Kuroshio is a warm, dark-colored current in the western Pacific Ocean. Kuroshio is Japanese for black current. The Kuroshio is also called the Japan Current. The Kuroshio has a warming effect on the climate for much of its course. It begins in the Philippine Sea, where it separates from the North Equatorial Current. It passes Taiwan and heads northeast toward Japan. Near Japan, the stream turns east, becoming the Kuroshio Extension. This current meets the cold Oyashio, also called the Kuril Current. Together, they merge into the North Pacific Current.
The Kuroshio resembles the Gulf Stream, a current in the Atlantic Ocean. Each current runs northward along the western side of its ocean. Both streams are warm, strong, narrow, and fast (see Gulf Stream). Near Japan, the Kuroshio is about 90 miles (150 kilometers) wide and can reach speeds of up to 5 knots (nautical miles per hour).
