Japan suddenly has 7000 more islands

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Strange realization in Japan: suddenly the country has 7000 more islands that it knew nothing about. This is the first census in more than 35 years.

Japan’s National Geographic Information Administration (GSI) began counting all naturally occurring land areas with a circumference of at least 100 meters. They used modern methods to map them. And lo and behold: The digital mapping showed that there are a number of new islands belonging to Japanese territory, namely 14,125, more than twice as many as previously believed. So far only 6852 islands have been found in the statistics.

Shifts caused by plate tectonics

With the new census, everything was designed digitally. Paper maps were still used at the last census in 1987. According to GSI, the new number only reflects the improvement and level of detail in measurement methods, and will not significantly increase Japan’s national territory as a result.

However, the new discovery could change the educational and administrative sectors of the East Asian country. So it would only have political implications. Islands in lakes or sandbanks in rivers were not counted. This explains much of the discrepancy. In addition, the Japanese islands are always subject to shifts due to volcanic activity and the resulting plate tectonic shifts.

There has been controversy over islands for a long time

The investigation was initiated by a national politician. He said that accurate understanding of the number of islands is an important administrative matter related to the national interest.

The islands surrounding Japan have regularly been the focus of geopolitical disputes in recent years. Japan claims the Russian-occupied southern Kuril Islands, which Tokyo refers to as the “Northern Territories.” The dispute dates back to the end of World War II, when Soviet troops captured the Japanese islands.

The East Asian country also insists that the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea belong to Japan’s territory. However, China has repeatedly rejected this demand. There are also repeated differences between South Korea and Japan due to small island groups. (A)

Source: Blick