Hydrographic Department of Japan (1871 - present)

The Hydrographic Department of Japan (1871 - present) was established in 1871 to carry out various marine surveys and observations for the Japanese military. Initially the Hydrographic Department did little more than collect and update British Admiralty and U.S. Hydrographic charts focusing on East Asia, however, as the department matured, it began to commission its own survey work through the region. Today the Hydrographic department has been folded into the Japanese Coast Guard's Hydrographic and Oceanographic Department.