Digital mapping has made it possible to discover more than 7,000 new islands that were not counted by the State.
Mapping an area of more than 370,000 square kilometers is not easy, especially when it comes to counting a large number of islands scattered in a region with strong seismic and volcanic activity.
In Japan, islands form and others disappear over time. According to official figures, the country is made up of around 6,000 islands. A figure that would be well below reality for geographers, reports The Guardian.
The old cartography made on paper
Thanks to digital mapping processes, the latter estimated that the number of Japanese islands would in fact be more than twice as high. The Japan Geospatial Information Authority has identified a total of 14,125 islands, 7,273 more than the state’s initial figures.
This is the first such study in more than 30 years, launched in the face of criticism over the obsolescence of previous data. The 1987 survey was carried out by the Coast Guard using paper charts.
An MP had thus called for a recount, telling parliament in 2021 that “an accurate understanding of the number of islands was in the national interest”, reports The Guardian.
No change in territory size
Islands are defined as areas of land with a circumference of at least 100 meters. In recent mapping, the islands were counted using digitized maps crossed with aerial photographers. In particular, artificial islands created by man have been excluded.
According to the Kyodo news agency, the government body, which is due to publish its findings in the coming weeks, said the new information was not likely to change the size of Japan’s territory or territorial waters.
