Japan vs United Kingdom

Japan is 56% larger than United Kingdom. United Kingdom would fit into Japan about 1.6 times.

JapanUnited KingdomJapan moved onto United Kingdom · Equal-area projection
1.56×
Japan is 1.56× the area of United Kingdom.
JapanUnited Kingdom
Area377,972 km²242,495 km²
Population123,366,73469,487,000
Density326 / km²287 / km²
CapitalTokyoLondon
RegionEastern AsiaNorthern Europe
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours01

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; United Kingdom at 54° N is stretched to 2.9×. That difference is why United Kingdom 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 United Kingdom?
Yes. Japan is 56% larger than United Kingdom. Japan covers 377,972 km² and United Kingdom covers 242,495 km².
How many times does United Kingdom fit into Japan?
About 1.6 times: Japan has 1.56× the area of United Kingdom.
Why do Japan and United Kingdom 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 United Kingdom about 2.9×. That is why United Kingdom 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 United Kingdom?
Japan: 123,366,734 people against 69,487,000. Density: Japan 326 per km², United Kingdom 287 per km².