SENDAI (Kyodo) Environmental research and disaster-prevention are among peaceful goals Japanese researchers are striving for as they peruse thousands of topographic maps of the Asia-Pacific region produced secretly by the Imperial Japanese Army.

Sendai-based Tohoku University has posted about 6,000 of the military maps, called "gaihozu" (maps of foreign countries), on its Gaihozu Digital Archive Web site (dbs.library.tohoku.ac.jp/gaihozu/).

The maps cover areas ranging from Alaska and parts of the United States to Australia, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Hawaii and Madagascar are also covered.