Economic aspects

Fisheries and mineral deposits form the main economic resources of the Sea of Japan. Pelagic (oceanic) fishes include mackerel, horse mackerel, sardines, anchovies, herring, fishes of the salmon and trout family, sea bream, and squid; the demersal (sea-bottom) category includes cod, Alaskan pollack (bluefish), and Atka mackerel. Seals and whales are also to be found, as well as such crustaceans as shrimps and crabs. The fishing grounds are for the most part on the continental shelves and their adjacent waters.

Herring, sardines, and bluefin tuna have traditionally been caught, but since World War II the fisheries have gradually been depleted. Squid fishing is carried on in the central part of the sea, salmon fishing in the shoal areas of the north and southwest, and crustacean trapping in the deeper parts. The sea is heavily fished by fleets from Japan, Russia, and North and South Korea.

Mineral resources on or in the sea bottom include magnetite sands as well as natural gas and petroleum deposits off Japan and Sakhalin Island.

Trade across the Sea of Japan is only moderate, since most of Japan’s trade is with countries not bordering the sea. Consequently, the most important Japanese ports are located on its Pacific coast. Important ports of South Korea are Pusan, Ulsan, and P’ohang, located on the southeast coast of the country, but most of the shipping in and out of these ports is also destined for countries not bordering the sea. Primary Russian ports are Vladivostok, Nakhodka, and Vostochny. Vladivostok’s traffic is primarily with other Russian ports, while Nakhodka and Vostochny are international ports. Trade between countries around the sea, however, has increased, spurred by the growth of the South Korean economy and by the development of trade agreements with Russia.

Study and exploration

The waters of the Sea of Japan have been traveled for centuries, and historically they have served to protect Japan from foreign invasions. European exploration in the region began in the 18th century. In the 1780s in one of the first voyages both to search for new trade opportunities and to collect scientific data, the Frenchman Jean-François de Galaup, Count de La Pérouse, traveled northward through the Sea of Japan and the strait that was named for him. Robert Broughton in 1796 also combined exploration with science on his track through the Tatar Strait and then south along the coast of the Russian Far East and around the Korean Peninsula.

Other Russian voyages include those of Adam Johann Krusenstern in the Nadezhda, who explored the sea (1803–06) during his circumnavigation of the globe; the Pallada (1853–54), which monitored surface temperatures and made tidal observations; and the Vityaz (1886–89), which added to oceanographic knowledge of the sea. Also of note are the American North Pacific Exploring (1853–54) and British Challenger (1872–76) expeditions.

Major research cruises by Japan began in 1928 and continued until the start of the Sino-Japanese War in 1937. After World War II the American Challenger seismic study of the sea (1951) and the work of the Baird added to scientific knowledge and stimulated Japan to reinstitute exploration and research. Most of the current oceanographic work in the sea is characterized by the use of advanced technology, by international cooperation, and by a variety of research projects.