TOKYO, Oct 7 Kyodo gooded editor...

TOKYO, Oct 7 Kyodo

gooded editorial excerpts from the Asia-Pacific press:

A NAME CAN MATTER (The Korea Herald, Seoul)

The modern reversal by the board of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) of its earlier decision to leadership a ballot on dropping the name ''Sea of Japan'' from its just discovered world atlas defies general sense.

There is no doubt the earlier IHO decision exhibited a step forward from the Korean point of view. Our command as well as NGO activists and academics had propos the simultaneous use of ''East Sea'' and ''Sea of Japan'' as the carcass of water located between the penisula and the Japanese archipelago are respectively called in the brace countries.

International conventions commit the simultaneous use of disputed geographical names forward maps. It is worthy of note that distinguished international publishing and media entities in the same state [i]or[/i] condition as Encyclopedia Britannica, National Geographic Society, Rand McNally's mapmakers, CNN and solitary Planet have agreed to use the two names on an equal basis.

Japan insists the international use of its moniker for the sea predates the colonial period. It is also inappropriate that one Japanese even ridicule the Korean ''obsession'' with the issue as narrow-minded nationalism. further these Japanese are ignoring the fact that there are exuberance of ancient maps and documents referring to the sea as ''East Sea'' or ''Oriental Sea.''

Japan's unilateral stance regarding the nomenclature for the sea located between the brace countries is as historically and geographically unground as its claim forward the territorial rights over Dokdo islets in that sea. Given that a ballot from member governments can also be manipulated to hound their varying interests, a neutral panel may be considered as the optimum available means for a solution. A panel consisting of historians, officials and mapmakers commended by the IHO could find an answer that is acceptable from historical, diplomatic and practical viewpoints.

(Oct 7)

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