Sea of Japan

East sea

The Sea of Japan or East sea is a sea in the western Pacific Ocean. It is between Korea to the west, Russia to the north and Japan to the east and south. Different countries have different names for the body of water. North Korea calls it East Korea Sea.

Arguments about the name

International Hydrographic Organization(IHO) decided to call this sea area "Sea of Japan" in 1929.

Since 1992, South Korea demands the world to use the names "East Sea" or "Sea of Korea" instead of "Sea of Japan". South Korea argues that this sea area has been called "East Sea" since early times. It is also a Korean belief that the name "East Sea" was eliminated from the maps of the world in the early 20th century while South Korea was under the rule of Japan.

On the contrary, Japan says that the name "Sea of Japan" has been used more widely than "East Sea" in Europe and America since before the 18th century. Japan also points out that if there was no Japan, there would be no sea. Especially, the name "Sea of Japan" is also strongly spread by the extreme nationalists' politicions of right-wing parties such as Jimin party or Minshu party.

Nowdays many maps and documents include both the name Sea of Japan and East Sea, often with East Sea listed in parentheses or otherwise marked as a secondary name.

Other pages

• Sea of Japan naming dispute