Three vertical water profiles of 210Pb and 210Po have been measured in the East China and Philippine seas. All the profiles show a large 210Po deficiency of ~8 dpm cm-2 relative to 210Pb in the top ~1000 m of the water column. Based on the 210Po deficiency, the steady state flux for 210Po removal from the surface water is estimated to be 14 dpm cm-2 yr-1. The 210Po/210Pb ratio of sinking particles will be too high unless an additional source of 210Pb into the surface is accounted for. Thus the large 210Po deficit is probably caused by the increased atmospheric input of 210Pb without any significant 210Po, which is focused in the Kuroshio region by isopycnal transport, and the preferential scavenging of 210Po relative to 210Pb by settling particles. The transient model calculations indicate that the model can account for the observed high excess 210Pb inventory and large 210P deficiency in the water column if focusing of atmospherically derived 210Pb in the Kuroshio water is a factor of 2--3 more than than the local input. Such a lateral redistribution by the western North Pacific gyre circulation is not inconsistent with the deeper penetration and the high water column inventories of anthoprogenic substances observed in this region. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1990