The number of islands in Japan is expected to increase by 7,273 after a new government recount.
Geographers have said current official statistics of 6,852 islands are off the mark.
With the recent geographical study of the archipelago, the figure is expected to rise to 14,125 islands, which is more than double the current figure, a source familiar with the matter told Kyodo News.
The previous estimate dates back to a 1987 study conducted by the Japan Coast Guard and only included islands with a circumference of at least 100 meters, or 328 feet.
The 1987 count relied on human beings pouring over paper maps and groups of small islands were often misidentified as one island….