List of extreme points of Japan

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Extreme points of Japan marked on the map

The extreme points of Japan include the coordinates that are farthest north, south, east and west in Japan, and the ones that are at the highest and the lowest elevations in the country. Japan's northernmost point is disputed, because Japan considers it to be on Iturup, an island de facto governed by Russia. The southernmost point is Okinotorishima; the westernmost is Cape Irizaki in Okinawa Prefecture, and the easternmost is Minami Torishima. The highest point in Japan is the summit of Mount Fuji at 3,776.24 m (12,389 ft). At 150 m (492 ft) below sea level, the bottom of Hachinohe mine is the country's lowest point. The surface of Hachirōgata is Japan's lowest natural point at 4 m (13 ft) below sea level. With the exception of Cape Irizaki, the westernmost location of Japan, all other extreme locations are uninhabited.

Japan extends from 20° to 45° north latitude (Okinotorishima to Benten-jima) and from 122° to 153° east longitude (Yonaguni to Minami Torishima).[1] The coordinates used in this article are sourced from Google Earth, which makes use of the World Geodetic System (WGS) 84.

Extreme points[]

A monument indicates the northernmost point of Japan at Cape Sōya on Hokkaido.
Cape Irizaki, Japan's westernmost point on Yonaguni Island
Japan's easternmost point lies on Minami Torishima in the Pacific Ocean.
Japan's southernmost point on Hateruma island.

The northernmost point that Japan claims lies on the disputed island of Iturup. Japan's claim to the three southernmost islands of the Kuril Islands is disputed by Russia, who de facto controls the islands. This list provides the northernmost point as claimed by Japan as well as the northernmost undisputed point in Japan.

Overall[]

Heading Location Prefecture Bordering entity Coordinates† Ref
North
(disputed) 		Cape Kamoiwakka Hokkaido‡ Sea of Okhotsk 45°33′26″N 148°45′09″E / 45.55722°N 148.75250°E / 45.55722; 148.75250 (Cape Kamoiwakka (Northernmost - disputed)) [2]
North
(undisputed) 		Benten-jima Hokkaidō La Pérouse Strait 45°31′38″N 141°55′06″E / 45.52722°N 141.91833°E / 45.52722; 141.91833 (Bentenjima (Northernmost - undisputed)) [3]
South Okinotorishima Tokyo Philippine Sea 20°25′31″N 136°04′11″E / 20.42528°N 136.06972°E / 20.42528; 136.06972 (Okinotorishima (Southernmost))
East Minami Torishima Tokyo Pacific Ocean 24°16′59″N 153°59′11″E / 24.28306°N 153.98639°E / 24.28306; 153.98639 (Minami Torishima (Easternmost))
West Yonaguni Okinawa East China Sea 24°26′58″N 122°56′01″E / 24.44944°N 122.93361°E / 24.44944; 122.93361 ((Westernmost)) Monument of Japan the Westernmost

Five main islands[]

The five main islands of Japan are Honshū, Hokkaidō, Shikoku, Kyūshū and Okinawa.[4] All of these points are accessible to the public.

Heading Location Prefecture Bordering entity Coordinates† Ref
North Cape Sōya Hokkaidō La Pérouse Strait 45°31′22″N 141°56′11″E / 45.52278°N 141.93639°E / 45.52278; 141.93639 (Cape Sōya)
South Cape Takanasaki Okinawa East China Sea 26°04′30″N 127°40′51″E / 26.07500°N 127.68083°E / 26.07500; 127.68083 (Cape Arasaki)
East Cape Nosappu Hokkaidō Pacific Ocean 43°23′06″N 145°49′03″E / 43.38500°N 145.81750°E / 43.38500; 145.81750 (Cape Nosappu)
West Cape Irizaki Okinawa East China Sea 26°11′55″N 127°38′11″E / 26.19861°N 127.63639°E / 26.19861; 127.63639 (Cape Oominezaki)

Hokkaidō[]

Heading Location Prefecture Bordering entity Coordinates† Ref
North Cape Sōya Hokkaidō La Pérouse Strait 45°31′22″N 141°56′11″E / 45.52278°N 141.93639°E / 45.52278; 141.93639 (Cape Sōya)
South Cape Shirakami Hokkaidō Tsugaru Strait 41°23′51″N 140°11′51″E / 41.39750°N 140.19750°E / 41.39750; 140.19750 (Cape Shirakami)
East Cape Nosappu Hokkaidō Pacific Ocean 43°23′06″N 145°49′03″E / 43.38500°N 145.81750°E / 43.38500; 145.81750 (Cape Nosappu)
West Hokkaidō Sea of Japan 42°18′11″N 139°46′01″E / 42.30306°N 139.76694°E / 42.30306; 139.76694 (Cape Obana)

Honshū[]

Northernmost point
Southernmost point
Westernmost point
Easternmost point

Shikoku[]

Heading Location Prefecture Bordering entity Coordinates† Ref
North Cape Takei Kagawa Bungo Channel 34°24′01″N 134°08′12″E / 34.40028°N 134.13667°E / 34.40028; 134.13667 (Cape Takei)
South Cape Ashizuri Kōchi Philippine Sea 32°43′19″N 133°00′19″E / 32.72194°N 133.00528°E / 32.72194; 133.00528 (Cape Ashizuri)
East Cape Gamōda Tokushima Kii Channel 33°50′03″N 134°45′00″E / 33.83417°N 134.75000°E / 33.83417; 134.75000 (Cape Gamōda)
West Cape Sada Ehime Hōyo Strait 33°20′38″N 132°00′45″E / 33.34389°N 132.01250°E / 33.34389; 132.01250 (Cape Sada)

Kyūshū[]

Northernmost point
Southernmost point
Westernmost point
Easternmost point

Okinawa[]

Northernmost
Southernmost
Easternmost
Westernmost

Extreme altitudes[]

The summit of Mount Fuji is the highest point in Japan.
Hachirogata is the lowest natural point in Japan
Extremity Name Altitude Prefecture Coordinates† Ref
Highest Mount Fuji 3,776 m (12,388 ft) Yamanashi 35°21′29″N 138°43′52″E / 35.35806°N 138.73111°E / 35.35806; 138.73111 (Mount Fuji (Highest)) [5]
Lowest
(man-made) 		Hachinohe mine −170 m (−558 ft) Aomori 40°27′10″N 141°32′16″E / 40.45278°N 141.53778°E / 40.45278; 141.53778 (Hachinohe mine (Lowest - man-made)) [6]
Lowest
(natural) 		Hachirōgata −4 m (−13 ft) Akita 39°54′50″N 140°01′15″E / 39.91389°N 140.02083°E / 39.91389; 140.02083 (Hachirōgata (Lowest - natural)) [5]


See also[]

Notes[]

^† Coordinates obtained from Google Earth. Google Earth makes use of the WGS84 geodetic reference system.
^‡ Although Japan claims this island as part of Hokkaido, this territory is disputed and Iturup is currently under Russian administration.

References[]

  1. ^ "GeoHack - Geography of Japan". GeoHack. Retrieved October 14, 2018.
  2. ^ "Google Maps (Cape Kamoiwakka)". Google. Retrieved 2009-07-29.
  3. ^ "Google Maps (Bentenjima)". Google. Retrieved 2009-07-29.
  4. ^ "離島とは(島の基礎知識) (what is a remote island?)". MLIT (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism) (in Japanese). Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. 22 August 2015. Archived from the original (website) on 2007-11-13. Retrieved 9 August 2019. MILT classification 6,852 islands(main islands: 5 islands, remote islands: 6,847 islands)
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b "Japan: Geography". The World Factbook. CIA. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
  6. ^ 施設見学ガイド　八戸鉱山株式会社　八戸石灰鉱山(八戸キャニオン). The Information Center for Energy and Environment Education (in Japanese). Retrieved 2016-04-06.
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