Fancy a trip to Japan but can’t deal with the expensive and lengthy flight over? Well, it just got a whole lot closer according to English-language news service Russia Today.

In a bulletin over the weekend, the news service, which airs pro-Russian news but in English, was attempting to show missile bases in the southern hemisphere.

Somehow it managed to mix-up Australia’s two closest neighbours, mistaking New Zealand for Japan and Papua New Guinea for South Korea.

 

Presenter Ashlee Banks said, “The US is looking to place missiles in Japan, South Korea and Australia,” as the map behind showed a very distorted view of global geography.

Still, to the show’s credit, it did manage to get Australia right.

A spokesperson for the channel later explained: “Our American early morning news team suffered a little geography mishap. We … have corrected ours as soon as it was spotted, and have given our team a new map of the southern hemisphere to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”

And, yes, social media’s reaction was equally swift and hilarious.

“I heard that area’s pretty dangerous. Especially because of the crocodiles.”

“So, I’m Japanese?” penned one Kiwi. To which someone replied: “Konichawa bro.”

“And Japan’s chances in the RWC have just skyrocketed, too.”

“It reminds me of interviewers asking random Americans, on the street, how scared they were of North Korean missile development. They were all very worried. When asked to show on a map where NK was they hadn’t a clue, pointing to Australia, Canada, France…”

“I think that they are using my Year Nine students as cartographers!”