Sea of Japan

News: Recently, North Korea fired a ballistic missile towards the Sea of Japan disturbing the already sensitive region.

About Sea of Japan

• The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea located in the western Pacific Ocean.
• Boundaries: It is bounded by Russia and Sakhalin Island in the north, by North Korea in the west, South Korea in the southwest, and by the Japanese archipelago in the east and south. 
• Straits: It is connected with the:
  • East China Sea in the south via the Tsushima and Korea straits  
  • Okhotsk Sea in the north by the La Perouse and Tatar straits. 
  • Inland Sea of Japan in the east via the Kanmon Strait and Pacific Ocean by the Tsugaru Strait.
• Deepest Point: Dohoku Seamount, an underwater volcano
• Geography: 
  • Width: 1,070 km wide and about 2,255 km in length
  • Depth: It has a maximum depth of 3,742 m. 
  • Three major deep-water basins: Japan Basin in the north, the Yamato Basin in the southeast, and the Tsushima Basin in the southwest.
  • It serves as the meeting point of the cold currents from the north and the warm currents from the south.
  • There are no large islands in the Sea of Japan.
  • Largest River: Tumen or Dooman river is the largest river draining into the Sea of Japan.
• Ports:
  • Main Russian ports: Vladivostok, Sovetskaya Gavan, Nakhodka, Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky, and Kholmsk.  
  • Major North Korean ports: Hamhung, Chongjin, and Wonsan.
  • Notable Japanese ports: Niigata, Tsuruta and Maizuru.
• Flora: The Sea of Japan supports rich marine biodiversity with over 800 species of aquatic flora and around 3,500 species of aquatic species.