Recount: Japan’s Recorded Number of Islands Doubles After Digital Mapping

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Officially, Japan has 6,852 islands surrounding its mainland. That number was determined in 1987 by the country’s coast guard, using paper maps to tally any land masses with a circumference over 100 meters. And though islands are frequently in flux, particularly in an area with significant volcanic activity, it turns out that the long-used figure is way off. The Geospatial Information Authority of Japan upgraded from the paper method and recently conducted a digital mapping survey, finding that there are actually a total of 14,125 islands — 7,273 more than the previous recording. The government is expected to announce the news in March, Kyodo News reports, but it is unlikely to alter the size of Japan’s territory or territorial waters. It will mainly affect educational materials and other official documents, per the outlet. The recount came at the urging of lawmakers, one of whom said in a 2021 parliamentary session that “an accurate understanding of the number of islands is an important administrative matter that is related to the national interest.” https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2023/02/ec990ad3ceae-recount-with-digital-map-leads-to-doubling-of-listed-japanese-islands.html