On the possible role of Rossby waves in the formation of the long-period Kuroshio meander off of Kumano Nada and Enshu Nada

It is pointed out that the rate of advance of a small transient meander east of Kyushu, which (according to the meager evidence available) seems to precede the formation of the large stable Kuroshio meander south of Kumano Nada and Enshu Nada, shows order of magnitude agreement with the barotropic Rossby wave velocity calculated on the assumption that the entire contiguous downstream flow (not merely the strong near-axis flow) behaves as a unified dynamical entity.