Aloha Everyone,
Thanks to advanced technology, Japan has more than double their number of islands. From an original count of 6,852 to 13,853 islands is astonishing!During the previous study done in 1987, thousands of islands were left out because they were within lakes or rivers. Using the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, river sandbanks are now recognized as islands. Though in conclusion, Kyodo News reporting stated that this dramatic increase is unlikely to change the size of Japan’s territory or its waters (which could impact fishing rights in the international waters.)
https://www.npr.org/2023/02/17
Aloha -- Cathi