Cepheids and other short-period variables near the Galactic Centre
  We report the result of our near-infrared survey of short-period variable
stars (P<60d) in a field-of-view of 20'x30' towards the Galactic Centre.
Forty-five variables are discovered and we classify the variables based on
their light curve shapes and other evidence. In addition to 3 classical
Cepheids reported previously, we find 16 type II Cepheids, 24 eclipsing
binaries, one pulsating star with P=0.265d (RR Lyr or delta Sct) and one
Cepheid-like variable whose nature is uncertain. Eclipsing binaries are
separated into the foreground objects and those significantly obscured by
interstellar extinction. One of the reddened binaries contains an O-type
supergiant and its light curve indicates an eccentric orbit. We discuss the
nature and distribution of type II Cepheids as well as the distance to the
Galactic Centre based on these Cepheids and other distance indicators. The
estimates of R0(GC) we obtained based on photometric data agree with previous
results obtained with kinematics of objects around the GC. Furthermore, our
result gives a support to the reddening law obtained by Nishiyama and
collaborators, A(Ks)/E(H-Ks)=1.44, because a different reddening law would
result in a rather different distance estimate.
