7.6 Quake Hits Japan

A major earthquake has hit the main Japanese island of Honshu's west coast (the Sea of Japan side) today.

According to the Associated Press:

TOKYO (AP) — Japan dropped its highest-level tsunami alert, issued following a series of major earthquakes on Monday, but told residents of coastal areas not to return to their homes as deadly waves could still come.

The quakes, the largest of which had a magnitude of 7.6, started a fire and collapsed buildings on the west coast of Japan’s main island, Honshu. It was unclear how many people might have been killed or hurt.

The Japan Meteorological Agency reported more than a dozen quakes in the Japan Sea off the coast of Ishikawa and nearby prefectures shortly after 4 p.m.

To read more, go here. 

New Food Service For Niigata and Yamagata Shinkansens

Above, a view of the countryside while en route to Niigata. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Back in 2010, I took a "little" side trip to Niigata on the Sea of Japan side of Honshu by Shinkansen.

Before boarding the train, I bought a bento box lunch at Tokyo Station. Now, the East Japan Railway company has a new food delivery service for travelers to Niigata and Yamagata Prefectures.

According to News On Japan:

A new food delivery service will be available to passengers traveling by Shinkansen bullet train to the Sea of Japan coast areas of Niigata and Yamagata prefectures. 

East Japan Railway Company on Monday introduced the new menu that will give Shinkansen passengers a taste of farm products from Niigata Prefecture.

To read more, go here. 

North Korea Missile Lands In Japan's EEZ

Above, the Sea of Japan from Niigata. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

North Korea has apparently launched a missile that landed in Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the Sea of Japan.

The Japan Times reported:

North Korea fired off an unidentified missile Monday morning that landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone, the latest in a spate of ramped-up test-firings that have unnerved the region. 

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference that the missile, launched around 5:40 a.m., appeared to have have fallen into Japan’s exclusive economic zone in the Sea of Japan. 

Suga said Japan had issued a strong protest with the North, calling the launch a clear violation of United Nations resolutions. 

The missile was fired from the eastern coastal city of Wonsan, according to a statement released by South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.

To read more, go here. 

"Sea of Japan" & "East Sea" Dispute Reaches This Blog

Above, a view of the Sea of Japan (or East Sea) from Niigata, Japan. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

This morning, I received the following email from a reader in South Korea:

Dear Sir / Madam, 

My name is Sophia.

While seeing your webpage, I found a certain sea name which I would like to explain about.

At this linked web pages (http://armandsrancho.blogspot.kr/2010_11_01_archive.html) the map showed the name “Sea of Japan”. Concerning this appellation for the sea area, I would great appreciate if you could take using two names, i.e. Sea of Japan and East Sea into consideration.

As the Republic of Korea and Japan currently use different names for the sea area, it would appropriate to use both names used by each country.

The resolutions of international organizations recommend that when countries sharing a given geographical feature fail to agree on a common name, competing names should be concurrently used. (the International Hydrographic Organization Resolution 1/1972, the United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names Resolution III/20, etc.)

Also, an increasing number of the world’s prominent mapmakers, newspapers, publications, and mass media outlets are recognizing these facts and evidence. National Geographic, The Times Books, Le Figaro, The Economist, and CNN, use the dual name of “East Sea” and “Sea of Japan” in their maps and publications.

Historically, the sea area in question has been called the "East Sea" in Korea for the past two thousand years. Numerous literary and geographic works also show that the name “East Sea” has been closely connected to the daily lives of Korean people for a long time. As the naming issue cannot be separated from history, culture and identity of a nation, when it comes to a name for any geographical feature, the views of countries directly concerned should be fully respected.

After receiving this, I checked around and the most definitive word on the dispute over the naming of the Sea of Japan or East Sea was from Wikipedia.

There, it is noted:

The international name for the body of water which is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia, and South Korea is disputed. In 1992, objections to the name Sea of Japan were first raised by North Korea and South Korea at the Sixth United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names.^[1] The Japanese government supports the use of the name "Sea of Japan", while South Korea supports the name "East Sea", and North Korea supports the name "East Sea of Korea". Currently, most international maps and documents use either the name Sea of Japan (or equivalent translation) by itself, or include both the name Sea of Japan and East Sea, often with East Sea listed in parentheses or otherwise marked as a secondary name. The International Hydrographic Organization, the international governing body for the naming of bodies of water around the world, in 2012 decided not to change the current single name "Sea of Japan" rejecting the South Korea's request to use "East Sea" together with "Sea of Japan".^[2][3][4][5]

The issue will be taken up again in 2017 by the IHO. I personally have no position on this dispute. I agree with those who have said that South Korea and Japan should be the ones to work this dispute out.

South Korea Demands Sea of Japan Name Be Changed

Above, a view of the Sea of Japan from Niigata. Or is it the East Sea? Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It must be the silly season in Asia.

First, China, Japan and Taiwan (did I leave anyone else out?) are squabbling over a chain of islands. Now, South Korea wants name of the body of water internationally known as the Sea of Japan, that separates South Korea and Japan, changed. Huh?

According to the Jiji Press:

Washington, Jan. 22 (Jiji Press)--The United States continues to refer the body of water between Japan and South Korea as the Sea of Japan, State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said Wednesday. 

"The U.S. Government uses names decided by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, a well-named board. The U.S. Board on Geographic Names' standard name for that body of water is the Sea of Japan," she told a news conference. 

South Korea demands that the name be changed to the East Sea.

This came about when the Virginia Senate's Education and Health Committee passed legislation that requires all public school textbooks in Virginia to identify the waters as the Sea of Japan and East Sea. The article states that many Korean Americans live in Virginia.

I suspect that the Virginia state senate is controlled by liberals and that they are behind this. Gee, we can't offend anybody, despite the fact that the name, Sea of Japan, has been around for ages, can we? Political correctness again.

To read the full article, go here.

Joetsu Shinkansen Celebrated 30th Anniversary

Above, a view from the Joetsu Shinkansen.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) celebrated the 30th anniversary of its Joetsu Shinkansen Line that runs between Tokyo and Niigata this past week.

According to Kyodo News:

The Joetsu section of the bullet train network opened Nov. 15, 1982, on a 303.6 kilometer stretch between Omiya and Niigata. For the 30.3 km sector between Omiya and Tokyo, it now shares the tracks with the Tohoku line. It links Tokyo and Niigata in slightly less than 100 minutes on its fastest service. 

The services on the Joetsu line run through one of the most heavily snow-covered regions in the country. In areas north of the Echigo-Yuzawa station, its tracks are equipped with hot water sprinklers, while trains are mounted with snow plow gear.

I rode the Joetsu Shinkansen in December 2010 when I visited Niigata, which is on the Sea of Japan side of Honshu.  It is a very scenic ride as the train's route goes through some mountain passes.

To read the full article, go here.

Haruo Nakajima Photo Exhibition In Sakata City

Source: Sonoe Nakajima

The original Godzilla (1954-1972), Haruo Nakajima is a busy man these days.

A photograph exhibition on his career is being held from August 2 to August 13 in Yamagata Prefecture's Sakata City. He will be giving a talk on August 6th. Sakata City is on the Sea of Japan side of the main island of Honshu. It is north of Niigata by about 200 kilometers.

The poster advertising the exhibition shown at top.