The four major islands (Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku) are separated by narrow straits of the Seto Inland Sea and form a natural entity. It is unusual for a year to go by without three or four earthquakes measuring 6.0 or more. The elevated seabed from the Shikoku basin and the maritime area to the south of Okinotorishima, the southernmost island of Japan--about 1,700 kilometers from Tokyo--is a remnant of the island arc that was active in the past. [11] Japan ranks 4th with its exclusive economic zone ocean water volume from 0 to 2,000 m (6,600 ft) depth. [49] The sense of motion is consistent with the direction of the Nankai Trough's oblique convergence. Japan’s secondhighest peak is Kitadake in Yamanashi Prefecture, at 3,192 meters, and its thirdhighest peak is Hotakadake at 3,190 meters, on the border between Nagano and Gifu Prefectures. The Pacific Plate moves under the Okhotsk Plate to the north. For more than 20 years we organize trips to Japan. As a reason for excluding the remote islands around Senkaku, Fujimura said: "Only remote islets around unowned islands have been placed under state ownership. This time, the designated remote islands include those under the jurisdiction of the village of Ogasawara, Tokyo; Ishigaki, Okinawa Prefecture; and Tsushima, Nagasaki Prefecture. [142] In Edo, the volcanic ash was several centimeters thick. [134] It has the 15th highest natural disaster risk as measured in the 2013 World Risk Index.[135]. Geography of Japan ; Information was not check the site moderator! They are recommended for ministerial designation and managed by the prefectures under the supervision of the Ministry of the Environment.[97]. This makes it difficult to distinguish the motion on the MTL from interseismic elastic straining in GPS data.[50]. Japan has 108 active volcanoes. [25] Nearly one fourth of Japan's arable land and 22% of Japan's forests are in Hokkaido.[26]. Thus historically Kyushu was the gateway between Asia and Japan. Geologically, Japan is one of the youngest inhabited areas on earth. They are scattered throughout Southeast Asia, the Pacific Rim and the Caribbean Sea. There are four main islands – Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu. During the 20th century several new volcanoes emerged, including Shōwa-shinzan on Hokkaido and Myōjin-shō off the Bayonnaise Rocks in the Pacific. Kikai Caldera was the source of the, All Geography of Japan information taken from the, This page was last edited on 7 October 2020, at 03:57. There are large quantities of marine life and mineral resources in the ocean and seabed of Japan. The Taiheiyō Belt is a megalopolis that includes the Greater Tokyo Area and Keihanshin megapoles. [107] Japan is an urban society with about only 5% of the labor force working in agriculture. Whether you’re planning your first trip to Japan, or you just want to see all the major sights and cities, it doesn’t get more economically-friendly, or convenient than the JRP. We do guarantee free delivery worldwide. Land was reclaimed from the sea and from river deltas by building dikes and drainage and rice paddies on terraces carved into mountainsides. [108] Honshu is roughly 1,300 km (810 mi) long and ranges from 50 to 230 km (31 to 143 mi) wide, and the total area is 225,800 km2 (87,200 sq mi). [Source: Yomiuri Shimbun, July 10, 2012], “Island arcs are vulnerable to tsunami because their land extends over a small area at relatively low altitudes. Honshū (本州) is the largest island of Japan and the 2nd most populous island in the world. The Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry is exploring over 40 locations for potential geothermal energy plants. Magma has produced a leading geothermal area blessed with undersea deposits of precious metals and rare earths raised from deep within the seabed.