Japan Discovers 7,000 New Unknown Islands After Fresh Survey Since 1987

A fresh survey of Japan's territorial waters has led to the discovery of 7,000 new unknown islands in the country. After the Japanese government's first official survey of its territorial waters since 1987, the official number of Japan's islands is expected to double from 6,852 to 14,125, with the addition of 7,272 new islands, according to a report by Fox News. 

The nation currently comprises 6,852 islands, but that figure dates back to a 1987 study conducted by the Japan Coast Guard. However, a lawmaker argued in 2021 that the data was old and the true figure could be vastly different.

"An accurate understanding of the number of islands is an important administrative matter that is related to the national interest," the legislator said, according to Kyodo News.

The new survey which was conducted by the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan will not increase the nation's territory. However, it would give officials a more accurate picture of Japan's territory, as per New York Post.

Back in 1987, paper maps were used to tally islands resulting in the previously accepted figure of 6,852. They also left out thousands of islands, many of which were within lakes or rivers. In addition, volcanic activity has led to the creation of more islands since the study over 35 years ago.

However, in the latest study, geographers used the same size criterion, but counted islands using digitised maps and cross-referenced the information with past aerial photographs and other data to exclude artificially reclaimed land.

The Japanese government will soon produce more accurate figures of their terrain with the help of a computer based on GSI's electronic land map. The final figure is expected to change slightly because geographers are still making final adjustments.