Google Maps apologizes for going rogue in Japan

The navigation tool has placed a school in the sea, among other things.

Frank Jacobs
26 March, 2019
Google Maps apologizes for going rogue in Japan
  • Google has apologized for the sudden instability of its maps in Japan.
  • Errors may stem from Google's long-time map data provider Zenrin – or from the cancellation of its contract.
  • Speculation on the latter option caused Zenrin shares to drop 16% last Friday.

The bus stops near the west exit of Tokyo's Shibuya Station are still there – but they were no longer showing up on the map. Google Map users in Japan had started noticing other malfunctions last week: alleyways disappearing, roads and railways getting a 'weird' look on the map, buildings being misplaced.

Complaints came in so thick and fast that Google was forced to apologize for the inconvenience. The tech giant's Japanese arm said it would launch an in-house investigation to resolve the problems.

While it's still unclear exactly what happened, the map malfunctions likely relate to Google's announcement on March 6 that it would update the Japanese section of Google Maps within a few weeks.

Image: Asahi Shimbun

At that time, no mention was made of Zenrin Co., the Kitakyushu-based mapmaker and producer of car navigation systems that has provided data to Google Maps since 2005. At this point, it is unclear whether the faulty data was provided by Zenrin or is the result of the cancellation of the company's contract with Google.

Speculation on the latter possibility – social media chatter indicated the 'Zenrin' copyright attribution had disappeared from the bottom of the Google Maps screen – led to a 16% drop in Zenrin share prices at the Tokyo stock exchange last Friday. Neither company has so far commented on the current status of Zenrin's relationship with Google.


Here are 7 more dicey and hilarious times Google Maps malfunctioned.

Map found here at the Asahi Shimbun.

Strange Maps #968

Got a strange map? Let me know at strangemaps@gmail.com.

From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web
data google internet social media maps

Your body’s full of stuff you no longer need. Here's a list.

Evolution doesn't clean up after itself very well.

Image source: Decade3d-anatomy online via Shutterstock
Surprising Science
  • An evolutionary biologist got people swapping ideas about our lingering vestigia.
  • Basically, this is the stuff that served some evolutionary purpose at some point, but now is kind of, well, extra.
  • Here are the six traits that inaugurated the fun.
Keep reading Show less
human body science history ancient world physiology nature evolution

The cost of world peace? It's much less than the price of war

The world's 10 most affected countries are spending up to 59% of their GDP on the effects of violence.

Mario Tama/Getty Images
Politics & Current Affairs
  • Conflict and violence cost the world more than $14 trillion a year.
  • That's the equivalent of $5 a day for every person on the planet.
  • Research shows that peace brings prosperity, lower inflation and more jobs.
  • Just a 2% reduction in conflict would free up as much money as the global aid budget.
  • Report urges governments to improve peacefulness, especially amid COVID-19.
Keep reading Show less
war violence peace global issues economics

The evolution of modern rainforests began with the dinosaur-killing asteroid

The lush biodiversity of South America's rainforests is rooted in one of the most cataclysmic events that ever struck Earth.

Velociraptor Dinosaur in the Rainforest

meen_na via Adobe Stock
Surprising Science
  • One especially mysterious thing about the asteroid impact, which killed the dinosaurs, is how it transformed Earth's tropical rainforests.
  • A recent study analyzed ancient fossils collected in modern-day Colombia to determine how tropical rainforests changed after the bolide impact.
  • The results highlight how nature is able to recover from cataclysmic events, though it may take millions of years.
Keep reading Show less
nature environment dinosaurs biology evolution
Quantcast