King Edward VII Land
While often treated as a footnote to the concurrent expeditions of Amundsen and Scott, the Japanese party achieved several notable distinctions. They were the first non-European team to explore in the Antarctic; they made the first landing from the sea on King Edward VII Land, where both Scott (1902) and Shackleton (1908) had failed. "Kainan Maru" was taken further east along the coast than any previous ship; the Dash Patrol sledged faster than anyone before, and became only the fourth team up to that time to travel beyond 80°S. The scientific data brought back by the expedition included important information on the geology of King Edward VII Land, and on ice and weather conditions in the Bay of Whales.