「８時５９分６０秒」 、７月１日実施閏秒

A few weeks ago the Asahi News on-line reported the following:

「８時５９分６０秒」　うるう秒、７月１日実施へ

嘉幡久敬

2015年1月10日00時37分

 　標準時を地球の自転に合わせるため、今夏、３年ぶりに「うるう秒」を１秒はさむことが決まった。国際機関の通知を受け、独立行政法人情報通信研究機構が９日までに明らかにした。

　７月１日午前８時５９分５９秒の後に「８時５９分６０秒」を入れる。世界で同時に行われ、この日は１秒長くなる。前回は２０１２年７月１日だった。

　うるう秒をはさむとインターネットで使われるコンピューターなどに障害が起きる恐れがあり、各国は１１月、スイスで開かれる国連の国際電気通信連合の無線通信総会で将来的な存廃を議論する。日本や米国などは廃止を主張し、「グリニッジ標準時」で知られる英国などは廃止に反対している。（嘉幡久敬）

(試譯文)

In order to synchronize the standard time to earth’s rotation, it was decided to add one "leap second" this summer since three years ago. The National Institute of Information and Communications Technology made clear on the 9^th (January) that all international organizations had been notified.

On the first of July in the morning, after 8 o’clock 59 minutes and 59 seconds, "8 o’clock 59 minutes 60 seconds" would be put in. It would be carried at the same time around the world, and that day would be extended by 1 second. Last time it was on July 1st, 2012.

  When a leap second was added, there was a fear that failures might occur in computers in the Internet. In November, at the radio communication general meeting of the International Telecommunication Union of UN held in Switzerland, all countries discussed the future continuation or abolition the leap second. Japan and the USA insisted on its abolition while the United Kingdom, which was known for its "Greenwich standard time", opposed the abolition.

It shows that the rotation of planet earth is slowing down. I am interested to know whether earth is also slowing down in going around the sun every year.