Summary
The United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names recommends that countries should be encouraged to publish and keep up-to-date toponymic guidelines. The aim is to help map, and to help other editors understand, the geographical names of each country for the purposes of information exchange.
The Geographical Survey Institute regularly modifies its instruction manual through discussions and arrangements with relevant organs, and it always submits the latest edition to the Conference.
The Geographical Survey Institute regularly modifies its instruction manual through discussions and arrangements with relevant organs, and it always submits the latest edition to the Conference.
Latest Guideline
Toponymic Guidelines for Map Editors and other Editors (Third Edition, 2007)
This edition was submitted at the Ninth United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names in August 2007.
Contents (in HTML Format*)
- Language
- Committee on the Standardization of Geographical Names and standardization method
- Source materials
- Glossary of generic terms necessary for understanding Japanese maps
- Administrative divisions
*Because of technical limitations, some web browsers may not display some characters properly.
Past Editions
We have so far submitted the following guidelines
- Toponymic Guidelines for Map Editors and other Editors (1987)
- Submitted to the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names (E/CONF.79/INF/11)
- Submitted to the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names (E/CONF.79/INF/11)
- Toponymic Guidelines for Map Editors and other Editors (Second Edition, 1994)
- Submitted to the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names, Seventeenth Session (1994) (Working Paper No. 43)
(In addition to the above two editions, we submitted the provisionally revised edition of the second edition to the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names, Twenty-third session. [Working Paper No. 57])
Other Informations
Further detailed information on guidelines for the geographical names of each country is available on the following website (link to the website of United Nations):
Toponymic guidelines for map and other editors, for international use
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/toponymyguidelines.htm
Toponymic guidelines for map and other editors, for international use
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/toponymyguidelines.htm



