What do/would Japan call Vladivostock?

If the Japanese had annexed Vladivostock, what would they have called it? Do they have a name for the city they use anyway, like how we call Milano "Milan" or Moskva "Moscow", though these are probably not the best examples! I mean like how in Welsh Swansea is "Abertawe" which has a completely different meaning/root.

If they ONLY have a Japanesed version of "Vladivostock", rather than an older alternative name, do they Japanify the word, or the meaning?

And if they don't have any other word for it, what would they have RENAMED it to if they did annex it?

Best Regards
Grey Wolf
 
In EdT's Fight and be Right, Vladivostok was renamed to Urajio/Urajii after the War of the Dual Alliance, but it did not last till the timeline's end because China conquered the city like the rest of Trans-Amur during the TTL Great War and renamed it to Tungwang.
 

FDW

Banned
If the POD is before 1860, they might use a direct transliteration of the Chinese term Hǎishēnwǎi (Sea Cucumber Cliffs), or use the closest approximation of the term (which google states is Namako no Dangai).
 
That article also says the Japanese name is only a Japanese pronunciation of the Russian name. If they owned the city would they really stick with a name that originally meant "lord of the east" for a city lying to the west of them?

That's a dashed good question!

I wonder if there are any historical parallels to look at -did Japan change the name of any towns on Taiwan when they annexed it? Or ... er somewhere else?

I suppose the fact that the city is TO the West of them does not rule out the fact it could still be IN the East of the world... Does Japan see itself as being in the East, or does everyone on Earth see themselves as being sort of central?

Best Regards
Grey Wolf
 

The Sandman

Banned
How about "Nishitouwan"? The kanji used translate as "Western Harbor".

No idea if the kanji have alternate readings that would keep the same meaning and sound better.
 
I wonder if there are any historical parallels to look at -did Japan change the name of any towns on Taiwan when they annexed it? Or ... er somewhere else?

AFAIK it was essentially taking the kanji of the places (which had Taiwanese/Chinese readings), and substituting them with Japanese readings. So Taiwan in Chinese became Takasago in Japanese because of different readings of the kanji, IIRC.
 
Yeah, on Japanese maps most places with Chinese characters have their names get left that way. I believe that Changchun was renamed Xinjing (Shinkyo in Japanese), however. Don't know about other places.
EDIT: The Japanese did think it fashionable to not refer to China as "Chugoku" ("Middle Nation"), instead using the transliteration of the English word "China", rendered as "Shina". This is considered by the Chinese to be a derogatory term.

Asian transliterations of Russian names are usually a mouthful, so it's likely they'd invent something totally new for Vladivosktok.
 
That's a dashed good question!

I wonder if there are any historical parallels to look at -did Japan change the name of any towns on Taiwan when they annexed it? Or ... er somewhere else?

I suppose the fact that the city is TO the West of them does not rule out the fact it could still be IN the East of the world... Does Japan see itself as being in the East, or does everyone on Earth see themselves as being sort of central?

Best Regards
Grey Wolf

Just off the top of my head, I believe that Japan renamed Singapore Shonan. Can't think of any other examples, but it wouldn't surprise me.

Which, IIANM, is a Chinese translation of the original Russian.

Which would make it an unusual choice. There already is a Chinese name.
 
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