Tokyo, Oct. 16 (Jiji Press)–The international body overseeing global measurement standards on Thursday approved the effective abolition of the leap second. The gap between Earth’s rotation and atomic clocks, which are highly precise, will be allowed to widen to as much as 3,600 seconds, or an hour, from May 2027. According to Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, the leap second was introduced in 1972. Since then, one second has been added to atomic clocks 27 times to keep them aligned with Earth’s rotation. Adding a second to address discrepancies between Earth’s rotation and atomic clocks can disrupt computer and communications systems. A future adjustment could require subtracting a second, raising greater concerns about potential technical failures. The change is expected to eliminate the need for leap-second adjustments for centuries, reducing the risk of such failures. The decision was made at the General Conference on Weights and Measures, which opened Tuesday in France. Japan’s economy ministry participated in the conference. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
