<Tr> <Th> Natural Hazards </Th> <Td> volcanoes, tsunamis, earthquakes and typhoons </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Environmental Issues </Th> <Td> air pollution; acidification of lakes and reservoirs; overfishing; deforestation </Td> </Tr> <P> Japan is an island nation in East Asia comprising a volcanic archipelago extending along the continent's Pacific coast . It lies between 24 ° to 46 ° north latitude and from 123 ° to 146 ° east longitude . Japan is southeast of the Russian Far East, separated by the Sea of Okhotsk; slightly east of the Korean Peninsula, separated by the Sea of Japan; and east - northeast of China and Taiwan, separated by the East China Sea . The closest neighboring country to Japan is Russia . </P> <P> The major islands, sometimes called the "Home Islands", are (from north to south) Hokkaido, Honshu (the "mainland"), Shikoku and Kyushu . There are 6,852 islands in total, including the Nansei Islands, the Nanpo Islands and islets, with 430 islands being inhabited and others uninhabited . In total, as of 2006, Japan's territory is 377,923.1 km (145,916.9 sq mi), of which 374,834 km (144,724 sq mi) is land and 3,091 km (1,193 sq mi) water . </P>

Location of japan in relation to other countries
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