Sea of Japan

Sea of Japan
Japanese name
Kanji
Hiragana
Transcriptions Revised Hepburn Nihon-kai
North Korean name
Chosŏn'gŭl
Hancha
Transcriptions Revised Romanization Joseon Donghae McCune–Reischauer Chosŏn Tonghae
South Korean name
Hangul
Hanja
Transcriptions Revised Romanization Donghae McCune–Reischauer Tonghae
Russian name
Russian
Romanization	Yaponskoye more

Transcriptions
Revised Hepburn	Nihon-kai

Transcriptions
Revised Romanization	Joseon Donghae
McCune–Reischauer	Chosŏn Tonghae

Transcriptions
Revised Romanization	Donghae
McCune–Reischauer	Tonghae

The Sea of Japan (see below for other names) is a marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, and the Asian mainland. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific Ocean. This isolation also reflects in the fauna species and in the water salinity, which is lower than in the ocean. The sea has no large islands, bays or capes. Its water balance is mostly determined by the inflow and outflow through the straits connecting it to the neighboring seas and Pacific Ocean. Few rivers discharge into the sea and their total contribution to the water exchange is within 1%.

The seawater has an elevated concentration of dissolved oxygen that results in high biological productivity. Therefore, fishing is the dominant economic activity in the region. The intensity of shipments across the sea has been moderate owing to political issues, but it is steadily increasing as a result of the growth of East Asian economies.

Sea of Japan is the dominant term used in English for the sea, and the name in most European languages is equivalent, but it is sometimes called by different names in surrounding countries, often reflecting historical claims to hegemony over the sea.

The sea is called Rìběn hǎi (日本海, literally "Japan Sea") in China, Yaponskoye more (Японское море, literally "Japanese Sea") in Russia, Chosŏn Tonghae (조선동해, literally "Korean East Sea") in North Korea, and Donghae (동해, literally "East Sea") in South Korea. A naming dispute exists about the sea name, with South and North Korea promoting the English translation of its native name East Sea.

In Europe, the sea is called "Mer du Japon" in French, "Japanisches Meer" in German, "Mar del Giappone" in Italian, and "Mar del Japón" in Spanish. In Southeast Asia, the sea is called "Laut Jepun" in Malay, "Laut Jepang" in Indonesian, and "Dagat Hapon" in Filipino.

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Wikipedia