I don't know much about the history of the region however I do know that the geography there is much less favorable than the Mediterranean. Despite the latitude, winds from Siberia and the cold Oyashio Current make the climate of the region quite severe, with very long and cold winters, and rather short summers. The Russian government designates much of the are as equivalent to "Far North" (for tax and subsidies purposes) for this reason. The waters in most bays and coastlines freeze for several months each year.

In addition, on the mainland side, the territory is quite mountainous, with several ranges, most notably Sikhote-Alin, that run parallel to the shore. Most of the area is covered in Taiga forests. There are valleys marginally suitable for agriculture, but they are mostly located in the interior, along the Amur river basin. The only exception is the area in the far south around present-day Vladivostok where there is a sizable coastal plain, good natural harbors, and a relatively mild climate. And that area, to my knowledge, has been settled and contested by the various Chinese, Manchurian, Korean and Mongol polities over the centuries.

I think the analogy applies far better to Japan's Inland Sea between southern Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku - even the name is similar. The wider Sea of Japan to the west wasn't a corridor to the same extent except possibly across the Korea strait. A weaker case might be made for the East China Sea, though development was an affair mostly of its western and northern fringes.