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Sea of Japan naming dispute

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The dispute concerns the international name of this body of water

There is a dispute over using the name "Sea of Japan" to refer to the sea bordered by Russia, Japan, North Korea, and South Korea. Although Sea of Japan, or equivalent translations, are commonly used in international productions, North and South Korea insist on different names.

North Korea proposes the "East Sea of Korea" and South Korea proposes the "East Sea", or the "Sea of Korea/Korean Sea" respectively, instead of or as names concurrent with "Sea of Japan".

Arguments

South Korean groups advocate that "East Sea" should be implemented as a historically and geographically appropriate name, claiming that the sea was known as "Sea of Korea/Corea/Joseon" or "East/Oriental Sea" until Japan's militant expansionism. They insist the title "Sea of Japan" was unfairly standardized during Japanese rule of Korea, and thus remains a symbol of Japan's imperialistic past. Korea argues that during the critical period for asserting the name East Sea in the international arena, Korea had given up its sovereignty and had no diplomatic representation on the global stage. Koreans surrendered the use of their native language (1938~), and adopted Japanese names (1940~), while Korean geographical names including the East Sea (Donghae - 동해/東海) were dropped in favour of Japanese ones. Korea's position is that while "Sea of Korea" is actually the more common historical European name, "East Sea," without reference to a specific country, is more neutral.

Since the 1990s, South Korea has been making efforts to change the official international name referring to the sea. The North Korean government supports South Korea's position, but uses "East Sea of Korea" in its English publications instead."

Japan insists that the name "Sea of Japan" had internationally established itself as a single name by the early 19th century during a period in which Japan was under the isolation policy (Sakoku). Accordingly, they state, Japan could at that time have had no influence on the international community in regards to the naming of the sea.

Both sides in the dispute have put forward a number of arguments to support their claim. Some of these arguments are not supported by the respective governments, but rather by nationalist organizations. Around 2002, the volunteer Korean online organization VANK began an aggressive e-mail campaign aimed at webmasters, with some success but also backlash from supporters of Japan's position.

Geographical reasons

Japan argues that because the marginal sea is separated by the Japanese Archipelago from the Pacific Ocean, the sea was named Sea of Japan. Of the nine other marginal seas, two are named for the marginal feature (see Marginal sea). Korea argues that the adjective “East” describes its geographical position east of the Asian continent, although it is west of Japan and south of Russia; this is analogous to the North Sea, which lies north of the European continent, but west of Scandinavian countries and east of the British Isles.

Historical reasons

South Korea and Japan use selective samples of old European maps to support their claim. South Korea point to maps that show "Sea of Korea" or "East Sea", whereas the Japan point to maps that show "Sea of Japan" to argue that the name was in use before the rise of Japanese imperialism. Many old maps are ambiguous and some even do not include Korea or Japan.

Part of the dispute boils down to the disagreement over when "Sea of Japan" became the de facto standard. Japan claims that the term "Sea of Japan" was originally named by Westerners and became the de facto standard before Japan gained commercial and political influence over other nations. Japan claims dates in the early 19th century, whereas Korea claims Japan promoted the "Sea of Japan" name in the early 20th century when Korea was colonized by Japan.

Korea's argument for "East Sea" stems from their claim that the term was used in European maps before the 20th century. Japan counters by saying "there was no map that used only the name 'East Sea' by itself."

South Korea pointed out that a few 19th-century Japanese maps even referred to the sea as the "Sea of Joseon (Korea)", including the 1855 Matsuda Ryokuzan's (松田緑山) Chikyubankoku zenzu (地球万國全図), and the 1870 Meiji kaitei bankoku yochibunzu (明治改訂万國輿地分図). Additionally, in several Japanese maps, the Pacific Ocean was called Dainihon kai "大日本海" (the Great Sea of Japan), and the Korean Peninsula side of the Sea of Japan was called Chōsen-kai "朝鮮海" (Sea of Korea).

Ambiguity

Japanese groups claim that the name "East Sea" is not suitable as an international geographic name, because it could refer to various places including the neighbouring East China Sea, and used as compound words such as the East Sea Fleet and the East Sea Bridge. Much of this argument is based on translations of local names into English. Potential confusions are the Vietnamese local language name for the South China Sea, "Bien Dong", which is frequently translated as "East Sea", or the Baltic Sea which in many European languages is called the equivalent of "East Sea".

Historical developments of the dispute

  • In 1928, Limits of Oceans and Seas, the first edition of the guideline by the IHB, adopted the "Japan Sea", among many other geographical names. At the time, Korea could not participate because it was under Japanese occupation. Therefore, South Korea insists that the "Sea of Japan" has been used almost exclusively on international maps, although the parties disagree on when and which name was previously prevalent.
  • In 1957, South Korea joined IHO.
  • Since the early 1970's, South Koreans have argued against the "Sea of Japan" name.
  • In 1974, IHO released technical resolution A.4.2.6 independently of this dispute. This resolution is frequently referred to, although it only gives general guidance. It endorses the principle that when the sharing countries of a geographical feature do not agree on a common name, the different names should be recognized simultaneously.
  • In 1977, the third UN Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names (UNCSGN) adopted resolution III/20 entitled "Names of Features beyond a Single Sovereignty". The resolution recommended:

"when countries sharing a given geographical feature do not agree on a common name, it should be a general rule of cartography that the name used by each of the countries concerned will be accepted. A policy of accepting only one or some of such names while excluding the rest would be inconsistent as well as inexpedient in practice."

  • In 1986, Draft for the fourth edition of the guideline of IHO, Limits of Oceans and Seas (S-23), was completed and the "Sea of Japan" appeared as a sole appellation. South Korea did not raise an objection against the name "Sea of Japan."
  • In 1992, South Korea raised the issue at the sixth UNCSGN. Japan objected and the issue was not addressed.
  • In 1995, South Korea deleted "Japan Sea" from its official nautical charts. Before then, South Korea's nautical charts showed both "Japan Sea" and "Tong Hae" (the then used romanization of "Donghae"), out of respect for international conventions.
  • In 1997, South Korea raised the issue again at the seventh UNCSGN and Japan opposed. The issue was not addressed but the resolution III/20 was recollected, which urges Japan and South Korea to reach a consensus. To date, however, neither country is willing to compromise their position, although Korea suggests that both names be used until the dispute is resolved.
  • In 2002, South Korea raised the issue again at the eighth UNCSGN. Japan objected again and the issue was not addressed.
  • In 2002, the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) distributed a circular letter asking for a vote for omitting pages containing the Sea of Japan from the fourth edition of Limits of Oceans and Seas. After Japan's objection, the IHO withdrew the letter.
  • On April 23 2004, the United Nations affirmed in a written document to the Japanese government that it will continue using the name "Sea of Japan" in its official documents. However, it has agreed to leave the topic open for further discussion. In a letter to South Korea, it was explained that the UN was not determining the validity of either name, but using the currently most widely used term until the parties resolved the disagreement.
  • In November 2006, during an APEC summit, South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun made a casual suggestion to Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe the possibility of a "name such as 'Sea of Peace'". The prime minister called off the issue for a later time.

Current stance of the international organizations

The United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names (UNCSGN) and the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) have so far neither accepted nor denied South Korea's claims, but left the issue open to discussion while continuing to use "Sea of Japan". The United Nations confirmed its adoption of "Sea of Japan" in its official documents in March 2004, , but also stated that "the practice of the UN Secretariat is to use, in the absence of an internationally agreed standard, the most widespread and generally recognized denomination. This practice is without any prejudice to the position of any Member State of the United Nations on a particular appellation and does not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations. The use of an appellation by the Secretariat based on the practice is without prejudice to any negotiations or agreements between the interested parties and should not be interpreted as advocating or endorsing any party’s position, and can in no way be invoked by any party in support of a particular position in the matter."

IHO and UNSCGN resolutions endorse the principle of the simultaneous use of different names when countries sharing a geographical feature do not agree on a common name.

Response of media and publishers

Some publishers and media outlets have responded to the dispute by either adopting both names on maps, or—in very rare cases—leaving the area blank, until a consensus can be reached between Japan and Korea.

  • In 1997, Rand McNally, one of the largest mapmakers in the United States, adopted a policy of concurrent use of both names, "East Sea" and "Sea of Japan".
  • In 1999, the National Geographic Society recognized that the name was legitimately disputed by South Korea. Under its policy (if a geographical feature is shared by more than one nation, and its name is disputed, use the most commonly recognized form of the name first and label the disputed name in parentheses), "Sea of Japan" appears as the primary label and "East Sea" appears below in parentheses.
  • Many other publishers have responded similarly, such as The Times (of London), Financial Times, Encyclopedia Britannica, Microsoft Encarta, Columbia Encyclopedia, World Book Encyclopedia, American Heritage Dictionary, World Atlas, and About.com, usually including "East Sea" as the secondary label.
  • In 2003, the French Defense Ministry issued nautical maps included both terms "Sea of Japan" and "East Sea". It set back to "Sea of Japan" as a mono-name in the map issued in 2004.
  • In 2006, upon receiving protests from people of the two countries, Google put both names on Google Earth, "East Sea" near the Korean coast and "Sea of Japan" on the opposite side.
  • In the 2007 edition of Encyclopedia Britannica, the name "East Sea" appears as the primary label and "Sea of Japan" apears as a secondary label in parentheses.

Historical maps and studies

  • (SK) In July 2001, Korea produced a report on the names used on maps published in Europe, mostly in the 18th century, possessed by the British Library, claiming that of 90 maps which name the sea, 62 refer to it as "Sea of Korea", 8 as "East Sea", 2 as both "Sea of Korea" and "East Sea", and 10 use "Sea of Japan". (Focus of Research: 18th century)
  • (SK) In December 2002, South Korea produced a report on the names used on 228 maps published prior to 1800 that are held by the U.S. Library of Congress, claiming that two-thirds of the maps naming the sea used "East Sea", "Sea of Korea", or variants. Of the 103 maps that named the sea, the report claims 66 percent named it "Sea of Korea" and/or "East Sea" or variants. (Focus of Research: 18th century). The authors of this study interpreted maps containing "Oriental Sea" as "variations" of "East Sea."
  • (J) In September 2003, Japan produced a report on the names used on maps published in Europe between 1801 and 1861 possessed by the British Library and the University of Cambridge, claiming that in the British Library, of 37 maps containing the areas surrounding the sea, 32 or 86.5% used "Sea of Japan" and 5 used "Sea of Korea". In the University of Cambridge, it found 21 maps containing the areas surrounding the sea, of which 18 or 85.7% used "Sea of Japan" and 3 used "Sea of Korea". (Focus of Research: First half of the 19th century)
  • (J) In March 2004, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan published a report with the list of maps it investigated on the investigation of maps at the Bibliothèque nationale de France. The study claims that from the 1,495 maps possessed by the Bibliotheque Nationale de France and published between the 16th and 19th century show that of 407 maps for which a name was recorded, 249, or 61% bore the name "Sea of Japan" and 60, or 15% bore the name "Sea of Korea". It found no maps that bore the name "East Sea". Furthermore, the report claims, of the maps published in the first half of the 19th century, 90.0% or 99 maps bore the name "Sea of Japan" and of the maps published in the latter half of the 19th century 100% or 105 maps bore the same name. Japan objects to translating "Oriental Sea" in various European languages as the equivalent of the "East Sea" in English. (Focus of Research: 16th~19th centuries)
  • (SK) South Korea's Ministry of Maritime Affairs & Fisheries website states that by its count, of 763 historic maps in various government and university libraries worldwide, 440 maps use "Sea of Korea", "East Sea", or variants, and 123 use "Sea of Japan" or variants. (retrieved October 2005). This report includes a reference to the 2002 University of Southern California's " Sea of Korea maps digital archive", built primarily from a collection geared exclusively to documenting the use of alternate names to this body of water (the David Lee Collection of maps). (Focus of Research: All of Cartographic History)

See also

References

  1. ^ 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
  2. Ministry of Foreign Affiars and Trade. East Sea.
  3. ^ Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries 2005. The Name East Sea Used for Two Millennia.
  4. http://www.momaf.go.kr/eng/intl/eastsea/I_intro.asp
  5. http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/maplib/ungegn/session-20/working-papers/working-paper-48.pdf
  6. 【東海表記】南北と周辺国の立場, Chosun Ilbo (ja), 2002/10/28
  7. Korea Inside Out: Seas, The People's Korea, 1998
  8. ^ Change of the names adopted in the Foreign Maps, Japan Coast Guard
  9. ^ Transition of Sea of China, Japan, Korea, and Oriental Sea, MOFA of Japan 2005
  10. Japanese Basic Position on the Naming of the "Japan Sea", Japan Coast Guard
  11. Naming of the Sea of Japan "dialogue in 23rd UNGEGN" 1. Japan's argument (3), The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, March 2006
  12. ^ Sea of Japan - A Globally Established Name (Video Clips), The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan
  13. United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names Working Paper No. 48, Twentieth Session, New York, 17 - 28 January 2000.
  14. http://www.korea.net/kois/pds/html/eastsea.html
  15. "Sea of Japan", The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.
  16. Even Japan Once Used Sea of Joseon (Korea) Instead of Sea of Japan, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of South Korea
  17. 北韓問題研究所 資料室
  18. History of the name "Sea of Japan", The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, 2003
  19. "Japanese Basic Position on the Naming of the 'Japan Sea'", Hydrographic and Oceanographic Department of the Japan Coast Guard, March 1, 2005
  20. "Fishery Policies", Shanghai Fisheries University
  21. For example, "Vietnamese fishermen victims of East Sea pirates", VietNamNet Bridge, 29/06/2006; "Tropical storm Bilis gathers steam near Philippines", Thanh Nien Daily, July 12, 2006; Google News Search: east-sea Vietnam
  22. Encyclopedia Americana"Baltic Sea, or the East Sea"
  23. Endre Bojtar, Foreword to the Past: A Cultural History of the Baltic People, p. 7, Central European University Press 1999 (ISBN 963-9116-42-4) "The Baltic Sea has been called "East Sea" since 1553 (or earlier). The use of "Baltic Sea" occurred no earlier than the end of 18th century."
  24. The Historical precedent for the "East Sea", VANK
  25. Why the 'Sea of Korea'?, Daum, 2006-1-24
  26. 한반도 우측 바다는 '일본해', iTimes, 2006-03-28
  27. 민족정기모임 `동해찾기' 운동 본격화, Yahoo! Korea, 2006-01-22
  28. Digital Chosunilbo - Roh Proposed New Name for East Sea to Japan
  29. 노 대통령, 일본에 "동해를 '평화의 海'로" 제의 파장
  30. Daum 미디어다음
  31. The Policy of the United Nations Concerning the Naming of "Sea of Japan", The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, June 2004
  32. The Practice of the Secretariat of the United Nations Concerning the Naming of the Sea Area between Korea and Japan, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of South Korea
  33. East Sea, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of South Korea
  34. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/maps/updates/seaofjapan.html
  35. http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9002399?query=East%20Sea&ct
  36. http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/search.aspx?q=East+Sea&Submit2=Go
  37. http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861672742/East_Sea.html
  38. http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/world/A0825981.html
  39. http://www.worldbook.com/wb/Article?id=ar285620
  40. http://www.bartleby.com/61/68/J0016800.html
  41. http://worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/eastsea.htm
  42. Q&A on the Issue of the Name "Sea of Japan", The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, February 2003
  43. Examples of Concurrent Use of The East Sea/Sea of Japan, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of South Korea
  44. フランス海軍海洋情報部刊行の海図目録－「日本海」単独標記に－, Japan Coast Guard, 2004-7-13
  45. The World Factbook FAQ: Policies and Procedures: Factbook uses Sea of Japan whereas other publications label it East Sea. What is your policy on naming geographic features?, The Central Intelligence Agency of the United States
  46. http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article-eastasia.asp?parentid=50214
  47. http://news.naver.com/news/read.php?mode=LSS2D&office_id=031&article_id=0000105516&section_id=100&section_id2=267&menu_id=100
  48. http://www.korea.net/news/issues/html/eastsea_world_3.html
  49. http://www.korea.net/News/Issues/issueDetailView.asp?board_no=350&title=East%20Sea%20Map%20Study
  50. http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/maritime/japan/study-f.html
  51. http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/maritime/japan/study-l1.html
  52. http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/maritime/japan/study-l1.html#2
  53. http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/maritime/japan/study-f.html
  54. http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/maritime/japan/study-2f.pdf
  55. http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/maritime/japan/study-2l.pdf
  56. http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/maritime/japan/study.html
  57. http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/maritime/japan/study-4.html
  58. http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/maritime/japan/study-3.html English abstract
  59. http://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/area/nihonkai_k/usa/pdfs/maplist.pdf
  60. http://www.mofat.go.kr/me/me_a009/me_b035/me09_01.jsp
  61. http://www.usc.edu/libraries/collections/sea_of_korea/

External links

  • Sea of Japan — Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs defends the use of "Sea of Japan".
  • East Sea: Hot Topic Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Hot Topic- East Sea
  • Japan Probe Defending the 'Sea of Japan' from Korean ultra-nationalist propaganda
  • korea.net; documentary video on the issue.
  • SaveSeaOfJapan.com A mini-site in support of the Sea of Japan naming.
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