Comments on the Japanese Translation of the International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria

In an attempt to facilitate proper understanding by Japanese bacteriologists of the rules which govern the nomenclature of bacteria, a Japanese translation of the International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria was made by Ochi et al. (3). Proposals are here made to change several of the Japanese characters in the translation which do not accurately convey the intended meaning.

(i) The Japanese terms “hyøjun” and “kijun,” used to translate the English term “type,” should not be used in the Japanese text of the Code because they may lead the Japanese reader to misunderstand the nomenclatural type concept.The English term “type” should be used in the Japanese Code without translation.

(ii) The Japanese term “keiyō-mei” was used t o translate the English term “epithet.” It should also be rejected because “keiyō-mei” may be understood by the Japanese reader as a word for “name.” “Keiyo-go” is proposed as a replacement for “keiy6-mei.”