Japan protests UN map over Kuril Islands depiction

Japan has requested a revision of a new world map adopted by the UN, citing a depiction of the disputed Kuril Islands as Russian territory. The UN General Assembly voted on Friday to adopt the Equal Earth cartographic projection, which aims for a more accurate representation of continental landmasses than traditional Mercator projections. The map also drew criticism from the US for making the African continent larger while shrinking North America and Europe.

Japan, which supported the resolution along with 164 other UN members, stated that the map contained a depiction contradicting its government's position on the islands, known in Japan as the Northern Territories. Japanese government spokesperson Minoru Kihara announced on Thursday that a protest had been lodged with the map site's operator through diplomatic channels to demand a correction. Kihara emphasized the need to prevent misconceptions about Japanese territories and geographical names from spreading.

The disputed islands were seized by the former Soviet Union in 1945. Relations between Japan and Russia recently soured after Russian President Vladimir Putin made his first visit to the islands last month, an action Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called "absolutely unacceptable" and "offensive to the sentiments of the Japanese people."

Separately, US President Donald Trump had previously posted a map on Truth Social depicting North America, including Greenland and Iceland, as US territory, which drew criticism from Denmark, Iceland, and France.