The Sub-Committee on Undersea Feature Names (SCUFN), an international body that certifies names of seabed topography to be used on maritime charts, accepted 60 applications submitted by Japan for the names of undersea features around the country.
SCUFN announced Monday the result of its examinations of new names submitted by each country this year. Japan submitted 61 names, either on its own or jointly with the United States. Sixty of those names were accepted, including Tanabata Seamount, Shogatsu Seamount and Daikan Seamount. Those names will be reflected in printed charts and online maps.
Most of the names came from traditional Japanese seasonal terms and were given to the seabed topography found in the waters around Minamitorishima and Minami-Iwoto islands in the Ogasawara Islands. Japan made the largest number of applications among the 12 maritime nations that submitted applications.
Japan adopted traditional Japanese terms to signal both at home and abroad that the area has been under Japan's control and Japan has conducted research there for many years. Groups of landforms with similar properties were given related groups of names.
In recent years, China has applied to name undersea features, including those in waters around Japan and on the continental shelves of coastal countries in the South China Sea.
According to the Japan Coast Guard, no country applied to give names to features on Japan's continental shelf or within its exclusive economic zone this time.
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