The cultures of Korea and Japan are distinct but highly related given the shared origins of the peoples who came to inhabit the islands of Japan and the Korean peninsula. Both cultures also developed from much that is rooted in China: their written languages, for instance both involve Chinese characters, though their uses are reserved for specific purposes and are much less common in the modern states of North and South Korea. Relations between these three nations, as well as links with the People's Republic of China and Taiwan, have varied from cordial to strained since the close of World War II.