Japan Protests New UN Equal Earth Map Over Kuril Islands

Japan demanded changes to the UN's newly adopted Equal Earth map, saying the disputed Kuril islands appear to belong to Russia.

Japan was among the 164 UN members who voted to adopt the new Equal Earth cartographic projection, but has now asked for its revision. The protest, detailed by The Guardian, centres on the map showing the disputed Kuril islands — known in Japan as the Northern Territories — in the same colour as Russia. Japanese government spokesperson Minoru Kihara said the map "contained a depiction contradicting the Japanese government's position" and confirmed Japan lodged a protest with the map site's operator through its diplomatic channel to demand correction.

The surprise is that Japan supported the resolution before objecting to its result, despite having been one of the resolution's backers. The new map enlarges the African continent while shrinking Europe and North America, and the UN says it offers "a more accurate representation" of continental landmasses than traditional Mercator projections. According to The Guardian, the US condemned the vote, and Ukraine abstained because the map showed occupied Crimea in a different colour from the rest of the country, which its UN representatives warned opens a "Pandora's box" violating the UN charter and international law.

The Soviet Union seized the disputed islands in 1945 and expelled their Japanese population, and Tokyo still claims them as its own. Tensions escalated sharply last month, when The Guardian reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin made a surprise visit to the islands for the first time. Japan summoned Moscow's ambassador, and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the visit "offends the sentiments of the Japanese people" and was "absolutely unacceptable", insisting the islands are "an inherent part of Japan's territory, both historically and under international law".

Kihara declined to say when the issue came to the government's attention, but said Japan "needs to prevent misconceptions of our territories and geographical names from spreading", per The News International. The episode shows how cartographic choices at the UN have become entangled with territorial disputes: Ukraine's warning over Crimea and Japan's protest over the Kurils both argue that colouring occupied or contested land as the occupying power's territory can normalise those claims. Whether the map's operator makes any correction remains unresolved, and Japan's formal protest puts the issue squarely on the diplomatic agenda.