Sea of Japan 59122 226184233 2008-07-17T05:50:47Z 쿠도군 7204702 {{sprotected}} {{Infobox East Asian |title=Sea of Japan (East Sea) |img=Sea of Japan Map.png |caption=Map showing the location of the East Sea(or Sea of Japan). |koreanname=South Korean name |context=South |hangul=동해 |hanja=東海 |rr=Donghae |mr=Tonghae |koreantext={{Lang-en|East Sea}} |japanesename=Japanese name |kanji2=日本海 |hiragana=にほんかい |hepburn=Nihonkai |japanesetext={{Lang-en|Japan Sea}} |koreanname2=North Korean name |context2=north |hangul2=조선동해 |hanja2=朝鮮東海 |rr2=Joseon Donghae |mr2=Chosŏn Tonghae |koreantext2={{Lang-en|Korea East Sea}} |cyrillic=Япо́нское мо́ре |romanization=Yapónskoje móre |russiantext={{Lang-en|Japanese Sea}} }} The '''Sea of Japan''' is a [[marginal sea]] of the western [[Pacific Ocean]], bordered by [[Japan]], [[Korea]] and [[Russia]] and is referred to in [[South Korea]] as the '''East Sea'''.<ref>{{Cite newspaper|title = S Korea bid to solve sea dispute|date = 2007-01-08|publisher = [[BBC News]]|quote=South Korea calls it the East Sea|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6240051.stm|accessdate=2008-02-17}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title = Report on the Progress in Consultations on the Naming of the Sea Area between the Korean Peninsula and the Japanese Archipelago|date = 2007-08-30|publisher = [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (South Korea)]]|quote=the sea area has been consistently called "East Sea" in Korea|url=http://www.mofat.go.kr/press/hotissue/eastsea/res/EastSea1.doc|accessdate=2008-02-17}}</ref> Like the [[Mediterranean Sea]], it has almost no [[tide]]s due to its nearly complete enclosure.<ref name="tides">{{cite web|url=http://www.ssc.erc.msstate.edu/Tides2D/sea_of_japan.html|title=Tides in Marginal, Semi-Enclosed and Coastal Seas - Part I: Sea Surface Height|publisher=ERC-Stennis at Mississippi State University|accessdate=2007-02-02}}</ref> ==Physical characteristics== The Sea of Japan is bound by the Russian mainland and [[Sakhalin]] island to the north, the [[Korean Peninsula]] to the west, and the [[Japan]]ese islands of [[Hokkaidō]], [[Honshū]], and [[Kyūshū]] to the east. [[Image:Hinomisaki09.JPG|thumb|left|Sea of Japan]] It is connected to other seas by five shallow [[strait]]s: the [[Strait of Tartary]] between the [[Asia]]n mainland and Sakhalin; [[La Perouse Strait]] between the islands of Sakhalin and Hokkaidō; the [[Tsugaru Strait]] between the islands of Hokkaidō and Honshū; the [[Kanmon Straits]] between the islands of Honshū and Kyūshū; and the [[Korea Strait]] (genkainada) between the [[Korean Peninsula]] and the island of Kyūshū. The Korea Strait is composed of the Western Channel and the [[Tsushima Strait]], on either side of [[Tsushima Island]]. * Deepest point: 3,742 [[meter]]s below [[sea level]] * Mean depth: 1,753 meters * Surface area: about 978,000 [[square kilometre|km²]] The sea has three major [[ocean basin|basins]]: the ''Yamato Basin'' in the southeast; the ''Japan Basin'' in the north; and the ''[[Tsushima Basin]] (Ulleung Basin)'' in the southwest. The Japan Basin has the deepest areas of the [[sea]], while the Tsushima Basin has the shallowest. On the eastern shores, the [[continental shelves]] of the sea are wide, but on the western shores, particularly along the Korean coast, they are narrow, averaging about 30 kilometres wide. The Tsushima Warm Current, a branch of [[Kuroshio Current]], flows northward through the Korea Strait along the Japanese shore, and the Liman Cold Current flows southward through the Strait of Tartary along the Russian shore. The Sea of Japan was once a [[landlocked]] sea when the [[land bridge]] of [[East Asia]] existed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN9004136266&id=W_Hdu9QrD9YC&pg=PA16&lpg=PA16&dq=sea+of+japan+landlocked&sig=ZgHV6lie171qNe01EjwpTeeNfOk|title=Pre-Industrial Korea and Japan in Environmental Perspective|author=Conrad D. Totman|first=Conrad D.|last=Totman|date=2004|accessdate=2007-02-02}}</ref> ==Economy== [[Image:Mer du Japon.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Sea of Japan at Cape Hinomisaki near [[Izumo, Shimane|Izumo]]]] The areas in the north and the southeast are rich [[fishing]] grounds. The importance of the fishery in the sea is well illustrated by the [[territorial dispute|dispute]] between South Korea and Japan over [[Liancourt Rocks]]. The sea is also important for its [[mineral deposits]], particularly [[magnetite]] sands. There are also believed to be [[natural gas]] and [[petroleum]] fields. With the growth of East Asian economies, the Sea of Japan has become an increasingly important commercial waterway. ==Biology== The last documented observation of the [[Japanese Sea Lion]] (''Zalophus californianus japonicus'') was a sighting of 50 or 60 individuals on Liancourt Rocks in 1951. These animals bred in flat, open, sandy beaches and were indigenous to the Northwest Pacific shores of Japan and the Korean Peninsula. Hunted to extinction by fishermen, there is some disagreement as to whether the Japanese Sea Lion were a distinct species or a subspecies of the [[California Sea Lion]]. <ref name="IUCN">{{cite web|url=http://www.iucnredlist.org/search/details.php/41667/all|title=IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Zalophus japonicus|publisher=IUCN|accessdate=2007-02-28}}</ref> ==Naming dispute== {{main|Sea of Japan naming dispute}} The name of the water is disputed. While ''Sea of Japan'' is the commonly used term to refer to the sea amongst most other countries, both North Korea and South Korea have advocated for different names to be used, either instead of or concurrent with "Sea of Japan". North Korea proposes the "East Sea of Korea"<ref name=fofajeffort0303>[http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/maritime/japan/effort0303.html Efforts of the Government of Japan in Response to the Issue of the Name of the Sea of Japan (1) The 8th UNCSGN], The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan</ref> while South Korea proposes the "East Sea",<ref>[http://www.mofat.go.kr/me/me_a009/me_b035/me09_01.jsp Ministry of Foreign Affiars and Trade. East Sea.]</ref> or the "Sea of Korea/Korean Sea" <ref name="momaf">[http://www.momaf.go.kr/eng/intl/eastsea/I_eastsea05.asp Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries 2005. The Name East Sea Used for Two Millennia.]</ref> As a result of Korean objections to the name "Sea of Japan", some [[English language|English]]-language publications refer to it as "Sea of Japan (East Sea)", incorporating a version of the Korean name.<ref>[http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/eastsea.htm sea of japan and east sea map information page]</ref><ref>[http://geography.about.com/library/weekly/aa022402a.htm Sea of Japan vs. East Sea]</ref> On August 27, 2007, both Korean states made proposals to the Ninth Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names instituted by the [[United Nations]], asking for the official adoption of their respective preferred names. The conference made no decision on the issue but called on all parties to find a commonly accepted solution. The chairman of the session stated that "individual countries could not impose specific names on the international community and standardization could only be promoted when a consensus existed".<ref>[http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/9th-UNCSGN-Docs/E-CONF-98-136-Report.pdf Report of the 9th UNCSGN, 2007]</ref> In practice, this meant that UN institutions would continue to use the name "Sea of Japan".<ref>[[Kyodo News]], "Despite Korean efforts, geographic conference backs Sea of Japan name", ''The Japan Times'', 29 Aug 07, [http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070829a5.html]</ref> ==See also== *[[Geography of Japan]] *[[Geography of North Korea]] *[[Geography of Russia]] *[[Geography of South Korea]] ==References== <div class="references-small"> <references/> </div> ==External links== {{commonscat-inline|Sea of Japan}} {{wiktionary-inline|Sea of Japan}} For the Next Generation: http://www.forthenextgeneration.com {{coor title dms|39|34|55|N|134|34|11|E|type:waterbody}} <!--- Use the DEFAULTSORT magic word to sort this article in all categories ---> {{DEFAULTSORT:Japan, Sea of}} [[Category:Sea of Japan| ]] [[Category:Disputed waters]] [[Category:Marginal seas of the Pacific Ocean]] [[ar:بحر اليابان]] [[ast:Mar de Xapón]] [[zh-min-nan:Ji̍t-pún-hái]] [[be:Японскае мора]] [[bg:Японско море]] [[ca:Mar del Japó]] [[cs:Japonské moře]] [[cy:Môr Japan]] [[da:Japanske Hav]] [[de:Japanisches Meer]] [[et:Jaapani meri]] [[es:Mar del Japón]] [[eo:Japana Maro]] [[eu:Japoniako itsasoa]] [[fa:دریای ژاپن]] [[fr:Mer du Japon]] [[fy:Japanske See]] [[gl:Mar do Xapón]] [[zh-classical:日本海]] [[km:សមុទ្រជប៉ុន]] [[ko:동해]] [[id:Laut Jepang]] [[it:Mar del Giappone]] [[he:ים יפן]] [[ku:Deryaya Japon]] [[la:Mare Iaponicum]] [[lv:Japāņu jūra]] [[lt:Japonijos jūra]] [[hu:Japán-tenger]] [[nl:Japanse Zee]] [[ja:日本海]] [[no:Japanhavet]] [[oc:Mar de Japon]] [[pl:Morze Japońskie]] [[pt:Mar do Japão]] [[ro:Marea Japoniei]] [[ru:Японское море]] [[simple:Sea of Japan]] [[sk:Japonské more]] [[sl:Japonsko morje]] [[sr:Јапанско море]] [[fi:Japaninmeri]] [[sv:Japanska havet]] [[vi:Biển Nhật Bản]] [[tg:Баҳри Ҷопон]] [[tr:Japon Denizi]] [[uk:Японське море]] [[bat-smg:Japuonėjės jūra]] [[zh:日本海]]