Japanese Government Requests Removal of 'East Sea' Label in ROK-US Joint Exercises, Changes to 'Intermediate Waters'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Seoyul] The Asahi Shimbun reported on the 21st that the Japanese government protested when the U.S. military announced the training location as the 'East Sea' during the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises. In response, the U.S. military removed the term 'East Sea' and revised subsequent announcements to refer to the area as 'waters between Korea and Japan,' among other descriptions.

According to explanations given by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Liberal Democratic Party on the same day, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and the U.S. Pacific Fleet labeled the location of the South Korea-U.S. joint exercises held from the 26th to the 29th of last month as 'East Sea' or 'waters east of the Korean Peninsula.' The Japanese government then urged the U.S. to "appropriately use the internationally established and sole name 'Sea of Japan,'" leading the U.S. military to delete the 'East Sea' designation.

However, the Indo-Pacific Command and others did not use 'Sea of Japan' in subsequent announcements of the South Korea-U.S.-Japan joint exercises. On the 30th of last month, the training location was described as 'waters east of the Korean Peninsula,' on the 6th of this month as 'waters between Korea and Japan,' and on the 8th as 'waters between Japan and Korea.'

The Asahi Shimbun reported that "the Japanese government continues to request the use of the name 'Sea of Japan.'"

A South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs official stated regarding this matter, "We have clearly conveyed our position on the East Sea designation to the U.S. side over time, and we have also communicated this position to the Indo-Pacific Command."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.