The disappearance of a Japanese island has reinforced the suspicions of conspiracy theorists, who believed the island was not sunk but was removed from satellite images "by active action."
The island of Isanbei Hanakitakujima was the territorial waters of Japan, and its territory is only 1.4 meters above sea level, according to the Japanese Coast Guard.
"There is a possibility that the island has been degraded by wind and snow, and has disappeared as a result," the Sun quoted British Coast Guard official Tomo Fuji as saying.
Proponents of the conspiracy theories do not agree with the Japanese statements, citing a weather data platform on the island that still broadcasts its signals and data.
One of the proponents of this theory is the Science channel on YouTube, which featured an excerpt from an expert on the island, saying: "Images of the disappearance of the island alone are not enough to confirm its drowning." A secret government agency has decided to remove them from satellite images for specific purposes, .
The expert did not mention the motives behind the planned concealment of the island and its removal from the maps.
And Isanbei Hanakitakujima, one of the 158 uninhabited islands, which the Japanese government named in 2014, to demarcate its maritime borders and territorial waters.
Under international law, islands could be used to demarcate States' borders, if certain conditions were met.
