Japan's landmass continued to expand in 2000, a trend that began decades ago with the advent of reclamation projects.
According to the Geographical Survey Institute, the landmass increased by 9.4 sq. km during the year -- about 200 times the area of Tokyo Dome, which sits on reclaimed land in the metropolis' Bunkyo Ward.
In an annual survey released Monday, the government-affiliated institution said that Okinawa Prefecture expanded the most last year, growing 2.21 sq. km. Fukuoka Prefecture came in second, gaining 1.18 sq. km.
Since 1950, a total of 1,058.14 sq. km of land have been added to the archipelago through reclamation projects. The area is 1.6 times as large as Lake Biwa, the country's largest lake.
Since 1993, the country has expanded each year by an average of 9.08 sq. km.
Nonetheless, Japan's population density inched up by 0.6 to 340.4 people per sq. km in 2000. The density has grown by 10 people per sq. km since 1989, the institute said.