Japan Updates Total Count of Islands Within Territory From Nearly 7,000 to Over 14,000

Japan did a recount of its islands and found that there are 7,000 more than previously known, bringing the total number of islands within its territory to over 14,000.

In a recent report from the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI), it was found that through the use of digital mapping technology, the Japanese territory has a current total of 14,125 islands. This figure is more than twice the previous official count of 6,852, which has been in use since the Coast Guard of Japan reported in 1987.

GSI pointed out that the new tally, which was possible with the use of advanced technology along with detailed maps used, did not change the overall area of the Japanese territory.

Although the international agreement on methods to count islands in a territory is yet to be defined, GSI asserts that it has utilized the same criterion for size as the survey previously done 35 years ago.

Islands of Japan

The "new" islands added to the count all satisfied the requirements of being counted as islands, specifically, being naturally occurring land areas and should have a circumference of a minimum of 330 feet. No artificially reclaimed islands were added to the new tally.

Over the years, the islands surrounding Japan became hot topics when it comes to territorial disputes.

By the end of World War II, the Soviet troops seized the southern Kuril islands from Japan. To this day, Japan is laying claim to the said islands, which Tokyo recognizes as the Northern Territories.

Meanwhile, although Japan is the administrator of the Senkaku Islands, a set of islands that are uninhabited in the East China Sea, China repeatedly challenges Japan's historical claims.

In another dispute that has been going on for more than 70 years now, a group of islets known as Tekeshima by Tokyo located in the Sea of Japan is recognized by South Korea's Seoul as Dokdo, which the latter country calls the East Sea, CNN reports.

Islands of the World

WorldData.info defines "island" as a land mass that is permanently above sea level, which could either be in an inland waterway or the open sea. An island is surrounded by water but is not a continent. This makes Greenland the largest island in the world.

Island countries, on the other hand, sometimes referred to as island states or island nations are defined by Nations Online as sovereign countries with a territory that consists of at least one island or part of islands.

On their website, Nations Online listed the world's island countries and included data on their size and population.

According to the list, Japan is the largest island country located in East Asia with an area of 377,915 square kilometers. Worldwide, the country is second to Indonesia, which has an area of 1,904,569 square kilometers.

Japan has four main islands, namely Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. The previous count for the smaller islands and islets in Japan is 6,848.