In 2023, Japan has discovered 7,000 new islands.
Japan's island number could more than double after a recount found 7,000 unknown islands
The discovery is expected to raise the nation’s number of islands, which is based on a 1987 Japan Coast Guard study, from 6,852 islands to 14,125, Kyodo News reported.
The final figure could change as the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan finalizes a report expected to be released next month.
It so happened that a digital mapping was recently conducted by Japan’s Geospatial Information Authority (GSI), which revealed that Japan now has 14,125 islands, doubling the figure of 6,852 that had been officially known since 1987, following a report by the Japan Coast Guard.
So much for "we know what the world looks like".
Japan is referring to a 35-year-old census by the Japanese Coast Guard, which was still being referred to until the beginning of 2023.
Shouldn't geographical structures in 2023 be able to be easily recorded by presumed satellites?
However, the GSI this week stressed that the new figure reflected advances in surveying technology and the detail of the maps used for the count – it did not change the overall area of land in Japan’s possession.
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/03/02/asia/japan-islands-double-report-intl-hnk/index.html
You can see everything from above, can't you?