Japan demands correction of disputed islands on map promoted by UN resolution

Japan has asked for a correction to an Equal Earth world map associated with a newly adopted United Nations resolution, arguing that its treatment of the Russian-held Kuril Islands contradicts Tokyo’s territorial position. Government spokesperson Minoru Kihara disclosed the diplomatic protest on September 10, according to the Guardian, after the map showed the disputed islands in the same colour as Russia.

Support for scale reform meets a sovereignty dispute

The objection exposes a distinction between the resolution’s cartographic goal and the political boundaries displayed by a third-party map. Japan was among 164 UN members that voted for the African-led resolution on September 4. The initiative encourages governments, schools, international organisations and technology companies to consider equal-area projections, which avoid the severe distortion of continental size produced by the familiar Mercator projection.

Tokyo supports that broader objective. Its complaint concerns the depiction of four islands northeast of Hokkaido, known in Japan as the Northern Territories and administered by Russia as part of the Kuril chain. Kihara said Japan contacted the map site’s operator through diplomatic channels and demanded a correction to prevent the spread of what the government considers a misconception about its territory.

The UN’s official account makes clear that the General Assembly did not settle territorial questions or mandate a single political map. Resolution A/80/L.104 promotes more proportionate representation of continental landmasses. The official meeting record also shows that the European Union and several national delegations explicitly stated that the measure does not alter sovereignty, borders, jurisdiction or the legal status of disputed territory.

A wider warning was already on the record

Japan’s protest was not the first sovereignty concern raised during adoption. Ukraine withheld support because an associated Equal Earth map depicted Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory in a way Kyiv considered inconsistent with UN resolutions and international law. Other delegations that voted in favour stressed that endorsing equal-area cartography did not amount to endorsing every boundary shown on the Equal Earth website.

The islands have been controlled by Moscow since Soviet forces seized them in 1945, and the unresolved dispute has prevented Japan and Russia from concluding a postwar peace treaty. The issue became more sensitive after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the islands in August. Tokyo summoned Russia’s ambassador at the time, while Moscow rejected Japan’s claim.

What comes next

The immediate question is whether the independent map operator changes the islands’ colour or adds clearer disputed-territory notation. More broadly, UN bodies and schools adopting equal-area projections will need to separate the mathematical choice of projection from authoritative boundary data. Japan’s protest demonstrates that a reform designed to correct one form of geographic distortion can still trigger diplomatic conflict when political borders are presented without sufficiently explicit caveats.