Where is Japan?

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• Japan is located in Asia.

• As a country in Asia, Japan is positioned in the Pacific Ocean, making Japan an island country. Just east of the continent of Asia, Japan is made up of 6,852 islands in total.

• The latitude of Japan is 36.2048° N, and the country’s longitude is 138.2529° E. Japan’s GPS coordinates express the fact that Japan is located in both the northern and the eastern hemispheres. As part of the northern hemisphere, Japan is located above the equatorial plane.

• In the north, Japan reaches a latitude of 45°31' N. Located on the island of Hokkaido, this particular point is found on Cape Sōya. To the south, in the opposite cardinal direction, there are three southernmost points of Japan. The variety of southernmost points is attributed to the fact that Japan is a large island and it is difficult to define an exact location of extremity.

• One of the three southern points is positioned at a latitude of 30°59' N. This point is part of Cape Sata, which is part of Osumi, a peninsula of Japan’s Kyushu Island. Another southernmost point of Japan is situated at the latitudinal coordinate of 24°44' N. The island of Ishigaki lies in this particular position on a map. As part of the Yaeyama Islands, Ishigaki Island can be found in the Okinawa Prefecture of Japan. Interestingly enough, the entire island is located in just one city, called Ishigaki. The third and final very southern point of Japan is on the island of Okinotorishima. With a latitude of 20°25' W, this point is referred to an island, just for the sake of ease but it is a coral reef.

• Japan’s easternmost point depends on whether you’re looking at the main island alone, or the offshore, smaller parts of Japan as well. In terms of the larger islands of Japan, the easternmost point is Hokkaido Island. Japan’s made up of four main islands and Hokkaido happens to be the second largest. The longitudinal coordinate of Hokkaido’s most eastern point is 145°49' E. Minami-Tori-Shima is home to the easternmost point of Japan’s smaller islands. With a longitude of 153°59'11” E, this coordinate points to a coral atoll located in the Pacific Ocean. Minami-Tori-Shima is part of the Ogasawara Island archipelago.

• Japan’s westernmost point is just like its easternmost points. Of the main islands, the furthest point to the west is situated on the island of Kyushu. With a longitudinal coordinate of 129°43' E, Japan’s most western point of the main islands is part of the Kozakihana Cape in the country’s Nagasaki Prefecture. With smaller islands in mind, the westernmost point of Japan is on the island of Yonaguni. Located on the cape of Irizaki, this point has a longitude of 122°56'01” E.