Talk:Dispute over the name of the Sea of Japan

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Naming Convention

Considering the current statuses of the names "Sea of Japan," "East Sea" and "East Sea of Korea," I propose to show :

[[Sea of Japan]] solely by default
[[Sea of Japan]] (locally called "East Sea") for South Korea-related articles
[[Sea of Japan]] (locally called "East Sea of Korea") for North Korea-related articles

Any objections? --Nanshu 02:04, 26 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Yes, I object. My proposal:

[[Sea of Japan]] for articles specifically about Japan
East Sea ([[Sea of Japan]]) for South Korea-related articles
East Sea of Korea ([[Sea of Japan]]) for North Korea-related articles

--Sewing 02:08, 26 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Why? --Nanshu 02:10, 26 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Because this has become a common convention in English-language publications and Wikipedia has a public responsibility to reflect such conventions, despite what certain Japanese nationalists think. --Sewing 02:11, 26 Feb 2004 (UTC)

It isn't common. And we need not emphasize these names that, despite their aggressive campaigns, fail to became the international standard accepted by either the UNCSGN or the IHO. --Nanshu 02:18, 26 Feb 2004 (UTC)

The issue is still open. Neither organization has declared that the Sea of Japan is the only acceptable official name. --Sewing 02:21, 26 Feb 2004 (UTC)

"Sea of Japan" is currently the only official name thought Korea still runs campaigns. --Nanshu 02:25, 26 Feb 2004 (UTC)

I guess I have to repeat what I said: neither organization has declared that the Sea of Japan is the only acceptable official name. The issue is still open. And it is a common convention. The American Heritage Dictionary ([1] (http://www.bartleby.com/61/68/J0016800.html)) and National Geographic (in their 2003 map "The Two Koreas") use "Sea of Japan (East Sea)" and "East Sea (Sea of Japan)" respectively. --Sewing 02:30, 26 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Neither organization have to declared so because it is already the standard. And we need not follow these commercial practices. They cannot do bussiness in the totaritalian state without following the so-called "national sentiments". We don't do bussiness! --Nanshu 02:37, 26 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Neither organization has declared anything because it is still an open issue. And you are the expert on "national sentiments"! --Sewing 02:41, 26 Feb 2004 (UTC)

They just "hear" what Korea says. They do NOT accept "East Sea" or something, or do NOT declare that they temporarily use both names until the resolution. Again, "Sea of Japan" is currently the only official name for the body of water. --Nanshu 02:48, 26 Feb 2004 (UTC)

That's odd. I don't recall that at any conference where the issue was raised, that either organization officially resolved or pronounced that "Sea of Japan" is the only official name, and that the debate has finished. I guess they don't know that the Great Nanshu has declared that "Sea of Japan" is the only official name. --Sewing 02:55, 26 Feb 2004 (UTC)

How can they "resolve" the issue? Korea continuously raise the issue though she does not accomplish the purpose every time. She is neglected in practice. The fact is that "Sea of Japan" is the only official name. I don't want to repeat. --Nanshu 03:08, 26 Feb 2004 (UTC)

"She is neglected in practice." I love your wording. You like all those words that make Korea look bad -- "neglected," "disobedient," "smashed." The issue is still open, both in the abovementioned organizations and here on Wikipedia. You are welcome to publish your nationalistic views on your own personal Web page, but they have no place here on Wikipedia. --Sewing 03:10, 26 Feb 2004 (UTC)

The name "Sea of Japan" is currently the only standard.
The name "East Sea" or something is not accepted by either organization.
The final resolution is not adopted yet (I don't know whether there will be).
There is no temporal decision to use both names.

So we need not emphasize "East Sea". --Nanshu 03:21, 26 Feb 2004 (UTC)

The name "Sea of Japan" is currently not the "only standard."
There is a common convention to use both names.
As you said, the final resolution is not adopted yet.
You are not the only editor on Wikipedia.

--Sewing 03:25, 26 Feb 2004 (UTC)

As I said above, nothing other than "Sea of Japan" becomes the standard. And again, there is no temporal decision to use both names. --Nanshu 03:29, 26 Feb 2004 (UTC)

As I said above, you are not the only editor on Wikipedia, and the last time I checked, Wikipedia is not intended only to reflect the narrow view of Japanese nationalists, despite all your personal efforts. --Sewing 03:33, 26 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Whayever you say, the fact is that "East Sea" isn't accepted by either ogranization. --Nanshu 03:40, 26 Feb 2004 (UTC)

And it hasn't been rejected by either organization! And no, they did not "neglect" Korea...the issue is still an open issue. --Sewing 03:42, 26 Feb 2004 (UTC)

I don't know how many times I have to repeat, but there is NO temporal decision to use both names. The name "Sea of Japan" is currently the only standard. And the only thing we need is to follow the current status. We shouldn't expect the future. --Nanshu 03:47, 26 Feb 2004 (UTC)

The name "Sea of Japan" is currently not the only standard. --Sewing 03:51, 26 Feb 2004 (UTC)

What supports your claim? --Nanshu 03:54, 26 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Everything that I already posted to this talk page yesterday, which you continue to refuse to accept! --Sewing 18:02, 26 Feb 2004 (UTC)

You are saying black is white. I'm tired of your far-fetched and groundless claim. Every member country can coin and propose new geographic names, but of course, submission is not approval. They don't automatically became international geographic names. --Nanshu 01:28, 29 Feb 2004 (UTC)

I think we should come up with a naming convention for the sea. This is in order to prevent further potential for edit wars and dissent. Also, a naming convention could help Wikipedia to look more professional, since it encourages consistent use of terms.

~~I suggest the following, but feel free to make other suggestions:~~

In Japanese contexts: Sea of Japan
In international contexts: Sea of Japan (East Sea)
In Korean contexts: East Sea (Sea of Japan)

~~-- Kokiri 12:36, 29 Feb 2004 (UTC)~~

I really wonder whether anyone else has got an opinion on this one. --Kokiri 00:48, 12 Mar 2004 (UTC)

I don't see how a [East Sea (Korea)] page is needed.

It should be:

In Japanese contexts: Sea of Japan
In international contexts: Sea of Japan (East Sea)
In Korean contexts: East Sea

--Jia ng 10:48, 12 Mar 2004 (UTC)

I like your version better. --Kokiri 13:51, 12 Mar 2004 (UTC)

I've already expressed my opinion above. --Nanshu 03:31, 13 Mar 2004 (UTC)

Pushing towards a Convention

Here's a summary of the naming suggestions so far. Can we move the discussion above into an archive and work towards a naming convention for this water? Kokiri

I think the relevant entry in the MoS is Use common names of persons and things. Kokiri 21:09, 24 Mar 2004 (UTC)

Version 1 (Nanshu)

[[Sea of Japan]] by default
[[Sea of Japan]] (locally called "East Sea") for South Korea-related articles
[[Sea of Japan]] (locally called "East Sea of Korea") for North Korea-related articles

Version 2 (Sewing)

[[Sea of Japan]] for articles specifically about Japan
East Sea ([[Sea of Japan]]) for South Korea-related articles.
East Sea of Korea ([[Sea of Japan]]) for North Korea-related articles.

Version 3 (Jiang)

In Japanese contexts: [[Sea of Japan]]
In international contexts: [[Sea of Japan]] (East Sea)
In Korean contexts: [[Sea of Japan|East Sea]]

I support this one, but suggest we add (Sea of Japan) after [[East Sea]]; also we might want to use [[East Sea of Korea]] for North Korean articles. Kokiri 21:25, 24 Mar 2004 (UTC)

Version 4 (Taku)

In Japanese contexts: [[Sea of Japan]]
In international contexts: [[Sea of Japan]]
In South Korean contexts: [[Sea of Japan]] (East Sea)
In North Korean contexts: [[Sea of Japan]] (East Sea)

I think version 4 is the best. why? because we need one standard for all articles on Wikipedia. If we use different names for different articles, the articles with the different names become POV. If we use 'East Sea' with korean articles and 'Sea of Japan' with non korean articles, the Korean articles become point of view. The korean articles are NOT supposed to be POV for korea. All articles should be NPOV and the world standard (or what is most common) should be used. using 'sea of Japan' (East Sea) fits with the vast majority of the world. Wikipidia is not supposed to be 'Korea-centric'. By putting East Sea before Sea of japan on korean articles, we are creating a Korea-centric article. That is POV. The vast majority of the world favours 'Sea of Japan'. that is nondisputable. If the margine was closer, let's say 60% of countries say 'sea of japan' and 40% say 'East Sea', then there would actually be a debate. There are over two hundred countries on this beautiful place we call Earth. Can someone please tell me the exact number of countries that want the named changed? If i am not mistaken, it is only TWO. We must create a standard for all articles on Wikipedia and it is totally POV to have special cases for special countries just because. the world does not revolve around korea. Masterhatch

NPOV

I have attempted to restore NPOV. Kokiri 09:53, 28 Feb 2004 (UTC)

SEA OF JAPAN IN JAPANESE CONTEXT

EAST SEA OF KOREA IN KOREAN CONTEXT

EAST SEA/SEA OF JAPAN IN INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT

I would be more willing to sympathise with Koreans if they were more consistant. Koreans seem determined to change the name of the Sea of Japan to the East Sea, but they don't seem too worried about changing the yellow sea to its Korean name of 'West Sea' and the East China Sea to 'South Sea'. To me, at least, this shows that Koreas are vindictive towards Japan (yes, i know the two countries have a long history), which when looked at from an outsider's point of view, is a very POV way of trying to name the body of water that separates the two countries. For all intents and purposes, the international community calls that body of water 'the sea of japan' and wikipedia should reflect that. Koreans need to take up their argument elsewhere as wikipedia is not meant for that. Making a note about the name dispute should be sufficient. Japan has a longer coast line along the body of water and historically, the vast majority of the time, the international community has called it 'Sea of Japan'. Masterhatch

Ribenhai

About Ribenhai. China does not border the Sea of Japan, but she is the country which calls the neighboring East China Sea "Donghai". So one would wonder what she called the Sea of Japan. --Nanshu 01:31, 29 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Reinstating Old Version

With reference to Wikipedia:Dispute_resolution I call for an edit stop.

I also call for the reinstating of this version (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Dispute_over_the_name_Sea_of_Japan&oldid=2566064) as a base to work on. However, I will refrain from enforcing my will. I have removed quite some content because I don't consider this relevant to the article. The article is about the dispute and doesn't have to prove anything. I now realize that I might have removed too much.

IMHO the current version does not comply with NPOV guidelines. I think this article should describe the dispute. Any evidence in the article should be used with care. First of all, not everyone involved in the dispute uses the same arguments, so it might not be relevant. Also, do consider that a list of maps is necessarily a selection, most probably compiled with the aim of proving something. Thus, it is probably POV.

I do hope we can have a good, NPOV article on the dispute. -- Kokiri 12:36, 29 Feb 2004 (UTC)

I wonder

I wonder why instead of proposing a name that has no chance to be adopted (as international adoption of a new name requires agreement of all bordering countries) why isn't a more neutral name propose, one that could be accepted by both sides, like nippo-corean sea (日朝海)?

I like that idea...but then the debate would shift to what to use for Korea, since we would have to decide between using 朝 (for North Korea), 韓 (for South Korea), or perhaps as a compromise 高 (for Goryeo)! --Sewing 18:43, 1 Mar 2004 (UTC)

It's maybe a good idea but Wikipedia is not a place to coin NPOV terms anyway. -- Taku 22:05, Mar 1, 2004 (UTC)

I don't think we on Wikipedia have to resolve the dispute (e.g. by coming up with a term acceptable for both sides). Instead we should describe it accurately without taking a POV.

The MoS throughout suggests using the most common, English name, afaik. In this case, I think the most common name is context dependent (see my suggestion above). Kokiri 09:43, 2 Mar 2004 (UTC)

Opinions and views

I have removed this whole section from the article. I do not think this is very encyclopaedic. I have attempted to summarize the main points. --Kokiri 20:24, 5 Mar 2004 (UTC)

The dispute elicits many diversified opinions reflecting different views. Be warned that some of them can be based on erroneous perception and difficult to sustain.

Purpose of this section is twofold: to inform readers about diversified views, and to keep other sections as factual and neutral as possible. Since issue is not yet to be decided, hardly any comment can be neutral. Do not pretend neutralities by simply mixing up different views, but tell all of them and leave judgement to readers. Please do not try to neutralize each following item, but add another to contradict. Put a signature if you like.

Much of the problem stems from the perception that the name of a body of water indicates possession in some sense, or adds to the prestige of the bordering country. Both Koreas want the name to reflect the perspective of Korea. South Koreans figure that since the sea is to the East of Korea, it should be called the East Sea. North Korea's government (separately) makes a similar argument for the slightly longer term East Sea of Korea. Japan steadfastly rejects any change.
East See does not make a sense for the whole world except for Koreans. Such wording had better be reserved as a prerogative of Europeans and Americans, as long as we use English as the international language. Takanoha
Both ‘‘Sea of Japan’’ and Sea of Korea are neutral. Aside from the fact that Sea of Japan is firmly established, Sea of Korea makes more sense for Japanese, because the sea is between our land and Korea. Historically, many Japanese roads, passes and channels are named by this manner. Takanoha
Japanese imperialism, compounded with their tendency to revise history and distort historical facts, have given rise to the current appellation of Sea of Japan.
- This is only claimed by both Korean governments. Neither Chinese, Russian nor American government have voiced this opinion. Revth 01:41, 2 Oct 2004 (UTC)
It is worth noting that for the Japanese people the word for "East Sea" indicates the other side of the Sea of Japan. It is one of the reasons that Japanese strongly oppose the name "East Sea." Confusion is an obvious result if both sides of a nation are called by the same name. But in fact however it is not an uncommon situation. In Japanese, the western region of Honshu is called Chugoku (中国), which also means China.
- This is technically incorrect and misleading. "East Sea" indicate Pacific Ocean to Japanese and not the other side of the Sea of Japan. Also, from both Tokyo and Kyoto that had been once the capital of Japan, "Sea of Japan" is indicated as "North Sea". Other meaning of Chugoku (中国) is China much like how "Middle Earth" of Tolkien myths can be translated as "中国", lit. central country and the naming of "Chugoku" itself is not related to China. Revth 01:41, 2 Oct 2004 (UTC)
The "Sea of Japan" was not named by the Japanese people.
In many cases, Korean claim "Orienal Sea" to be "East Sea" and add those map with "Oriental Sea" as an evidence for "East Sea".

Do not hesitate to add another view. At least, it is an obvious fact that someone have an opinion.

Usage in English

Some food for thought from Google:

"Sea of Japan" - 72,900 results
"East Sea" japan - 16,000 results

News archive search results:

"Sea of Japan" - 2,221 results
"East Sea" japan - 184 results

Note that I had to qualify the search for "East Sea" because of the lack of geographic specificity.

Given that this is an English-language encyclopedia, we should standardize on the most common form of the name but note its variants. In this case, that would require the name "Sea of Japan" to be used conventionally but note that it is called the "East Sea" when it's mentioned in Korea-related articles. The issue is fairly similar to European naming issues such as over the names of the Republic of Macedonia or Kosovo - in both cases, the most common usage is adopted with the variants noted where relevant. -- ChrisO 11:05, 26 Mar 2004 (UTC)

Moving Article

Shouldn't we move this article to Dispute over the name of the Sea of Japan? Kokiri 11:58, 26 Mar 2004 (UTC)

I don't think there's much point in doing this. The extra "of" would be grammatically nicer, but prepositions are often dropped in colloquial English. -- ChrisO 12:21, 26 Mar 2004 (UTC)

Why not do it? It's just that we can't italics in the title... However, I want to solve the naming convention first... Kokiri 10:28, 27 Mar 2004 (UTC)

Have moved the article now. Kokiri 12:55, 15 Apr 2004 (UTC)

This might be a big news to us.

Sea of Japan to remain official name in U.N. documents

http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&cat=1&id=296080

Needless to say, I don't mean to agree with this ruling or whatever at all. -- Taku 08:06, Apr 22, 2004 (UTC)

However, Japan also fails to look at its own geographic features: one of its regions, Chugoku, actually means China, which also causes confusion, and is therefore not a suitable name either. This contradicts with Japan's claim that the name East Sea can be confused with the name East china Sea.

This is the section I cut from the main page. It perhaps belongs in the article somewhere, but not in the summary of the dispute where it is irrelevant.

If there is a place where this can be usefully included, please move it there,

Zeimusu 03:27, 2004 Sep 28 (UTC)

Not well-read

The whole dispute was strange from the beginning. Suddenly, Korea began it's campaign to change the name from Sea of Japan to East Sea in the Early 90s. Why not before? Also, Their argument saying that East Sea refers to as "East of the Continent" does not make sense at all other than Korea. For China, there are numerous seas which is East of their Country. Another thing which is fishy is "Why aren't the Koreans demanding to change Yellow Sea to West Sea?

I do not know who wrote the message above; but it certainly is written by a person not well-read. The reason why Koreans want the "East Sea" over the "Sea of Japan" is that "East Sea" is a politically neutral name. Most maps before the 20th century have the name "Sea of Corea/Korea." It is the Koreans that are not with "hatred," rather, it is the Japanese stubbornness to keep its imperialistic past alive that is clouding this issue. The Koreans, in regards to naming this disputed sea's name, want to have a compromise with a politically neutral name.

As for the West Sea issue, most Koreans accept the name; even one of the Korean provinces is named the West Sea Province (Hwanghaedo)! You should be well-read, and not a ignorant niggard before attacking this issue.

This issue has came up only since the early 90s, because Korea has finally globalised. Bezant

Proposing "Dispute over naming the body of water between Japan and the Koreas" as an NPOV title

Okay, so the bulk of contention between Nanshu and Sewing is the title of this article itself. Besides some bias I notice in the article itself, the article's title becomes problematic NPOV wise because what's being disputed is the name of the sea. By picking one particular name, the article is perceived as violating NPOV (for the affected parties, that is). I propose an NPOV title to the article by calling it "Dispute over naming the body of water between Japan and the Koreas". --Yonghokim 02:30, 14 Mar 2005 (UTC)

We have no problem with using "Sea of Japan" for the page title. The name "Sea of Japan" (or Japan Sea) isn't just what Japan wants to use but also an international standard whereas "East Sea" is nothing more than South Korean POV.

And "the body of water between Japan and the Koreas" doesn't conform to our NPOV policy. Japan has the longest coastline along the Sea of Japan. It isn't South Korea or North Korea, or not even the Korean Peninsula, but Russia that follows Japan. So it sound like "the body of water between Japan and the Koreas" refers to the Tsushima Strait, which is actually located between Japan and Korea --Nanshu 14:15, 27 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Please mind the plural 's' in Koreas, Nanshu. Tsushima strait has nothing to do with the 'other' Korea, North Korea. Also, Russia has no part in this conflict (does not want it called East Sea of Russia). Your argument with coast line length is also growing thin. Please concider that the Koreas' coast length along this water in question, is a conciderable quote of their total coast length. --himasaram

Actually, some of us DO have a problem using the name "Sea of Japan" for the article title. Since the name is disputed (no matter how much Nanshu disparages the South Korean argument), including the name "Sea of Japan" does in fact violate Wikipedia's NPOV policy. Not only that, both the Korean and Japanese arguments have large accumulations of historical evidence that should be taken into consideration before jumping to conclusions. I say we change the name of this page to a neutral title, like the article "Liancourt Rocks". --Leonhart

Ok Nanshu, you win. Please, take the Sea of Japan and the Liancourt Islands (sorry, forgot its japanese name) for yourself. --Yonghokim 04:28, 5 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Chosen hachido no zu

Leonhart added Chosen hachid no zu 朝鮮八道之図 by Hayashi Shihei 林子平 with the following caption:

A 220 year-old Japanese map clearly displaying the body of water between Korea and Japan as the "East Sea."

It may be "clear" to Leonhart's eyes, but actually, there is no such term as Tokai 東海 on that map. All we can see is the character "東" and the Hangul 동 with furigana "togu" トグ. It merely indicates direction. In fact, we can confirm other directional signs (north, south and west) on the map.

It is surprising to people unfamiliar with Korea that this silly report was made not by a elementary school student but by a professor named Kim Mun-gil, and that it got media coverage without the simple error corrected. But this always happens in Korea. --Nanshu 15:39, 27 Mar 2005 (UTC)

For your information, Nanshu, that map is not displayed in its entirety (duh). Since I was unable to find a complete photograph of that map (which was taken by Yonhap News), and you are unlikely to take me for my word, why don't you just run along and try finding a FULL picture of that map or read the Daum News article that came along with it? I'm sure you can find some answers there.

And by the way, I would appreciate if you just laid off Korea's case once in a while. Since day one on Wikipedia you've taken every oppurtunity to promote your smear coampaign of Korea and China, and I find no basis to your preposterous claims whatsoever. In fact, you've even created a site called "Korea, The Perposterous World." Your hatred of Korea has gone beyond the periphery of rationality and threatens the truth of what happened throughout history. Do you really think that by defacing neighboring countries you can cover up your country's own crimes? Why don't you take a closer look at the Nanjing Massacre, the torture and execution of POWs, and the infamous Unit 731, instead of just blatantly denying and belittling every single fact that tarnishes Japan's good-for-nothing reputation? Leonhart

Can you stick to the subject? Or do you think you can cover up your mistake with a parrot cry? If you insist that map clearly displays the body of water between Korea and Japan as the "East Sea", you have to bring evidence. Otherwise, withdraw it. Don't ask others to prove it. The burden of proof is on you!

But I had already checked Chosen hachid no zu by myself before making this section, and came to the above conclusion. --Nanshu 14:39, 29 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Let me get a few things straight: 1) According to my research, "Chosen hachid no zu" does indeed display the body of water between Korean and Japan as 東海, but if you insist, I shall remove it from this article and add another map in its place.

2) I'm SO SORRY (cough) for "covering up my mistake with a parrot cry". Of course, everything is MY (hem hem) fault, so I'll take All (ahem) the responsibility. Happy now?

3) I certainly did not go off point by indicating Japan's faults in history. In my personal opinion, I think you went off-topic in this discussion even more than me by making offending comments such as "this always happens in Korea". For the love of God, all of those familiar with your writing know by now that you have a personal vendetta against Koreans for no good reason. Not only that, I can infer from your antagonistic tone that you said "stick to the subject" not for the sake of clarity in dialogue, but because you don't want Japan's dirty work emphasized even more than it already is.

4) As I mentioned previously, I would appreciate if you not only stopped bashing Korea, but also stopped insulting me. I happen to be quite placid if nobody offends me in the first place, which is obviously not the case here. Therefore, my lack of respect towards you can also be considered part of your own respinsibility. To sum this up, contemplate the quote "Treat others as you want to be treated." --Leonhart

I found the full size version of the map[2] (http://www.est.hi-ho.ne.jp/hanabusa/kougei8.htm)[3] (http://record.museum.kyushu-u.ac.jp/nippon/19.20bunsatu/l347.html). The map displays "北(North)", "西(west)", "南(South)", and "東(East)". Why can you say the map clearly displaying "East sea" ?. It's just a direction, not a name of the water.--Mochi 12:57, 8 May 2005 (UTC)

When did "Sea of Japan" get common?

I will descibe about my edit (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dispute_over_the_name_of_the_Sea_of_Japan&diff=12922826&oldid=12922662). Leonhart wrote that "prior to the latter half of the 19th century, "Sea of Japan" was barely used". However, this source (http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/maritime/japan/study-f.html) shows a different fact: among the maps possessed by the British Library, "Sea of Japan" was used in 86% of maps from 1801 to 1860. "Sea of Japan" was nearly common already at the former half of the 19th century. It is not 100% so I weaken the expression. Of course, this source is biased (Japanese Foreign Ministry) and someone may have other sources. Concrete information is welcome. By the way, this source shows an interesting fact: 2 of 5 maps which uses "Sea of Korea" are Japanese ones. But for me it is quite natural because this sea is direction of Korea from us. --Corruptresearcher 09:46, 28 Apr 2005 (UTC)

The Past is Irrelevant

I think it needs pointing out that most of the comments made on this page are illogical and therefore irrelevant, simply because they are evocative of the logical fallacy argumentum ad antiquitam made popular by Edmund Burke, an idea similar to the idea of hegemony, the idea that what has been done in the past, or what is old, is necessarily better than what is being done in the present, or what is new.

This is, of course, ridiculous.

The real core of this issue, unlike that of the Liancourt Rocks dispute, is not who owns this body of water, but instead, what name should be used. In fact, neither country is claiming the water to be something other than shared territory, the argument being therefore hinged upon not ownership, but instead the topic of nomenclature.

The issue need not rely on the past.

Indeed, relying on the past, at least in this case, is illogical and harmful. What has been done in the past, what names have been used, what names have not been used, and by whom, all of this is irrelevant. The past is not correct simply because it is in the past.

What is now at issue is simply this: any body of water shared by two or more countries must be denominated by a mutually acceptable name, or, barring that, a name deemed neutral by an objective arbiter. It would seem to me that Japan, in refusing to use a neutral name, is basing its argument upon the past. If East Sea is a name which seems non-neutral in the eyes of Japan, then Japan should suggest their own preferred neutral name. Thelivingend

Most of Korean people do not like Japan.They want to erase the name "Sea of Japan" from the maps. So your "neutral suggestion" is not neutral, because it is the purpose for Korean people.--Mochi 13:16, 8 May 2005 (UTC)

No Japan, No Sea

End of story, really. Logically, if there is no Japan, then there is no sea. So, it must be the Sea of Japan.

Well, if there was no Korea then the "Sea of Japan" would be the Yellow Sea, would it not? So perhaps "Sea of Korea" does make sense... But of course, that doesn't hold water. We don't call the Adriatic the "Sea of Italy," nor the Indian Ocean the "Ocean of Africa," as such logic would entail.

Your arguement holds little water. There is the English Channel, Gulf of Mexico, East China Sea, Indian Ocean, etc. So there is already great precidence world-wide to name bodies of water after countries. If the entire landmass of Korea had never existed, how can you say the body of water would be the Yellow Sea? The Sea of Japan is by far larger than the Yellow Sea. I'm pretty sure you don't have the power of seeing into alternate universes. For all we know, it could have been called The North China Sea, had Korea never existed. The fact is, and the bottom line is, if there was no Japan, there would be no sea. Case closed.

...actually, I think the whole dispute is rather silly. Ultimately both sides need to accept that their name is just as silly and irrational as the other. -- Visviva 08:02, 15 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Problematic contributions

I have removed a section added to the article by User:Kojangee. I thought it contradicted Wikipedia policy on original research, but further investigation shows it to be lifted from a Japanese government website (http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/maritime/japan/sea.html). It is therefore presumably a copyvio, not to mention untrustworthy, although it would be nice to have a paragraph discussing the study. I have also reverted a series of subsequent edits by Kojangee which profoundly failed to reflect a neutral POV. -- Visviva 13:15, 15 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Sorry, I understand the importance of being neutral. What I don't understand however is why information from the Korean government is neutral while information from the Japanese government is biased. Whatever the case, I'll try to be more careful next time in my information-gathering. -- Kojangee 3:36, 16 Jun 2005 (Beijing time)

You're right, this article is full of problems. Since I was only patrolling the recent changes, I didn't notice that the Korean government study had also been cut-and-pasted. Apparently it was there for a while, too.. Sigh. I've removed it as well. Wikipedia is not a universal information repository. Both studies should be summarized and linked, no more. -- Visviva 15:53, 16 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Pie Charts...

There are two pie charts on this site. the first one, the "97%" one, has a spelling mistake on it. It says 'neme' instead of 'name'. i would like to know where that chart came from. did someone just 'make up' that chart on the spot and add it? Unless we know that that pie chart is in fact accurate and unbiased, i think it should be removed. Unless the source of the chart is revealled, of course.

Now, don't get me wrong. I am strongly for the name 'Sea of Japan' and strongly against the 'East Sea', but I feel that all information presented here on wikipedia should be unbiased and fair. It is strange, though, I am in favour of the name 'Sea of Japan', but i live in South Korea and i NEVER call it Sea of Japan. I always call it East Sea. Why? because it is such a hot topic here in korea (a form of nationalistic pride exists here that i have never seen anywhere else and i have been to over 20 different countries and around the world) that if i even hint at calling it 'Sea of Japan', i get an ear full. It is safer to call it East Sea while in South Korea. Even the most mild mannered, soft spoken koreans get all up in arms about this topic. I have greater success discussing fan death with koreans than i do the sea of japan. Koreans won't even listen to anything logially presented to them. to them, it is "EAST SEA OR NOTHING!! now get out of my face!" This attitude alone makes me want to call it the Sea of Japan. Masterhatch

Both were added by User:Maizuru, and they certainly look homemade. You can click on the image to view the image page. I believe all the numbers come from surveys done by the Japanese government. I'm not convinced that the charts add anything to the article, myself... No-one would dispute that the name "Sea of Japan" is in nearly universal usage today. The question is whether that should be the case. As for the issue itself... in the end, Wikipedia is just here to document it. -- Visviva 06:17, 19 Jun 2005 (UTC)

PS Masterhatch, please remember to sign future comments with four tildes: ~~~~. Thanks! -- Visviva 06:17, 19 Jun 2005 (UTC)

I am in favour of removing the pie charts. As for whether the name should be changed, I think changing it would set a precedent of name changing that we don't need. Are we going to rename the Gulf of Mexico? The English channel? I think not. Only two countries (north and south korea) want the named changed and neither country can come up with a convincing argument for the change. In every aspect, 'Sea of Japan' makes more sense than 'East Sea'. Masterhatch

Since I myself contributed the graph which poses a problem now, the reply to Mr. Masterhatch's question is shown. However, I of a regrettable thing am not good at English. Please understand that impolite expression may be carried out.

The graph which I contributed is based on the result investigated by the Japanese government in 2000. Please look at [4] (http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/maritime/japan/pamph0208.pdf) for details. Moreover, Since the Japanese government claimed "The danger of causing international confusion is high if the name with which no less than 97% of map was using the Sea of Japan independently, and was already established is changed", the official announcement of graph considered it necessity and carried. --Maizuru 17:02, 20 Jun 2005 (UTC)

I didn't delete the pie charts because i wasn't disputing (or agreeing with) the accuracy of them. I was just commenting that they looked 'homemade' and i was wondering about the validity of them. If they are in fact accurate, i see no reason to take them out. The spelling mistake bothers me, though. Is there any to fix that? Masterhatch

Thank you for understanding my awkward text. I am opposed to deleting graph. However, I approve of correcting the mistake of spelling. If you present the spelling mistake on graph concretely, you will correct it immediately. In addition, I may not understand the meaning of your question. In that case, please protest again. --Maizuru 12:35, 21 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Maizuru, is there any way you can change 'neme' to 'name' on the pie chart? We don't need spelling mistakes on our pie charts. Thanks Masterhatch

I am thankful to you to indication. The mistake of graph was corrected. If I continue to have a mistake, please point out unreservedly. Thank you. --Maizuru 07:57, 22 Jun 2005 (UTC)

The other chart Image:Old Sea of Japan.JPG still does not clearly label its source. Is it the same document as the other chart? I cannot find it there. Peregrine981 14:25, Jun 22, 2005 (UTC)

It got to know that a label was not required for JPG for the first time. It will apologize, if it is my mistake. By the way, although it is a question, do I need to change the corresponding JPG image into PNG? --Maizuru 16:31, 22 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Time for a vote

A vote is needed in regards to the name of the body of water that separates the Koreas and Japan. Here is the question, answer with 'Yes' or 'No' (feel free to add comments):

Should all bodies of water on Wikipedia have the same name throughout all pages as to maintain a standard and avoid country specific POV?"

In the event of a 'Yes' win, all bodies of water will be given the same English name and the country specific name will be put in brackets. For example "Sea of Japan" (East Sea). In the event of a 'No' win, all international articles will use the international English name and in country specific articles, it will be the Englishised name with the international name put in brackets. For example on a Korean article: "East Sea" (Sea of Japan). Please vote only once. Thank you, Masterhatch

I vote 'Yes'. Masterhatch

Comment, not a vote: This talk page is not an appropriate place to decide Wikipedia policy for "all bodies of water". I suspect that we have a policy on how to organise votes, and I strongly suspect that this proposed vote does not follow it. Mark ¹ 04:00, 20 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Here you go: a guideline rather than a policy- Wikipedia:Survey_guidelines. Mark ¹ 04:15, 20 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Perhaps something can be gleaned from Talk:Gdansk/Vote.--Pharos 04:37, 20 Jun 2005 (UTC)

After reading the above posts (and other posts) I am withdrawing my request for a vote on the matter. But I must add that this matter needs to be resolved. Currently, the majority of countries call the body of water between Japan and Korea the 'Sea of Japan'. If one changes 'East Sea' to 'Sea of Japan' on a Korean article, it is changed right back to the Korean's POV 'East Sea'. The UN (and most of the countries in the world)'s POV is that the name is 'Sea of Japan'. Korea's POV is 'East Sea'. Let's come to a consensus as we have not yet come to one. I strongly suggest that all articles dealing with 'that body of water' have the same name. Masterhatch

Let's continue the discussion at Wikipedia talk:Naming conventions (Korean)#Disputed names. -- Visviva 13:17, 20 Jun 2005 (UTC)

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