Named in commemoration of the hundredth anniversary of the International Latitude Observatory of Mizusawa, established by the Japanese government according to a resolution adopted by the International Association of Geodesy in 1899 as one of the six stations of the International Latitude Service, at a latitude of +39° 08′. In 1988 the Observatory was transferred to the Division of Earth Rotation of the National Astronomical Observatory. The observations have never been interrupted, even during the two World Wars. Mizusawa is located about 500 km north of Tokyo, and its citizens show a strong interest in the observatory’s astronomical and geophysical research. (M 34626) _ _.