The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia
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Tsushima (129.339E 34.290N) is a pair of rocky islands between Korea and Kyushu. The name means "Donkey Island" and may have arisen from a fancied resemblance between two prominent peaks on one of the islands and a donkey's ears. It was the site of a decisive Japanese naval victory against the Russians in 1905.
The island has a small anchorage that is suitable for light naval forces. This figured in some versions of Plan Orange, the U.S. Navy's contingency plan for war with Japan.
The islands are located in the middle of Tsushima Strait, which connects the East China Sea with the Sea of Japan. The Japanese laid extensive minefields across the strait, and there were heavy artillery fortress regiments on Tsushima, at Pusan on the Korean side of the strait, and on the island of Iki close to the Japanese side of the strait.
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