Japan is an island country located in East Asia. Japan's territory is mainly composed of four large islands, Hokkaido , Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu, and 6,800 nearby islands. Japan has a land area of 378,000 square kilometers and a population of 126 million. The western part of Japan faces the Sea of Japan and has many cliffs and lacks good ports, while the eastern part of Japan faces the Pacific coast and has many good ports. Japan's economy is mainly located along the Pacific coast. Japan's economy is export-oriented, and export products include steel, automobiles, machinery, etc.
Japanese topographic map
Before the 1850s, Japan had always implemented a policy of isolation. At the end of the shogunate, American General Perry led the warships to open Japan's borders. Japan and the United States signed the "Treaty of Kanagawa", and Japan was forced to open its borders. Western countries have asked Japan to sign unequal treaties, and Japanese society has experienced a national crisis. In 1868, the Meiji Restoration policy was implemented in Japan from the emperor to the people. After and the Meiji Restoration , Japan achieved the goal of enriching the country and strengthening its military, and embarked on the road of external expansion. In 1894, the Sino-Japanese Sino-Japanese Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1894 broke out between Japan and the Qing Dynasty of China. Japan won and received a compensation of 230 million taels of silver, which was equivalent to Japan's economic and fiscal year. Japan also received Taiwan Island (including Penghu Islands ). In 1904, the Russo-Japanese War broke out between Japan and Russia, and Japan won. Japan gained Tsarist Russia interests in Northeast China and the Korean Peninsula. In 1931, Japan launched the September 18th Incident and occupied 1 million square kilometers of northeastern China. In 1937, Japan launched the July 7th Incident, aiming to occupy all of China in three months. After World War II , the United States occupied Japan alone. The United States formulated the "Japanese Peace Constitution" for Japan, which stipulated that Japan could not have an army. After the Korean War, the United States implemented support policies for Japan, and Japan's economy took off. In 1968, Japan's economy became the second largest economy after the United States. In 1991, Japan signed the " Square Agreement" with Western countries. The Japanese yen appreciated significantly, causing Japan's exports to lose competitiveness. What strategic locations does Japan currently control?
Japanese territory
Tsushima Island is located in the middle of the Korean Peninsula between Japan and South Korea. Tsushima has a land area of 696 square kilometers and is composed of 5 islands. Tsushima Island has an important strategic location. Tsushima is only 50 kilometers away from the Korean Peninsula. Tsushima is the springboard for Japan to enter the Korean Peninsula, and it is also the springboard for the country to invade Japan from the Korean Peninsula. In the 13th century AD, when and of the Yuan Dynasty invaded Japan, they also invaded Japan by occupying Tsushima Island.
Tsushima Island
Tsushima Island also controls Tsushima Strait . The Tsushima Strait is the only channel from Japan to the East China Sea, the Yellow Sea, and the Pacific Ocean. The Tsushima Strait is known as the "throat" entering the Sea of Japan. The Tsushima Strait is 222 kilometers long and has a water depth of 50-100 meters. The Battle of Tsushima broke out near the Tsushima Strait, and Japan won. This naval battle gave Japan the status of a great power.
Tsushima Strait
Ryukyu Islands are located on the periphery of the East China Sea. The Ryukyu Islands are more than 1,000 kilometers long from north to south. The Ryukyu Islands mainly include Osumi Islands , Amami Islands, Oshima Islands, etc., a total of more than 60 islands. The Ryukyu Islands have historically been within China's sphere of influence. The Ryukyu Kingdom existed in the history of the Ryukyu Islands. The Ryukyu Kingdom was officially sent by the Chinese Ming Dynasty Zhu Yuanzhang to announce the name of the country. After the Meiji Restoration in 1868, Japan implemented the national policy of enriching the country and strengthening its military. In 1871, Japan officially annexed the Ryukyu Islands and renamed them Okinawa. After World War II, 70% of U.S. military bases in Japan were deployed on the Ryukyu Islands. In 1972, the United States transferred administrative power over the Ryukyu Islands to Japan.
Ryukyu Islands
Miyako Strait is located between Miyako Island and Kumejima-Okinawa waterway in Ryukyu Islands. The widest point of the Miyako Sea is 260 kilometers, located between Miyako Island and the southern tip of Okinawa Island. The narrowest point of the Miyako Strait is 209 kilometers, located between Miyako Island and Kume Island. The waters off Miyakojima are Japan’s exclusive economic zone.According to the " United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea ", islands can be demarcated 12 nautical miles of territorial waters and 200 nautical miles of exclusive economic zones. No country can stop the passage of the coastal countries' power through the exclusive economic zone. Chinese ships enter the most economical waterway in the Pacific Ocean. The Miyako Strait is also a waterway that the naval and air forces of Eastern powers often cross when entering the Pacific.
Miyako Strait
Soko Strait is located between Hokkaido, Japan and Sakhalin . The narrowest point from north to south of Zonggu Strait is only 42 kilometers, and the average water depth is 30 to 60 meters. The Zongu Strait has an important strategic location, guarding the intersection between the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk. The Sea of Japan passes through the northern outlet of the Pacific Ocean. The Zongu Strait is not far from Vladivostok, the headquarters of the Russian Pacific Fleet, and is also an important channel for the Russian Pacific Fleet to enter the Pacific. In order to facilitate the operations of the US Navy, Japan's territorial sea law stipulates that the width of the territorial sea in the Zongu Strait is 3 nautical miles.
Zongu Strait
Tsugaru Strait is located in the northwest Pacific. The Tsugaru Strait is located between the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido in Japan. The Tsugaru Strait is 100 kilometers long from east to west, 50 kilometers wide, and 200 kilometers deep. The Tsugaru Strait is strategically located, bordering the Sea of Japan to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east. If you go north from the Tsugaru Strait, you can reach the Sea of Okhotsk and the Aleutian Islands , and go south to the Hawaiian Islands and the Pacific Ocean. The Tsugaru Strait is also the only way to sail from Japan's eastern coast to the western sea. Japan's territorial sea law stipulates that the width of the territorial sea in the Tsugaru Strait is 3 nautical miles. The Tsugaru Strait is an international waterway, and ships from all over the world can pass through it harmlessly. During the Cold War, the Soviet Pacific Fleet used Japan's territorial sea law to stipulate that the territorial sea was 3 nautical miles and often entered the Pacific Ocean from here.
Tsugaru Strait
After the end of the Cold War , Japan has been pursuing the status of a political power. Japan hopes to get rid of the label of a defeated nation. Japan has been actively developing its land, sea and air self-defense forces. Japan is also actively expanding its claims on territorial waters and exclusive economic zones. Okinotori Reef is a reef, with only 2 pieces exposed out of the water at high tide. The area of Okinotori Reef is less than 10 square meters. Japan considers Okinotori Reef to be an island, and has applied to the United Nations to apply for an exclusive economic zone of 450,000 square kilometers and a continental shelf extension of 255,000 square kilometers. Japan's ambitions are not small.
Okinotorijia
