Northeast Asia - Definitions

Definitions

The definition of Northeast Asia is not static, but often changes according to the context in which it is discussed.

In geopolitics, the Council on Foreign Relations defines Northeast Asia as Japan, North Korea, and South Korea. China and Russia are often included in geopolitical discussion of the region to the extent their interests and policies interact with those of Japan and Koreas. The Sea of Japan, the Yellow Sea, and sometimes the East China Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk are included in discussions of the region.

In common usage, however, the term Northeast Asia typically includes China. In this form, the core countries constituting Northeast Asia are China, Japan, North Korea, and South Korea.

The Economic Research Institute for Northeast Asia defines the region as consisting of "China, Japan, the Koreas, Mongolia, and eastern regions of the Russian Federation." The World Bank refers to the "three major Northeast Asian economies, i.e. China, Japan, and South Korea", and also acknowledges a broader definition that embraces China (including Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan), Japan, the Koreas, Mongolia, and the Russian Far East and Siberia.

In Biogeography, Northeast Asia generally refers to roughly the area spanning Japan, the Korean Peninsula, Northeast China, and the Russian Far East between Lake Baikal in Central Siberia and the Pacific Ocean. For broader spectrum of Northeast Asia, see.