Masaaki Kimura is a professor at University of the Ryukyus, Department of Science Faculty, Earth Science course. He is from Yokohama city in Kanagawa prefecture. He graduated from the Tokyo University graduate school, Department of Science. He has a Ph.D. in marine geology. He has studied at these places: Ocean Research Institute at the Tokyo University, Geological Survey of Japan at the Agency of Industrial Science and Technology of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry Japan, and Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University. He started teaching at the University of the Ryukyus in1977.
He is a pioneer of Japan's marine geology study. He is also well known in seismology. Kimura predicted the volcanic eruption in Miyake Island in 1983, Izu Oshima Island in 1986 and Mt. Fugen in Unzen city in Kyushu in 1991. He will continue studying the relationship of volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.



[Notes]
*Proved
Mr. Kimura's book "Taiheiyo ni Shizunda Tairiku" ("A Continent Lost In The Pacific Ocean") was published in 1997. The contents of this book are widely accepted among geologists. He is now working on his latest finds.

**6000 years old
Nagoya University surveyed a piece of fossil found from the site and estimated it to be about 6000 years old. That means the site was already sunken 6000 years ago.

***diastrophism
A theory, which says that the earth's crust changes its position and eventually these crust movements revolve the position of the earth is axis. Graham Hancock proposed that this kind of movement caused great floods in the ancient days.

A unique structure was once found beneath the sea where Japan's westernmost Yonaguni island lies. People started to call this unique artificial structure "Undersea ruins".
Ten years have past since local divers found the spot.

The ruins gathered people's attention in 1997, when an investigation team from the University of the Ryukyus visited the site.
TV and newspaper started to feature the story. Since then, not just geological experts but also the ancient civilization fanatics argued over whether the ruins were artificial or not. Yonaguni island has become world famous since then. What was this ruin ?
What influence does it have on the history of humans and the history of the world ?
Mr. Kimura, a professor at the University of the Ryukyus tells what he thinks of the undersea ruins based on his latest findings.

"It's a true undersea ruin" Masaaki Kimura is a Japanese marine geologist. He is the doyen of specialists who study undersea ruins. In the interview, Prof. Kimura was asked the following points; whether the ruins were artificial, and in what time period they were built. "These are ruins, and to me, the fact has already been proved. * The scientific conclusion is that the ruins are indeed artificial. A school of Japanese marine geologists agreed on this outcome. We found that the ruins are at least 6000 years old. ** It could go back another 4000 years when we consider the length of time before they sank into the water. " Okinawa was once connected to the Chinese continent. Geologic chronology shows that the area in Yonaguni was already underwater 6000 years ago. Prof. Kimura says that when we try to figure out the time period that the ruins were built in, the estimate comes to about 10,000 years ago. "Scientific standpoint" Historic mystery writer Graham Hancock asserted in his book " Fingerprints of the Gods " that diastrophism (crust movement) caused an ancient civilization to sink into the water some 10,000 years ago. What does Prof. Kimura think about this idea? "To explain the undersea ruins, it is not necessary to mention diastrophism. During the past 10,000 years, the ocean water level rose about 40 meters. From this fact, it is only natural to think that the ancient civilization is now deep in water. The diastrophism*** is a disputable subject. Drills we use to investigate ruins have improved recently, so with the help of the latest equipment, we will have a scientific conclusion on this matter in the near future." It was the stone age 10,000 years ago, primitive people lived and hunted then. The advanced Egyptian civilization was formed after this. Was there another civilization before that? Reviewing chronology and history should be left to the archaeologists and historians. This is not what Prof. Kimura specializes in. He says that even though there is scientific evidence to explain the ruins, it might be difficult to come to an agreement with the archaeologists. As doing so changes history. " The historians say that such a fact cannot be true. We found the ruins, so they should see them for themselves, or at least they should study the data I collected. " Prof. Kimura says it might be just a matter of time before the historians start investigating. He is confident that there is a sunken civilization. What makes him so sure? Other undersea ruins There are a few more places off the coast of Okinawa that might just be undersea ruins. Prof. Kimura says that the ones off the coast of Chatan and Kerama need to be investigated. He does not have enough evidence to discuss these sites yet. That makes Yonaguni the only conclusively proven undersea ruin in the Okinawan ocean so far.