Japan-made Snow Vehicles (KD604 & KD605) which Reached the South Pole in 1968

The snow vehicles KD604 and KD605 (both manufactured by Komatsu Ltd.) are two of three vehicles that reached the South Pole on Dec. 19, 1968, in the first and last round trip to and from the South Pole in the history of Antarctic Programs of Japan. The trip distance was about 5,200 km and it took about five months. These snow vehicles played a leading part in the Antarctic inland studies for about 10 years and contributed to the discovery of meteorites in the Antarctic for the first time in the world. The actual performance regarding the vehicle design and operation demonstrated by these snow vehicles under extreme conditions indirectly supported the expedition’s historic achievement of Japan eventually becoming the country that holds the largest number of Antarctic meteorites.