ABSTRACT
The period of the 1930s was a prosperous one for geographical studies in Japan. The establishment of geography departments at universities gave rise to the emergence of trained academic geographers who founded associations for geographical studies and changed the character of existing geographical societies. Subsequently, during the post-Second World War period of occupation by the Allied Forces, the leaders of Japanese geopolitics were purged from public posts. The administrative reform most important for geographical studies after the Second World War was that involving the education system. The emergence of new socio-economic aspects in post-war Japan has not been limited to the field of urban geography, for the changing character of manufacturing industries has greatly stimulated new studies in industrial geography. The adherents of the Kyoto school have given themselves over to methodological reflections in studies pertaining to the history of geography and cartography. Their achievements are summarised in a recent publication, edited by the department of geography of Kyoto University.
