Japan has discovered that it has more than 7,000 islands than it first thought. In an island count, not 6,852, but 14,125 islands were counted.
The last time the islands were counted was in 1987 by the Coast Guard. So Japan decided to recount the islands using digital maps. As a result, they show more details than before.
As a result, this time, the country had more than double as many islands as before.
There is no international guideline for counting islands. Japan counted all natural pieces of land with a circumference of at least one hundred meters. In 1987 this directive was also used.
The islands that are also claimed by Russia, China and South Korea, among others, are not included in the count.