Dawn in radio technology in Japan

The history of telecommunications in Japan is traced back to 1854. The public telegraphic service was inaugurated in 1869 between Tokyo and Yokohama just after the birth of Meiji government. Since the establishment of communication networks was thought to be urgent to build a modern nation, it was decided by the new government to import all materials and equipment and to invite foreign engineers. Thus wired communication networks were covering the islands of Japan before the advent of wireless telegraphy in 1896. In contrast to the introduction of wired communication technology which completely relied on import, radio technology in Japan was developed autonomously. The first experiment of wireless telegraphy was made by Rinzaburo Shida in 1886 by means of the conduction method across the Sumida river in Tokyo by immersing electrodes in the water. He also made experiments in the sea water near No.5 Daiba (an artificial island in Tokyo Bay). Radio transmissions between Nagasaki and Taiwan were tested in October 1903 at a distance of 1200 km in the MF band in order to cope with the shortage of capacity of submarine cable circuits. It revealed a clear dependence of the propagation conditions on the time of day.