Japan is an island nation, which means it does not share land borders with other countries. Japan's closest neighbors are Russia, North Korea, South Korea, China and Taiwan.
Japan consists of a series of islands located in East Asia. It borders the Sea of Japan to the west, the Pacific Ocean to the east, the East China Sea and the Philippine Sea to the south. Its territorial waters bring it into close contact with several of its neighbors, and disputes exist over some of those territories. The most notable dispute involves conflicting claims made by China and Russia regarding small islands off the coast and in the territorial waters surrounding Japan.
