Sea Of Japan

Both Japan and South Korea on Tuesday laid claim to waters between them, but they sidestepped the volatile issue of who owns two tiny islands in the Sea of Japan's rich fishing grounds. The Japanese Cabinet approved a plan to establish a 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone in the area under the U.N. Law of the Sea treaty, a series of coordinated rules that took effect in 1994 to provide more equity in the carving-up of the world's ocean resources. Hours later, Seoul followed suit.

China views the military exercises in the Sea of Japan as a threat to its territorial integrity. Beijing's indignation appears calibrated to push back at U.S. dominance in the region. As far as Beijing is concerned, the U.S.-South Korean joint air and sea military exercises that took place this week in the Sea of Japan were a direct threat to China's territorial integrity. For days now, China's state-controlled media have been beating the drums of war with editorials, each more confrontational than the last.

Yielding to protests from Japan and the United States, Russia agreed Thursday to stop dumping liquid radioactive waste into the Sea of Japan but warned that it will resume the practice unless richer countries help it process the waste for underground burial. Environment Minister Viktor Danilov-Danilyan announced the decision after a Cabinet meeting. He said Russia will refrain from further dumping "in the near future."

The U.S. and South Korea on Tuesday announced a major naval and air exercise for later this month, a show of force aimed at North Korea in response to the sinking of a South Korean warship in March. The exercise, which will take place in the Sea of Japan and include the aircraft carrier USS George Washington , was announced in a joint statement by Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates and South Korean Defense Minister Kim Tae-Young after a meeting in Seoul. "These defensive, combined exercises are designed to send a clear message to North Korea that its aggressive behavior must stop, and that we are committed together to enhancing our defensive capabilities," the statement said.

A recent letter "Naming the Waters" [Nov. 7] took issue with the term for the Sea of Japan and asked that the Los Angeles Times hereafter refer to it simultaneously as the East Sea. Use of the sea name "Sea of Japan" is accurate and based on historic and international predominance for more than 200 years. According to our survey in 2000, 97.2% of all maps in 60 countries used solely the name "Sea of Japan" in English or its equivalent in the local language. It is also confirmed that the prevailing practice of the United Nations is to use only "Sea of Japan."

North Korea test-fired a short-range missile Monday as diplomats, including Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, were gathering here for the inauguration of South Korea's new president, Roh Moo Hyun. The test was viewed here as another calculated provocation from the regime in Pyongyang. The missile flew about 36 miles from the east coast of the Korean peninsula and splashed into the Sea of Japan.

Ignoring a storm of international protest, Russia pressed ahead Tuesday with plans to dump more radioactive waste in the Sea of Japan. Russia's "sea burial" of 32,000 cubic feet of liquid nuclear waste off the Japanese coast Saturday provoked angry protests from Tokyo and Washington. Only one of three international nuclear watchdogs was warned in advance.

The U.S. and South Korea on Tuesday announced a major naval and air exercise for later this month, a show of force aimed at North Korea in response to the sinking of a South Korean warship in March. The exercise, which will take place in the Sea of Japan and include the aircraft carrier USS George Washington , was announced in a joint statement by Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates and South Korean Defense Minister Kim Tae-Young after a meeting in Seoul. "These defensive, combined exercises are designed to send a clear message to North Korea that its aggressive behavior must stop, and that we are committed together to enhancing our defensive capabilities," the statement said.

ACROSS THE PACIFIC OCEAN, a never-ending war of maneuver is under way. It is a three-dimensional struggle--under sea, on the water and in the air--that pits the U.S. Navy against a Soviet fleet three times its size. The prize is control over half the world's surface. The weapons are multimillion-dollar ships and planes, as well as a vast array of sophisticated electronics that could provide the winning advantage if a conflict between the superpowers ever erupts.

China views the military exercises in the Sea of Japan as a threat to its territorial integrity. Beijing's indignation appears calibrated to push back at U.S. dominance in the region. As far as Beijing is concerned, the U.S.-South Korean joint air and sea military exercises that took place this week in the Sea of Japan were a direct threat to China's territorial integrity. For days now, China's state-controlled media have been beating the drums of war with editorials, each more confrontational than the last.

A recent letter "Naming the Waters" [Nov. 7] took issue with the term for the Sea of Japan and asked that the Los Angeles Times hereafter refer to it simultaneously as the East Sea. Use of the sea name "Sea of Japan" is accurate and based on historic and international predominance for more than 200 years. According to our survey in 2000, 97.2% of all maps in 60 countries used solely the name "Sea of Japan" in English or its equivalent in the local language. It is also confirmed that the prevailing practice of the United Nations is to use only "Sea of Japan."

North Korea test-fired a short-range missile Monday as diplomats, including Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, were gathering here for the inauguration of South Korea's new president, Roh Moo Hyun. The test was viewed here as another calculated provocation from the regime in Pyongyang. The missile flew about 36 miles from the east coast of the Korean peninsula and splashed into the Sea of Japan.

Both Japan and South Korea on Tuesday laid claim to waters between them, but they sidestepped the volatile issue of who owns two tiny islands in the Sea of Japan's rich fishing grounds. The Japanese Cabinet approved a plan to establish a 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone in the area under the U.N. Law of the Sea treaty, a series of coordinated rules that took effect in 1994 to provide more equity in the carving-up of the world's ocean resources. Hours later, Seoul followed suit.

Yielding to protests from Japan and the United States, Russia agreed Thursday to stop dumping liquid radioactive waste into the Sea of Japan but warned that it will resume the practice unless richer countries help it process the waste for underground burial. Environment Minister Viktor Danilov-Danilyan announced the decision after a Cabinet meeting. He said Russia will refrain from further dumping "in the near future."

Ignoring a storm of international protest, Russia pressed ahead Tuesday with plans to dump more radioactive waste in the Sea of Japan. Russia's "sea burial" of 32,000 cubic feet of liquid nuclear waste off the Japanese coast Saturday provoked angry protests from Tokyo and Washington. Only one of three international nuclear watchdogs was warned in advance.

A camouflage helmet cover I use as a lampshade in my writing room is pretty much the only souvenir I have from the Korean War. Its colors are fading, and the twine that holds it together is beginning to fray from the heat of the light globe and from the passage of time itself, but there's no doubt about what it once was. The name "Burk" and two stripes of a corporal's rank are still visible on its side, although growing more difficult to discern after half a century.

Typhoon Vera, which killed 17 people in South Korea, China and Okinawa before moving out to the Sea of Japan, was downgraded to a tropical storm as its winds abated Friday.