Cross-Currents: East Asian History and Culture Review E-Journal No. 2 (March 2012) • (http://cross-currents.berkeley.edu/e-journal/issue-2 ) Japanese Mapping of Asia-Pacific Areas, 1873–1945: An Overview Shigeru Kobayashi, Osaka University Abstract Japanese mapping in the Asia-Pacific region up to 1945 calls for scrutiny, because its development was a multifaceted process with military, administrative, political, and cultural dimensions. This article traces the changes in Japanese mapping of overseas areas to the end of World War II and assesses the significance of the resulting maps, called gaihōzu, as sources for East Asian history. As implements of military operation and colonial administration, the gaihōzu were produced during a protracted period by various means under changing circumstances. Expanding military activity also promoted differentiation among the gaihōzu by increasing the use of maps originally produced in foreign countries. In conclusion, the need for detailed cataloging, in combination with chronologically arranged index mapping, is emphasized for the systematic use of the gaihōzu. Introduction The study of cartography in imperial and colonial expansion is one of the most important subjects today for scholars who are interested in the intersection of modern history and the history of cartography. For modern states, maps have been fundamental tools, serving multiple purposes in construction projects, public administration, land registration, and military operations. Likewise, maps were also important instruments for the exploration and administration of overseas areas that were incorporated into these modern states. Scholars have studied the roles of these maps in international politics, the applications of modern surveying to colonies, and the cartographic representation of empire (Akerman