Africa’s UN map victory sparks fresh dispute as Japan raises alarm over territorial distortions

Japan has entered a fresh dispute over the world map adopted by the United Nations after objecting to how the disputed Kuril Islands are depicted as Russian territory.

• Japan has objected to the UN's new world map, which depicts the disputed Kuril Islands as Russian territory.
• The objection follows the UN’s adoption of the Equal Earth projection, designed to portray continents more accurately than the Mercator projection.
• Japan supported the new map's resolution but protested that the depiction of the Kuril Islands contradicts its territorial claims.
• The four southernmost Kuril Islands, controlled by Russia since WWII, are claimed by Japan as the Northern Territories.

The development comes days after African countries secured a major diplomatic victory at the UN with the adoption of the Equal Earth cartographic projection, which provides a more accurate representation of the relative size of the world’s continents than traditional Mercator maps.

Japan supported the UN resolution behind the new projection, but has now protested against a depiction it says conflicts with Tokyo’s position on the disputed islands.

Japanese government spokesperson Minoru Kihara said on Thursday that the new map “contained a depiction contradicting the Japanese government’s position”, according to The Guardian.

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Kihara said Japan had lodged a protest with the operator of the map site through its diplomatic channel and demanded that the depiction be corrected. He added that Tokyo needed to prevent “misconceptions of our territories and geographical names” from spreading.

Japan demands correction over disputed islands

The four southernmost Kuril Islands, which Japan calls the Northern Territories, have been controlled by Russia since Soviet forces seized them at the end of World War II. Japan continues to claim sovereignty over the islands.

The dispute has become more sensitive following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s surprise visit to the islands last month, his first to the disputed territory.

Japan summoned Russia’s ambassador after the visit, with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi describing it as “absolutely unacceptable” and saying the islands were “an inherent part of Japan’s territory, both historically and under international law”, The Guardian reported.

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Moscow rejected Tokyo’s position, saying it “categorically” rejected the Japanese statements, which it described as politically inappropriate, insulting and legally unfounded.

The Equal Earth map was developed to address distortions in traditional world maps, particularly the way projections such as Mercator make countries and continents at higher latitudes appear larger than they are.

The UN says the new projection aims to provide “a more accurate representation” of continental landmasses. The September 4 resolution encouraging its wider use was backed by 164 countries, with only the United States voting against.