New mapping of Japan’s landmass has uncovered the country’s 7,000 previously unknown islands. As the Japanese government completes its first official survey of its territorial waters since 1987, the official number of Japan’s islands is anticipated to quadruple, from 6,852 to 14,125, with the inclusion of 7,272 additional islands, as reported by local news.
Japan’s total landmass will not grow according to the results of a recent assessment by the country’s Geospatial Information Authority. The New York Post instead claims that it would provide authorities with a more precise map of Japan.
According to local news, a member of Japan’s governing Liberal Democratic Party was the impetus for this. A member of the party in December 2021 said that the country’s Parliament needed a more precise count of the islands since the available information was outdated. They deemed it a “important administrative issue relating to the national interest.”
Lifestyle Asia reports that the study found more than 100,000 islands. But only those with a diameter of 100 metres or more were counted.
This will allow the Japanese government to more precisely map the nation. All textbooks, government publications, and other reference materials will need to be revised to reflect the most recent estimates of the number of islands. Current projections put Japan’s population at about 124,840,000 and put the country’s total area at roughly 146,000 square miles.
Because of Japan’s frequent volcanic activity and severe weather, the finding of new islands is not all that unexpected. Geographers have previously recorded the birth of new islands and the loss of others.
Local media in Japan have reported that the number of islands officially recognised by the nation would increase by 7 thousand. In 1987, the Japan Coast Guard disclosed this information, prompting the Japanese government to perform its first official territorial retally in almost a century. The official total, which is projected to grow from 6,852 to 14,125, will be announced in March. Japan’s landmass and exclusive economic zone will remain unchanged. The Japanese government’s geospatial data authority, GSI, is very close to issuing the final report on the matter.
A more in-depth familiarity with the nation’s landmasses may be attributed to improved cartographic accuracy and technical development. All textbooks and official reports will be revised to reflect the new data.The computer identified more than a hundred thousand islands, but only those with diameters of 100 metres or more were considered.
By definition, an island is “a naturally created region of land, surrounded by water, that is above water at high tide,” as stated by the United Nations. This factored in while deciding how many islands to include.Media sources indicate that there were an estimated 1,479 islands in Nagasaki prefecture and 1,256 islands in Kagoshima prefecture. There were 1,473 islands that made up Hokkaido, a region in northern Japan.
