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List of islands of Japan

Japan is an island country of 14,125 islands, of which approximately 260 are inhabited. Japan is the third-largest island country in the world, behind Indonesia and Madagascar. Japan is also the second-most-populous island country in the world, behind only Indonesia.

According to a survey conducted by the Japan Coast Guard in 1987, the number of islands in Japan was 6,852. At that time, the survey only counted islands with coastlines of 100 meters or more that were shown on paper maps. On February 28, 2023, the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan announced that the number of islands had been updated to 14,125 through a recount using digital maps. Since there is no international standard for counting islands, only islands with a coastline of 100 meters or more were counted, as in the past. According to the GSI, advances in surveying technology and the detailed representation of topographic features through digital mapping contributed to this announcement.

Japanese archipelago

Main islands

The four main islands of Japan are:

  • Hokkaido – the northernmost and second-largest main island, third most populous.
  • Honshu – the largest island, with the capital Tokyo and over 80% of the population. Honshu is connected to the other three main islands by bridges and tunnels.
  • Kyushu – the third-largest main island, second most populous and the nearest to the Asian mainland.
  • Shikoku – the smallest and least populous main island, located between Honshu and Kyushu.

Islands around Hokkaido

Islands of Honshu in the Sea of Japan

Islands in Tokyo Bay

Islands in Osaka Bay

Islands in Ise Bay

Islands in Mutsu Bay

Nanpō Islands (Nanpō Shotō)

Other Japanese islands

Islands around Kyushu

Most of these are located in the East China Sea.

Islands around Shikoku

Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shotō)

Satsunan Islands

The northern half is administratively part of Kagoshima Prefecture of the Kyushu Region.

Ōsumi Islands

The North-Eastern Group:

The North-Western Group:

Tokara Islands
Amami Islands

Ryukyu Islands (Ryūkyū-shotō)

The southern half is administratively part of Okinawa Prefecture.

Okinawa Islands

The Central Group or Ryukyu proper:

Sakishima Islands

Also known as the Further Isles:

Seto Inland Sea islands

Islands in lakes

Other artificial islands

Claims but does not control

The Northern Territories

There are four disputed Kuril Islands that are controlled by Russia and claimed by Japan. These islands are called the Chishima Islands.

Others

Former

Largest islands of Japan

These are the 50 largest islands of Japan. It excludes the disputed Kuril islands known as the northern territories.

See also

References