Esanbehanakitakojima islet goes missing in Japan

Esanbehanakitakojima islet goes missing in Japan

PanARMENIAN.Net - On a bad day you might lose your wallet or keys, but it's a lot harder to lose an entire islet.

However the Japan Coast Guard is currently planning a search mission after an uninhabited islet called Esanbehanakitakojima seemingly disappeared off the northern coast of the country, CNN reports.

The small outcrop was previously found some 500 meters off a village called Sarufutsu on the northern tip of Hokkaido island, Japanese daily Asahi Shimbun reports.

Its absence was noticed by author Hiroshi Shimizu, who produced a picture book on hidden islands and had traveled to the area in search of inspiration.

Puzzled, Shimizu asked local fishermen what had happened. An elderly local confirmed that there used to be an island in the vicinity, according to Asahi Shimbun, but it can no longer be seen from land or from nearby boats.

However, other fishermen said that Esanbehanakitakojima shows up as an islet on navigation systems.

Authorities are concerned about its whereabouts as the islet is used to mark Japanese territorial waters in the Northern Territories, an area that is also claimed by Russia. Known to Russians as the Kurils, the islands were taken over by Soviet forces shortly after the end of the World War II.

"There is a possibility that the islet has been eroded by wind and snow and, as a result, disappeared," Tomoo Fujii, a senior coast guard official, told Asahi Shimbun.

If Esanbehanakitakojima has sunk beneath the waves, Japan will lose 500 meters of territorial waters.

According to international law, nations can only claim waters around islands that are visible above the sea surface at high tide.

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