Japan is an archipelago of 6,852 islands, of which approximately 260 are inhabited. Japan is the largest island country in East Asia and the fourth largest in the world. While Japan's current count is 6,852, as many as 7,000 additional islands have been discovered that were previously unknown. The previous count dates back to a 1987 study by the Japan Coast Guard, and during a parliamentary session in December 2021, a legislator argued that the information was outdated and that the actual number of islands could differ significantly. Main islands The four main islands of Japan are: Hokkaido - the northernmost and second largest main island. Honshu - the largest and most populous island with the capital Tokyo. Kyushu - the third largest main island and nearest to the Asian continent. Shikoku - the smallest main island, it is between Honshu and Kyushu. Hokkaido prefecture Ōshima Okushiri Island Teuri Island Rebun Island Rishiri Island Yagishiri Island Kamome island Islands of Honshu in the Sea of Japan Awashima Island, Niigata Kanmurijima Kutsujima, Kyoto Mitsukejima Nanatsujima archipelago Notojima Oki Islands (Oki Islands) Dōgo Nakanoshima Nishinoshima Chiburijima Sado Takashima, Shimane Tobishima (Yamagata) Tsunoshima Umashima, Shimane Islands in Tokyo Bay Dream Island (Yume No Shima) Odaiba Sarushima (natural) Tokyo International Airport Wakasu Islands in Osaka Bay Maishima Yumeshima Kansai International Airport Kobe Airport Port Island Rokkō Island Wakayama Marina City Islands in Ise Bay Chūbu Centrair International Airport (artificial island) Kami-shima Kashiko Island Kozukumi Island Mikimoto Pearl Island Islands in Mutsu Bay Ōshima Taijima Nanpō Islands (Nanpō Shotō) Izu Islands Aogashima Hachijō Izu Ōshima Kōzu Miyake-jima Mikura-jima Nii-jima Shikine Toshima Tori-shima Udonejima Ogasawara Islands (Bonin Islands) Mukojima Rettō Chichijima Hahajima Mukojima Kazan Rettō (Volcano Islands) Nishinoshima Kita Iwo Jima (North Iwo Jima) Iwo Jima Minami Iwo Jima (South Iwo Jima) Other Japanese islands Minami Torishima (Marcus Island) Enoshima Okino Torishima (Parece Vela) Islands around Kyushu Most of these are located in the East China Sea. Amakusa Shimoshima Island, Amakusa Kamishima Island, Amakusa Nagashima Island, Kagoshima Aoshima Gotō Islands Danjo Islands Hashima Hirado Iki Koshikijima Islands Shimokoshiki-jima Kamikoshiki-jima Tsushima Ukushima Islands around Shikoku Kuro-shima (Ehime) Nii Ōshima Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shotō) Satsunan Islands The northern half is administratively part of Kagoshima Prefecture and Kyushu. Ōsumi Islands The North-Eastern Group: Tanegashima Yakushima Kuchinoerabujima Mageshima The North-Western Group: Iōjima Shōwa Iōjima Kuroshima Takeshima Tokara Islands The Shichi-tō: Kuchinoshima Nakanoshima (Kagoshima) Gajajima Suwanosejima Akusekijima Tairajima Kodakarajima Takarajima Amami Islands