The Japan Sea, one of the largest marginal seas, is located in the northwest Pacific Ocean with an area of 978,000 square kilometers, slightly smaller than the combined area of the East China Sea,
Yellow Sea, and Bohai Sea, and less than one-third the size of the South China Sea.
Despite this, it is the deepest sea area for China aside from the South China Sea, with an average depth of 1,752 meters and a maximum depth of 4,000 meters.
Similar to the South China Sea, the Japan Sea is a semi-enclosed sea connected to the East China Sea, Sea of Okhotsk, and Pacific Ocean through the Korea Strait, Tatar Strait, and Soya Strait.
The Japan Sea is not an internal sea or territorial sea of Japan.
Its southern part is adjacent to the Korean Peninsula and South Korea, its western part borders Russia's Far East, and its eastern part is close to the Japanese archipelago.
Therefore, except for the internal seas, territorial waters, and exclusive economic zones of the four countries, the rest belongs to the high seas.
Despite the international use of the name "Japan Sea," there is controversy between South Korea and North Korea over its designation.
South Korea advocates calling it the "East Sea" or "Sea of Korea," while North Korea proposes naming it the "East Sea of Korea."
Although the Japan Sea is an important sea area in the northwest Pacific, adjacent to the developed countries of Japan and South Korea, its coastal areas are economically depressed, lacking support from large cities.
Currently, the largest city along the coast is Busan, South Korea, with a population of about 3.5 million;
other cities include Ulsan (1.17 million), Toyama, Japan (420,000), Sapporo (1.97 million), Chongjin, North Korea (700,000), Tanchon (360,000), and Vladivostok, Russia (600,000).
Why is this so?
The main reason is closely related to the geographical environment along the Japan Sea coast.
Most of the coastline of the Japan Sea is mountainous, with plains mainly found inland or on the opposite side of the continent.
For example, Japan is mainly distributed along the Pacific coast, the Korean Peninsula is mainly concentrated along the Yellow Sea coast, and the Russian Far East is distributed along the Heilongjiang and Xingkai Lake coasts.
This terrain limits the development space of coastal areas, resulting in sparse population and limited economic activities.
From a climatic perspective, the western coast of the Japan Sea is located in a high-latitude region significantly influenced by the Kuroshio Current.
For example, the annual average temperature in Vladivostok is only 4.5°C, with extreme winter lows reaching -15°C, greatly reducing its habitability and population.
In contrast, the eastern coast of the Japan Sea is influenced by the Tsushima Warm Current, with higher winter temperatures but facing blizzards and other meteorological disasters brought by winter monsoons, which also limits the feasibility of urban development.
The western coast of the Japan Sea lacks excellent port conditions and economic support.
Most of the coastline consists of cliffs and steep cliffs, and the eastern coast of the Korean Peninsula has almost no natural good harbors, further limiting industrial development and foreign trade in the region.
In contrast, the eastern coast of the Japan Sea and the western coast of the Korean Peninsula have winding coastlines and multiple natural harbors, such as Incheon Port in South Korea and Yokohama Port in Japan.
These geographical advantages are conducive to the development of large cities and economic centers.
The geographical, climatic, and port conditions of the Japan Sea determine the limitations of its economic development.
As a marginal sea, its strategic position does not have the significant geopolitical advantages and economic potential of the South China Sea or some other marginal seas.
However, with the development of the Far East region in the future and the opening of the Arctic shipping routes, new development opportunities and economic vitality may be brought to this region.
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