Cape Sōya - Furthest point north in Japan

Cape Sōya is the northernmost point of the island of Hokkaidō, Japan. It is situated in Wakkanai, Sōya Subprefecture. The Monument of the Northernmost Point of Japan is at the cape, although the true northernmost point under Japanese control is a small deserted island called Bentenjima, 1 km northwest. Since the cape is just 43 km away across La Perouse Strait from Cape Crillon, Sakhalin Island, Russia, it is possible to catch a glimpse of the island of Sakhalin on a clear day.

There are more than ten monuments at Cape Sōya, including the Monument of the Northernmost Point of Japan, the Tower of Prayer (a memorial of Korean Air Lines Flight 007, 1983), a statue of Mamiya Rinzō, the Monument of Peace (a memorial of USS Wahoo), and others. Sōya Misaki settlement, east of the cape, has many facilities known to be "the northernmost in Japan", such as the northernmost lighthouse (Cape Sōya Lighthouse), the northernmost filling station (Idemitsu Cape Sōya SS), the northernmost elementary school (Ōmisaki Elementary School), and so on.