Japan Maps Available from Ball State University Libraries

Maps in the News: Japan

The GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) in Bracken Library includes a large collection of maps of Japan. This collection includes over 2,000 maps of Japan, the country’s main islands, regions, and cities, and includes topographic maps, street maps and city plans, nautical charts, land use maps, and numerous other cartographic resources.

Many of the maps date back to the war era and were published by the Army Map Service and Defense Mapping Agency. A set of aviation charts of Japan still includes the original “restricted” stamp from the U.S. government. War-era nautical charts are also available in the GRMC. Complete sets of topographic maps at 1:50,000- and 1:25,000-scale are included in the collection.

The map above depicts the city of Sendai, Japan as it appeared in 1945. The nautical chart of Sendai shown above is from 2004, and also includes some of the areas depicted in Geo Eye’s before-and after aerial images shown in the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/03/13/world/asia/satellite-photos-japan-before-and-after-tsunami.html.

The maps of Japan are not cataloged so cannot be accessed using the University Libraries’ CardCat system. Please visit the GRMC to view the entire collection of maps or contact Melissa Gentry at 765-285-1097 or mgentry@bsu.edu.

All maps from the GRMC circulate for two weeks or longer.