The disputed islands between Japan and South Korea have been in the news for a long time. The officials from Japan have instructed local authorities, as well as state-run universities not to feature Google maps on their websites, as some of them are using non-Japanese names for the islands in question.
The controversial territories include the islets in the sea of Japan, controlled by South Korea, which are known as Takeshima in Japan and in South Korea they are known as Dokdo, as well as Senkaku islands in the East China Sea, held by Japan, but claimed by China as Diaoyus.
The disputed islands also include the Russian-held islands which are located off Hokkaido – the northern main island of Japan – and are referred to as the Northern Territories by Japan. The Tokyo government issued notices earlier in 2013, which mentioned that ‘some registrations in the electronics maps on the home pages are incompatible with the Japan’s stance’.
Media reports went on to say that the government of Japan stated that the public institutions must use maps which are recommended by the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan. However, it is still unclear whether they have complied with the request, as for the time being, Google maps are far more convenient and popular among users.
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