, 2002), including at those of the UN Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEGN) 2 , which was formally established by ECOSOC in 1973 (ECOSOC 1973: 93).However, the claim was deemed not appropriate by UNCSGN or UNGEGN, in light of Resolution 8, which was adopted at the first UNCSGN in 1967, recommending that the geographical names authorities of the nations concerned should reach agreement on conflicting names and the applications of the features beyond their sovereignty (United Nations 1968: 12).This suggests that the UNCSGN is not intended to settle conflicts concerning names of features that would extend beyond the sovereignty of the member states.Article 1 of the UN Charter states that the UN's purposes include "To maintain international peace and security" and "To achieve international co-operation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character, ..." 3 Since UNCSGN was established by ECOSOC, which is primarily responsible for the achievement of the latter purpose of the UN, there must have been an international problem to be solved through international cooperation beyond simply settling conflict in geographical names outside the relevant nations' sovereignty.What, then, was the international problem that initially led ECOSOC to establish the UNCSGN and the UNGEGN?According to the UNGEGN mandate, "During the debates of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in 1948, the problem of standardization of geographical names was raised, particularly with regard to cartographic services." 4This suggests that, while geographical names often give rise to international political disputes, the issues addressed by ECOSOC concerning the standardization of geographical names were primarily technical in nature, relating to cartographic services rather than political conflicts among member
Horoshi Murakami (Sun,) studied this question.