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  "path": "/science/archaeology-breakthrough-divers-discovery-dispute-asia-answer-atlantis",
  "publishedAt": "2026-04-25T01:05:38.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "Archaeologists uncover ancient two-metre marble statue of Greek goddess Athena",
    "Archaeologists make remarkable biblical disovery which could solve mystery in story of Moses",
    "Amateur fossil hunter uncovers rare fragment from the world's oldest marine crocodile",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nA diver’s discovery off the coast of Japan has sparked a decades-long dispute over what some believe could be Asia’s answer to Atlantis.\n\nDiving instructor Kihachiro Aratake first stumbled upon the mysterious underwater structure near Yonaguni island while searching for new dive sites 40 years ago.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n“Back in those days the sea was so very clear,” he told The Times.\n\n“And looking down I felt I was looking down on Machu Picchu.”\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\nThe vast formation - now known as the Yonaguni Monument - features strikingly straight edges, terraces, steps and tunnel-like structures stretching across hundreds of yards.\n\nSome experts believe it could be the remains of a long-lost civilisation.\n\nProfessor Masaaki Kimura, a geologist at the University of the Ryukyus, argued the site may be “a probable, ancient, megalithic civilisation… an ancient city beneath the sea”, dating back around 10,000 years.\n\nHe claimed the structure resembles a pyramid-like temple complex, complete with roads, smaller buildings and even a stadium.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nProf Kimura also reported finding stone tools and carvings, including what he believed to be a depiction of a wild boar.\n\nHis work linked the monument to the mythical lost continent of Mu - often described as a Pacific counterpart to Atlantis, though dismissed by mainstream archaeologists.\n\nHowever, other scientists strongly dispute those claims.\n\nGeologist Robert Schoch, who investigated the site, concluded the structure is entirely natural, formed from sandstone bedrock shaped by seismic activity and erosion.\n\n### ARCHAEOLOGY - READ THE LATEST:\n\n\n\n\n  * Archaeologists uncover ancient two-metre marble statue of Greek goddess Athena\n  * Archaeologists make remarkable biblical disovery which could solve mystery in story of Moses\n  * Amateur fossil hunter uncovers rare fragment from the world's oldest marine crocodile\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nHe said the rock naturally fractures into straight lines, creating the illusion of man-made design.\n\nWhile not ruling out minor human modification, Mr Schoch said he “became convinced that the Yonaguni Monument is primarily the result of natural geological and geomorphological processes at work”.\n\nDespite the scientific divide, the site has become a major tourist attraction.\n\nNow 78, Mr Aratake still runs his diving business, guiding visitors to the underwater formation he first discovered.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTourists continue to flock to the site - drawn by the mystery of whether it is a lost city beneath the sea or simply an extraordinary natural formation.\n\n“I don’t think it will ever be resolved and I quite like it when they argue,\" Mr Aratake said.\n\nThe original story of the Lost City of Atlantis was first theorised by the Ancient Greek philosopher Plato, who wrote in his dialogues Timaeus and Critias that it existed 9,000 years before his time.\n\nHe claimed the lost civilisation that once lived there possessed abundant natural resources, exotic wildlife and a precious metal known as orichalcum.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter**",
  "title": "Diver’s discovery sparks major dispute over Asia’s answer to Atlantis"
}