location: 78°55’47’’N, 11°51’51’’E
Altitude: 40m

Minimum temperature record: -42.2℃ (March 3, 1986)
Maximum temperature record: +18.7℃ (July 7, 2005)
Annual mean temperature: -6.3℃
Annual average wind: 3.3m/s
(Ny-Ålesund observation station, Norwegian Meteorological Institute)

Number of users: 573 person-day (FY2014)


Members of the first JARE (1956)
Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition (JARE)
Departure date of first expedition: November 8, 1956

Number of JARE expeditioners

Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition (from 1st to 61st)

Number of members (total)   3,498 (Numer of female members 166)

First icebreaker
“Soya” PL-107 (Japan Coast Guard)
November 1956 – April 1962
Second icebreaker
“Fuji” AGB-5001 (JMSDF)
November 1965 – April 1983
Third icebreaker
“Shirase” AGB-5002 (JMSDF)
November 1983 – April 2008
Fourth icebreaker
New “Shirase” AGB-5003 (JMSDF)
November 2009 - now

Transportation amount to Syowa Station

Transportation amount on 57th Expedition (2015-17)
Total: 1037t (fuel 632t, foods 64t, others (observation equipment etc.) 341t)

Countries operating wintering observation in Antarctica (2015)
41 wintering stations from 20 countries
Antarctic Treaty
Effective: 1961
Signatories: 12 (including Japan)
Parties: 53 (as of October, 2015)
Council of Managers of National Antarctic Program (COMNAP)
Members: 30 countries (as of 2015)
Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR)
Members: 39 countries (as of 2015)
International Arctic Science Committee (IASC)
Members: 23 countries (as of 2015)
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