Metre Convention - Metre Convention

Japanese: メートル条約 - めーとるじょうやく

The treaty was established on May 20, 1875 with the aim of internationally standardizing weights and measures. Japan completed the accession procedures in 1885 (Meiji 18), but the treaty was not promulgated until the following year, April 16, 1886. As of March 2018, there are 59 member countries, and 42 associate member countries and economic zones.

The Metre Convention consists of the main text and appendix, and includes provisions on the organization and authority of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures, the International Committee for Weights and Measures, and the General Conference on Weights and Measures, the method of financial burden for member countries, etc. At the time of the treaty's conclusion, the International Bureau of Weights and Measures' activities were limited to the scope of units of weights and measures, but due to the need to handle new units of physical quantity as a result of scientific progress, and also due to the need to increase annual expenses due to the increase in member countries, some revisions have been made.

[Koizumi Kesakatsu and Imai Hidetaka]

Main Contents

The Metre Convention consists of six main articles: the International Bureau of Weights and Measures, the International Committee for Weights and Measures, the General Conference on Weights and Measures, prototypes, membership and withdrawal from the treaty, and financial burden.

The International Bureau of Weights and Measures, under the direction and supervision of the International Committee for Weights and Measures, carries out "the affairs specified in Articles 6 and 7 of the Treaty," namely comparison of the prototype of the meter and the prototype of the kilogram, storage of the international prototype, regular comparison of each country's prototype with the international prototype and its secondary prototypes, comparison of international standard thermometers, comparison of the prototype with each country's prototype of weights and measures not based on the metric system, comparative inspection of various prototypes and standard scales at the request of governments, academic societies, scholars, and engineers, comparison of prototypes and standards for electrical and other quantity units, determination of physical constants, etc. The establishment and maintenance of the bureau is stipulated in the Treaty, and it is established in Paris, guaranteeing its neutrality.

The Comité International des Poids et Measures (COP), which is made up of 18 members of different nationalities, meets once a year. Its main responsibilities include directing and supervising the International Bureau of Weights and Measures, supervising the cooperation of member countries, supervising the safekeeping of the International Prototype Measurements, establishing various advisory committees and integrating their results, determining the bureau's annual salary, compiling the annual budget, and convening the General Conference on Weights and Measures.

The General Conference on Weights and Measures is the highest decision-making body under the treaty, and meets every four years in Paris, chaired by the President of the Academy of Sciences of Paris. This General Conference also elects half of the International Committee for Weights and Measures.

According to the treaty, each country is free to join the treaty. When joining, the French government must notify it, and the French government must then take the procedure of notifying the other member countries and the chairman of the committee. In addition, if a country wishes to withdraw from the treaty, it must do so 12 years after joining, and the government must notify it one year in advance.

If the experience of the States Parties to the Convention indicates that such amendments would be useful, they may be made by consensus decision of the General Assembly.

The expenses necessary to maintain the International Bureau of Weights and Measures were paid by contributions calculated based on the current population of each member country, but recently this has been changed to take into account the gross national income. The contributions are paid to the Paris Savings Bureau through the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. If a country is in arrears with its contributions for three years, the other member countries will pay them in proportion to that country's contribution. This money will be refunded to each country when the arrears are paid in full. If a country is in arrears for three years, the benefits and rights it should have received through membership will be suspended, and if it continues to be in arrears for three years, it will be excluded from the treaty.

[Koizumi Kesakatsu]

The Treaty and Japan

After the Metre Convention was concluded, the French government called on other countries to join, and attempted to persuade Japan through its envoy to Germany, but the government's opinion did not reach a consensus, and in 1884 (Meiji 17), during another appeal, Japan was notified that new prototypes of the meter and kilogram would be created and distributed to member countries, and it was decided that Japan would join. Japan's prototypes were decided by lottery, with the meter prototype No. 22 and the kilogram prototype No. 6, and were received by Oyama Kosuke (1853-1912), secretary of the Paris legation, in 1889, arriving in Japan the following April, 1890.

Japan first gained a seat on the International Committee for Weights and Measures in 1907 (Meiji 40), with Tanakadate Aikitsu as the first member. Since then, Japan has had a member on the committee, except for a four-year gap after the Second World War.

[Koizumi Kesakatsu]

[Reference item] | Kilogram prototype | International Committee for Weights and Measures | Meter prototype | Metric system

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

度量衡を国際的に統一しようという目的で1875年5月20日に成立した条約。日本は1885年（明治18）に加盟手続を終わっていたが、公布されたのは翌1886年4月16日であった。2018年3月時点の加盟国数は59、準加盟国・経済圏数は42である。

　メートル条約は、条約本文と附録規定よりなり、国際度量衡局、国際度量衡委員会および国際度量衡総会の組織と権限、加盟各国の経費負担の方法その他に関する諸規定を含んでいる。そして条約締結当時は、国際度量衡局の事業は度量衡の単位の範囲に限られていたが、科学の進歩により新たな物理量の単位も扱う必要が生じたこと、および加盟国の増加によって歳費の増額の必要もあって、一部の改正が行われている。

［小泉袈裟勝・今井秀孝］

おもな内容

メートル条約の主要な内容は、国際度量衡局、国際度量衡委員会、国際度量衡総会、原器、条約の加入脱退および経費負担の6項である。

　国際度量衡局は、国際度量衡委員会の指揮・監督を受けて「条約第6条及び第7条に定める事務」すなわちメートル原器およびキログラム原器の比較、国際原器の保管、各国原器と国際原器およびその副原器との定期比較ならびに国際標準温度計の比較、原器と各国のメートル法によらない度量衡原器との比較、政府、学協会、学者、技術者の依頼に応じ諸原器、標準尺度の比較検査、電気その他の量の単位の原器、標準器の比較、物理定数の決定などを行う。局の設立維持に関しては条約に規定され、パリに設けられてその中立性が保証されている。

　国際度量衡委員会は国籍を異にする18名で構成され、年1回開かれる。委員会の権限のおもなものは、国際度量衡局の指揮・監督、加盟国の協同作業の監督、国際原器の保管の監督、各種諮問委員会の開設とその成果の統合、局の歳費の決定、毎年予算の編成、国際度量衡総会の招集などである。

　国際度量衡総会は条約上最高の議決機関で、4年ごとにパリで開き、パリ科学学士院長が議長となることになっている。なおこの総会では国際度量衡委員の半数改選も行う。

　条約の加盟は、条約上各国の自由とされている。加入の際には、フランス政府に通告し、この通告を受けた同国政府はさらに加盟各国ならびに委員長に通告の手続をとらなければならないことになっている。また条約から脱退する場合は加盟後12年を経ていなければならず、またその政府は1年前にその旨を通知しなければならないとされている。

　条約加盟国の経験によって条約に修正を加えることが有益と認めた場合には、総会における一致の決議によって修正を加えることができる。

　国際度量衡局の維持に必要な経費は、加盟各国の現在人口に基づいて算出した分担金によっていたが、最近はこれに国民総所得を考慮に入れることに改められている。分担金はフランス外務省を通じてパリ貯金局に払い込む。もしある国がこれを3年間滞納した場合は、他の加盟国がその国の分担金の割合に応じて分担する。そしてこの金は滞納金が完納されたときは各国に還付される。また滞納3年に及べば加盟によって受けるべき利益や権能が停止され、引き続き滞納3年に及べば条約より除外される。

［小泉袈裟勝］

条約と日本

メートル条約が締結されるとフランス政府は各国に対して加盟の呼びかけを行い、日本にも駐独公使を通じて勧誘してきたが政府の意見は一致せず、1884年（明治17）重ねての勧誘の際、新たにメートル原器とキログラム原器をつくって加盟国に配布する旨の通知に接して加盟が定まった。日本の原器は抽選によってメートル原器はNo.22、キログラム原器はNo.6と決まり、1889年パリ公使館書記官大山綱介（1853―1912）が受け取り、日本には翌1890年4月到着した。

　日本が国際度量衡委員の席を得たのは1907年（明治40）で、田中館愛橘(たなかだてあいきつ)が最初の委員である。以後第二次世界大戦後4年の空白期間を除いて委員が出ている。

［小泉袈裟勝］

[参照項目] | キログラム原器 | 国際度量衡委員会 | メートル原器 | メートル法

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例

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