The Journal of Oceanography was established in 1942 as the official journal of The Oceanographic Society of Japan. This bimonthly journal is published in English in order to promote the research in pure and applied oceanography internationally. In response to the need for a broadly oriented oceanography journal with an international outlook the journal has grown in size and has gained respect over the years. With the appointment of a distinguished international editorial board the development of the Journal of Oceanography has shown an increase in the number of both readers and authors from outside Japan. The Journal of Oceanography publishes original research papers on all aspects of oceanography: physical chemical biological theoretical applied fisheries palaeo- or geological. The journal welcomes full papers reviews short communications opinions and letters.