Japan Just Discovered More Than 7,000 Islands It Didn't Know Existed

A recent survey found that Japan has more than double the number of islands than the country previously accounted for.

May 4, 2025 · 1 min · 56 words · Laurie Stewart DVM

The Japanese archipelago actually has 14,125 islands but this doesn’t mean the size of the country has changed.

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However, this doesn’t mean Japan’s territory size has changed.

According to Tokyo-based news agencyKyodo News,there are a few explanations for this surprising revelation.

View of many island and sea. Kujuku island (99 islands) in Sasebo, Nagasaki, Japan.

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Lastly, the definition of what an island actually is has changed.