The number of listed Japanese islands is expected to grow from 6,852 to 14,152 after the islands were counted for the first time in 35 years with the help of digital mapping, as reported by Kyodo News.
Lying along the western ridge of the Ring of Fire, Japan is frequently the subject of volcanic eruptions and sees the frequent appearance and disappearance of islands. The nation currently lists a total of 6,852 islands, a figure dating back to a study conducted by the Japanese Coast Guard in 1987. During a December 2021 parliamentary session, the number came under scrutiny for being outdated.
“An accurate understanding of the number of islands is an important administrative matter that is related to the national interest,” a Japanese politician is quoted as saying by the Kyodo News.
According to NPR, the 1987 study was conducted by the Coast Guards by hand, using rudimentary measuring tools that often listed groups of small islands as one island. Islands situated within lakes and rivers were left out. River sandbanks were also uncounted, which are now considered islands by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. All of these factors, plus new islands created by volcanic activity, add up to an inaccurate and outdated count of Japanese islands.
The latest survey was conducted by the government using a computer based on the electronic land map derived by the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan. The map was then cross-referenced with aerial photographs of the land and other previously gathered data. No land mass with a circumference of less than 100 meters was included on the official list.
The updated tally of islands is expected to be presented as part of a new report by Japan’s Geospatial Information Authority in March. The figure may change ever so slightly as geographers are making final tweaks and adjustments.
The increase in islands will not affect the size of Japan’s territory and territorial waters, per Kyodo News.