Germany vs Japan

Japan is 6% larger than Germany.

GermanyJapanGermany moved onto Japan · Equal-area projection
0.95×
Germany is 0.95× the area of Japan. Put the other way, Japan is 1.06× the size of Germany.
GermanyJapan
Area357,588 km²377,972 km²
Population83,491,249123,366,734
Density233 / km²326 / km²
CapitalBerlinTokyo
RegionWestern EuropeEastern Asia
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours90

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Germany sits at about 51°N and is stretched to 2.53× its true area; Japan at 37° N is stretched to 1.59×. That difference is why Germany looks so much bigger than it is next to Japan. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.

Questions about this pair

Is Germany bigger than Japan?
No. Germany is 5% smaller than Japan. Germany covers 357,588 km² and Japan covers 377,972 km².
How many times does Germany fit into Japan?
About 1.1 times: Japan has 1.06× the area of Germany.
Why do Germany and Japan look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Germany is drawn about 2.53× its true area there and Japan about 1.59×. That is why Germany looks so much bigger than it really is next to Japan. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Which has more people, Germany or Japan?
Japan: 123,366,734 people against 83,491,249. Density: Germany 233 per km², Japan 326 per km².