The International Hydrographic Organization has urged Tokyo to hold talks with Seoul over the name of the Sea of Japan, as South Korea insists that the body of water should also be referred to as the East Sea, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.
Tokyo says the Sea of Japan is the sole internationally recognized name based on IHO guidelines and other criteria, while Seoul has called for revising the guidelines.
The government is reluctant to hold talks on revising the guidelines as it could result in both the Sea of Japan and the East Sea being used in conjunction. However, there are fears that Japan could be backed into a severe situation as the IHO has shown a tough stance, according to sources.
The international organization releases "Limits of Oceans and Seas," a publication that features such information as the names of seas worldwide and their boundaries. It serves as guidelines for countries when they make marine charts.
According to the Foreign Ministry, the publication has consistently referred to the Sea of Japan as the "Japan Sea" from its first edition in 1929 through its current edition, which was compiled in 1953.
On the other hand, South Korea first raised the naming issue before the international community when it criticized the name of the Sea of Japan at a U.N. conference in 1992.
Since then, Seoul has claimed, among other assertions, that the title Sea of Japan was widely used as a result of Japan's colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula. It initially asserted that the East Sea should be the only acceptable name, but in recent years has called for both names to be used together.
Meanwhile, Tokyo has rebuffed Seoul's claims as groundless, saying the Sea of Japan has been used internationally since the 19th century. In 2004, in response to an inquiry by Japan, the United Nations said the Sea of Japan is the standard name by which the sea should be referred.
Aware of the lack of revisions to the guidelines since 1953, South Korea has in recent years called for the guidelines to be revised.
According to the IHO and other sources, the body discussed the future of the "Limits of Oceans and Seas" at its April 2017 general meeting in Monaco -- where the IHO headquarters are located -- and decided it will present a report on revising the guidelines at its next general meeting in 2020.
As part of its efforts, the IHO secretariat has urged Tokyo, Seoul and Pyongyang -- which has made claims similar to those of South Korea -- to hold informal discussions by the time the 2020 meeting is held.
According to diplomatic sources, while Japan was reluctant to accept the request, the secretariat strongly demanded last autumn that if Japan did not agree to hold talks, it might consider not simply revising the guidelines but scrapping them altogether. For that reason, the government is believed to be making arrangements to agree to hold the discussions.
In response to inquiries from The Yomiuri Shimbun, IHO Secretary General Mathias Jonas answered via a secretary that his organization has asked the countries concerned to hold informal discussions on the issue. Jonas also expressed his intention to personally deliver a presentation on the report at the IHO's next general meeting. However, he added that he does not plan to release any statement before the next meeting, citing the sensitivity of the matter.
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