Guided by news reports in newspapers such as the Oriental Evening News, many places that had once received little attention in Japan, or had been unfamiliar to the Japanese, began to draw the public's notice.
This was especially true in Edo, Japan's capital, where information spread faster and more readily caught the attention of the relevant people.
Edo, Imperial Japanese Naval Academy.
Nan'un Chūichi, an instructor who had only recently taken up his post, was very interested in the Oriental Evening News.
He sat rigidly upright in his office chair, scissors in hand, clipping out the country profiles from the latest issue of the Oriental Evening News.
Beside the desk sat a bowl of paste and a thick, yellowed volume. Written across its cover in fountain pen were the words "Illustrated Album of the Nanyang Nations." It was not the only illustrated album he possessed; he also had ones on the Far East, the East Pacific, and even waters such as the Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean.
"Nan'un, you're fiddling with your treasures again!" the colleague across from him asked.
As Nan'un Chūichi trimmed a map of the Philippines, he replied, "Yes, Senior Oda. Yesterday's Oriental Evening News published some material about Luzon Island. I believe it is highly valuable and worth consulting, so I'm adding it to my collection. It will also be of considerable use in my future teaching."
"Excellent geographical knowledge should be one of the most basic qualities for our naval servicemen. It can broaden their horizons, aid their military careers, and help them make decisions beneficial to the Empire during war."
"Of course, the Oriental Evening News is exceptionally good in its coverage of the geography and national conditions of various countries. Its illustrated geographical material is not only finely produced, but also contains much