The dispute concerns the international name of the body of water marked with a "?" above. Japan's preference: Sea of Japan North Korea's preference: Korean East Sea South Korea's preference: East Sea
A dispute exists over the international name for the body of water which is bordered by Japan, Korea (North and South) and Russia. In 1992, objections to the name Sea of Japan were first raised by North Korea and South Korea at the Sixth United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names.[1] The Japanese government supports the exclusive use of the name "Sea of Japan" (Japanese: 日本海), while South Korea supports the alternative name "East Sea" (Korean: 동해; Hanja: 東海), and North Korea supports the name "Korean East Sea" (조선동해; 朝鮮東海). Currently, most international maps and documents use either the name Sea of Japan (or equivalent translation) by itself, or include both the name Sea of Japan and East Sea, often with East Sea listed in parentheses or otherwise marked as a secondary name. The International Hydrographic Organization, the governing body for the naming of bodies of water around the world, in 2012 decided it was still unable to revise the 1953 version of its publication S-23 – Limits of Oceans and Seas, which includes only the single name "Sea of Japan", to include "East Sea" together with "Sea of Japan".[2][3][4][5]
The involved countries (especially Japan and South Korea) have advanced a variety of arguments to support their preferred name(s). Many of the arguments revolve around determining when the name Sea of Japan became the common name. South Korea argues that historically the more common name was East Sea, Sea of Korea, or another similar variant. South Korea further argues that the name Sea of Japan did not become common until Korea was under Japanese rule, at which time it had no ability to influence international affairs. Japan argues that the name Sea of Japan has been the most common international name since at least the beginning of the 19th century, long before its annexation of Korea. Both sides have conducted studies of antiquarian maps, but the two countries have produced divergent research results. Additional arguments have been raised regarding the underlying geography of the sea as well as potential problems regarding the ambiguity of one name or the other.
^"The Issue of the Name of the Sea of Japan". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.
^"IHO rejects Japan's proposal to rule out East Sea name" Archived 5 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Yonhap News Agency, 26 April 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
^Kyodo News, "Sea of Japan name dispute rolls on Archived 10 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine", Japan Times, 3 May 2012, p. 3; Kyodo News, "IHO nixes 'East Sea' name bid", Japan Times, 28 April 2012, p. 2; Rabiroff, Jon, and Yoo Kyong Chang, "Agency rejects South Korea's request to rename Sea of Japan Archived 20 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine", Stars and Stripes, 28 April 2012, p. 5.
^"IHO delays decision on Korea's request for East Sea name to 2017". The Korea Herald. 26 April 2012. Archived from the original on 11 October 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
^"IHO Puts Off East Sea Decision Until 2017" Archived 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine, The Chosun Ilbo, 26 April 2012, Retrieved 26 July 2013.
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