Japan vs Norway

Norway and Japan are almost exactly the same size.

JapanNorwayJapan moved onto Norway · Equal-area projection
0.98×
Japan is 0.98× the area of Norway. Put the other way, Norway is 1.02× the size of Japan.
JapanNorway
Area377,972 km²385,207 km²
Population123,366,7345,610,870
Density326 / km²15 / km²
CapitalTokyoOslo
RegionEastern AsiaNorthern Europe
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours03

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Japan sits at about 37°N and is stretched to 1.59× its true area; Norway at 66° N is stretched to 6.22×. That difference is why Norway 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 Japan bigger than Norway?
No. Japan and Norway are almost exactly the same size. Japan covers 377,972 km² and Norway covers 385,207 km².
How many times does Japan fit into Norway?
About 1.0 times: Norway has 1.02× the area of Japan.
Why do Japan and Norway look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Japan is drawn about 1.59× its true area there and Norway about 6.22×. That is why Norway 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, Japan or Norway?
Japan: 123,366,734 people against 5,610,870. Density: Japan 326 per km², Norway 15 per km².