2 N. Yamasaki 



south end of Manchuria affected by the lease of the Kwantung 

 Peninsula. Maiiy small islands and reefs in the Pacific Ocean north 

 of the Equator have recently come under the mandate of the Empire. 

 They include most of the Marshall, Caroline and Mariana Islands, 

 with the exception of Guam, which is under the American flag. 



The area of the Empire is 680,762 sq. kilometres in loto, while 

 the areas of some of its principal parts are as follows :- 



Honshu 230,209 sq. km. Taiwan 35,969 sq. km. 



Shikoku 18,768 „ „ Chosen 220,741 „ „ 



Kyushu 44,202 „ „ Kwantung 3,374 „ „ 



Hokkaido 94,784 „ „ Mandate in ^ 149 



Karafuto 36,090 „ „ 'the Pacific ' " " 



ii. Land forms. All these island arcs are nothing hut parts 

 of the great circum-Pacific fold, which was formed during the Tertiary 

 period. The crustal disturbance was enormous here at that time. 

 Lofty mountain chains of various formations were upraised to remark- 

 able heiglits and extensions. Some of them culminate in peaks over 

 3,000 metres in height and exhibit landscapes of a typical alpine 

 character. Marine sediments of younger Tertiary formation are often 

 found even on mountains higher than 1,000 metres. As a matter of 

 course, the trend of this folding follows that of the axis of the 

 archipelago. Besides these foldings, blocking movements have not 

 been uncommon since the younger Tertiary period. Extensive tracts 

 of land of this origin are found in Japan side by side with mountains 

 caused by folding. 



Repeated volcanic eruptions have occurred during the various 

 geologic ages, and here, as in other districts of the Pacific, they have 

 been exceedingly frequent since the Tertiary period. Many magnificent 

 cones standing on the mountains and fields or rising from the sea, 

 are mostly heaps of lavas or ashes. The volcanic chains run for the 

 most part along the principal trend of the island arcs, sometimes 

 crossing it, as in the case of the Fuji chain. None of these crustal 

 disturbances have yet quite stojiped. Volcanic eruptions and earth- 

 quakes of various degrees of intensity occur successively, and secular 

 changes of strand lines are also taking place in many districts. 



Besides these structural disturbances, the sculptural deformation 

 of the land is likewise very remarkable. Immense amounts of vapor, 

 brought from the surrounding seas by both summer and winter 

 monsoons, are iireci[)itated as rain and snow, intenselv eroding the 



