Japanese S 014D; ya-kaiky 014D; Russian Proliv Laperuza
International waterway between the Russian island of Sakhalin and the Japanese island of Hokkaido .
The strait, named for the French explorer count de La Pérouse, separates the Sea of Okhotsk from the Sea of Japan (East Sea). It is 27 mi (43 km) wide at its narrowest part, and it varies in depth from 167 to 387 ft (51 to 118 m). Noted for its extremely strong currents, it is closed by ice in the winter.