Japan asks the United Nations to revise a newly adopted world map after it says the map misrepresents the status of the disputed Kuril Islands by depicting them in the same color as Russia. Japan’s government says it has sought changes to address what it calls a misconception about the islands’ sovereignty.
The UN General Assembly votes to adopt the new map, which uses a “true-scale” projection that enlarges Africa and shrinks North America and Europe. The change draws criticism from the United States, according to reporting. While Japan is among the 164 UN member states that support the resolution, it later raises objections specifically tied to how the Kurils are shown. The issue centers on how cartographic choices on the UN map intersect with an ongoing territorial dispute between Japan and Russia.
