Tsugaru Strait (????, Tsugaru Kaikyo?) is a
channel between
Honshu and
Hokkaido in northern
Japan connecting the
Sea of Japan with the
Pacific Ocean. It was named after the western part of
Aomori Prefecture. The
Seikan Tunnel passes under it at its narrowest point (19.5 km) between
Tappi Misaki on the
Tsugaru Peninsula in
Aomori, Honshu and
Shirakami Misaki on the
Matsumae Peninsula in Hokkaido.
Japan's territorial waters extend to three nautical miles (5.6 km) into the strait instead of the usual twelve, reportedly to allow nuclear-armed United States Navy warships and submarines to transit the strait without violating Japan's prohibition against nuclear weapons in its territory.[1]
The Tsugaru Strait has eastern and western necks, both approximately 20 km across with maximum depths of 200 and 140 m respectively.[2]
In the past, the most common way for passengers and freight to cross the strait was on ferries, approximately a four-hour journey. Now the Seikan Tunnel provides a convenient but more expensive alternative and approximately halves the travel time in comparison to ferrying. When Shinkansen trains can traverse the tunnel to Hakodate (scheduled for 2015), the journey time will be cut to 50 minutes.[3]
