"Sea of Japan" is an internationally established name. The Japanese government must resolutely deal with an unreasonable demand from South Korea while beefing up its strategy to stress the legitimacy of the historically established designation.
In the "Limits of Oceans and Seas" guidelines published by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), Japan Sea is used to describe the sea area between the Korean Peninsula and the Japanese archipelago. On the basis of this, sea charts solely describing this sea area as the Sea of Japan are in wide use across the world.
South Korea is appealing for a revision of the guidelines drawn up in 1953 to include the name it uses -- East Sea -- together with Japan Sea. In response to the request, the IHO is calling on countries concerned, including Japan and South Korea, to hold informal talks on whether the guidelines should be revised, before the IHO's next general meeting slated for 2020.
If more than one name is recognized when referring to one sea area, there is a possibility different sea charts will be used, which may invite needless confusion in maritime traffic.
The Sea of Japan is the sole, internationally established name when referring to this sea area. The United Nations in 2004 recognized that Japan Sea is the standard geographical term. Governments of major countries, including the United States, Britain and France, also use this term in official documents.
It is a matter of course that Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a press conference that "There is no need or reason for a change."
If the Japanese government goes along with the request for holding talks, it should assert the validity of the naming on the basis of objective data.
Assert legitimacy
South Korea first proposed the changing of the name at a U.N. conference in 1992. Seoul cited such reasons as that the name for the Sea of Japan became widely used during the process of Japan's colonial rule.
But when historical maps from around the world were examined, it was established that the Sea of Japan designation had been used in Europe in the early 19th century during the Edo period, when an isolationist foreign policy was being implemented in the country. Seoul's assertion is misdirected.
The IHO is a technical organization established for the purpose of ensuring safety in sea navigation through the improvement of sea charts. It is illogical to refer a political issue to the IHO.
A series of South Korean moves has given a glimpse of the country's intention of inflating anti-Japanese sentiment.
In the State of Virginia in the United States, a bill passed into law in 2014, requiring public school textbooks in the state to refer to the Sea of Japan also as the East Sea: A move prompted by the activism of some South Korean Americans.
Meanwhile, statues symbolizing former comfort women have been set up one after another in the United States and elsewhere due to pressure from South Korean-linked private organizations.
In order to counter South Korea's powerful lobbying activities, it is crucial for the Japanese government to beef up its approaches to international organizations and foreign governments. It is also necessary to actively send representatives to international organizations engaged in marine affairs.
To protect the country's vast sea areas and abundant maritime interests, it is essential for the nation to make steady efforts in the preservation of remote islands and researches on marine resources. Such government offices as the Foreign Ministry and the Japan Coast Guard should cooperate among one another and advance such endeavors.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Feb. 4, 2019)
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