Mystery around ‘Japan's Atlantis’ that could have been built 12,000 years ago before any sophisticated civilisations

We're all aware of the story of Atlantis, the mythical sunken island mentioned in ancient Greek literature, but are you aware that Japan has its very own 'sunken empire'.

Situated at the southwestern tip of the Ryukyu archipelago is a small island named Yonaguni, which lies just 62 miles away from Taiwan.

The island itself is pretty small, with a population of around 1,684, however head below the ocean's waves and you'll soon find a rock formation which has been a source of fascination and wonder.

Named the Yonaguni Monument after the nearby island, the rock formations have often been referred to by the nickname 'Japan's Atlantis' due to the fact that it resembles a large and uninhabited underwater city.

Divers exploring the Yonaguni Monument (Getty Stock Images)

The rock formations were discovered back in 1986 by diver Kihachiro Aratake, who was seeking to observe the local population of hammerhead sharks. Aratake's findings were completely coincidental, with the diver later telling BBC Global: "I was very emotional when I found it I realised that this would become a treasure of Yonaguni Island. I kept it a secret, I didn't tell anyone on my staff."

The monument is 50m long and 20m wide, featuring spiralling steps and flat surfaces and has for years left locals absolutely baffled.

But is the Yonaguni Monument actually man-made? Or more the result of a millennia of natural erosion by the sea?

Well, depends on who you ask.

The monument's size and unusual structure has prompted may to speculate about it's origins (Getty Stock Images)

The Yonaguni Monument: natural or man-made?

Believers of the idea that the Yonaguni Monument is part of a man-made structure argue that it's evidence of an ancient and long forgotten civilisation. One key figure in this movement is geologist Masaaki Kimura.

According to IFLScience, the former University of the Ryukyus professor argued the rock formations are evidence of a lost continent named Lemuria and had been constructed around 2,000 to 3,000 years ago when sea levels were lower.

Author Graham Hancock has also supported this view, even going as far to state his case on an episode of the Joe Rogan Experience.

Unfortunately, real life often isn't as interesting as what our imaginations are able to come up with, something which is proven by the fact that scientific consensus points to the idea that the formations are the result of strong underwater currents.

This argument is backed up by Robert Schoch, a professor at Boston University, who called the appearance of the rocks 'basic geology and classic stratigraphy for sandstones' in a previous interview with National Geographic.

"[The sandstones] tend to break along planes and give you these very straight edges, particularly in an area with lots of faults and tectonic activity."