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Paper short abstract

This paper analyzes how radio amateurs in Japan employed emerging loopholes in early regulations, highlighting the effect of 1914 SOLAS Convention (signed in London) which prompted the Japanese Radio Telegraphy Law. This law resulted in legalizing enthusiasts’ activities as “experimental stations”.

Paper long abstract

This unpublished paper examines the early history of Japanese amateur radio from a techno-cultural perspective, focusing on "loopholes" that fostered an autonomous sphere within generally strict policies.

Drawing on 19th-century European achievement (Maxwell, Hertz, Marconi), Japan's wireless research began around 1897 under the Ministry of Communications. Inspired by Western successes while prioritizing domestic technological development, the government conceived radio as a means of maritime communication, allocating official operators on most of the equipped vessels (commercial and non-commercial).

However, the 1914 SOLAS Convention, prompted by the Titanic disaster, influenced Japan to shift the wireless policy. The resulting 1915 Wireless Telegraphy Law introduced licenses for private stations along with "experimental stations” —institutional gaps that happened to legalize amateur activities at the margins of maritime-focused regulations.

Unlike flexible environment of the US, Japan's state-led model (paralleling Europe) limited but did not exclude innovation; amateurs exploited loopholes through non-formal networks and self-made culture. By the 1920s, terms such as "amateur" and "layperson" emerged, portraying enthusiasts as scientifically curious contributors despite immature skills.

The 1925 start of broadcasting further differentiated amateurs from passive listeners, enriching "radio" representations. JARL's 1926 founding, with Esperanto-influenced naming (Japana Amatora Radio Ligo), embodied international aspirations for telecommunication.

These loopholes sustained domestic growth of radio culture and further resonate with European techno-science history: balancing social order with liberal innovation. The paper illuminates the interplay of technology, social imagination, and (inter)national regulations, offering implications for broader radio heritage in global history. Future research could trace post-1925 developments and techno-cultural shifts.