Japan protests against UN map showing the Kuril Islands as Russian territory

Japan is unhappy with the new world map proposed at the UN instead of the Mercator projection. The reason was the designation of the Kuril Islands as Russian territory, said Japanese government spokesman Minoru Kihara, The Guardian writes.

The map shows the Kuril Islands as Russian territory, which they constitutionally are.

“We sent a protest to the operator of the mapping site through our diplomatic channels and demanded that the image be corrected,” Kihara said.

He believes that the new map projection of the Earth contains an image that contradicts the position of the Japanese government."

Earlier, the Japanese Foreign Ministry summoned Russian Ambassador Nikolai Nozdryov. The department expressed protest in connection with the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Kuril Islands, which Tokyo considers its “northern territories.” According to Takaichi, this "hurts the feelings of the Japanese people and is categorically unacceptable."