Which strait separates Hokkaido from Russia's Sakhalin Island?
Answer
La Pérouse Strait
La Pérouse Strait separates Japan's Hokkaido from Russia's Sakhalin Island. It runs between Hokkaido's Cape Sōya and Sakhalin's southern coast, linking the Sea of Japan with the Sea of Okhotsk.
The strait is about 42 kilometres wide and relatively shallow at its narrowest point, where the depth is approximately 60 metres. Its waters include small islands such as Kamen Opasnosti, meaning “Rock of Danger” in Russian, and Japan's Bentenjima.
It was named for Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse, the French naval officer who explored the passage in 1787 during a global voyage. The strait has also seen whaling traffic and wartime naval activity.
The main confusion is with the Tsugaru Strait, which separates Honshu from Hokkaido. The Tartary Strait lies between Sakhalin and mainland Russia, not between Sakhalin and Hokkaido.