Japan demands that the world map be corrected because it depicts the disputed Kuril Islands as Russian territory. UNN reports this, citing FNN.
The map in question was created by American cartographer Tom Patterson. It uses the Equal Earth equal-area projection, which makes it possible to represent the relative areas of continents more accurately.
Details
The Japanese government stated that designating the four disputed islands as Russian territory contradicts Tokyo’s official position. Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said that a request for corrections had been sent through diplomatic channels.
According to FNN, Patterson agreed to modify the Japanese version of the map by marking the disputed islands in the same color as the rest of Japan’s territory. At the same time, he plans to leave the English-language version of the map unchanged, explaining that it is necessary to reflect Russia’s actual control over the islands.
What role does the UN play in the territorial dispute
On September 4, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on the broader use of equal-area map projections. A total of 164 states voted in favor of the document; the United States voted against it, while six other countries, including Ukraine, abstained.
It is important to understand that the resolution does not establish new internationally recognized borders, determine sovereignty over disputed territories, or make the Equal Earth map the sole official map of the world. The issue arose against the backdrop of a long-standing territorial dispute between Japan and Russia over Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan, and the Habomai island group. Tokyo considers these territories its Northern Territories, while Russia has controlled them since 1945 and regards them as part of the Kuril Islands.
What preceded this
The map issue gained additional relevance after Vladimir Putin’s visit to Iturup in August 2026. Japan then protested the Russian president’s trip to territory that Tokyo considers its own.
Ukraine has also voiced concerns about political designations on maps. Kyiv emphasized that cartographic materials should not create the impression of legitimizing Russia’s claims to temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories.
At the same time, the Equal Earth projection itself does not determine the state affiliation of territories. It is merely a cartographic method of depicting the Earth that preserves the relative areas of countries and continents more accurately than the Mercator projection.
What you need to know about the territorial dispute between Japan and Russia
The territorial dispute between Japan and Russia over four islands in the southern part of the Kuril Archipelago has continued for decades. They are Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan, and the Habomai Islands, which Tokyo calls the "Northern Territories" and considers an integral part of Japan. Russia has exercised de facto control over these territories since the end of World War II.
After Japan’s surrender in 1945, the Soviet Union established control over the islands. Japan insists that they are not part of the Kuril Islands, which Tokyo renounced under the 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty. Because of the dispute, the two countries have still not concluded a peace treaty that would finally settle their relations following World War II.
Moscow, for its part, considers the issue of the islands’ territorial affiliation closed. Russia regularly conducts military exercises there and develops infrastructure, prompting protests from the Japanese side.
Reminder
In August 2026, Russia conducted missile exercises near the islands disputed with Japan. At the time, Russian Armed Forces launched missiles from a submarine, a cruiser, and a "Bastion" at targets more than 300 km away near the Southern Kurils.