Japan

日本
Nippon or Nihon

Flag

Imperial Seal

Anthem:

 "Kimigayo"
 君が代

"His Imperial Majesty's Reign"[2][3]

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Government Seal of Japan


 Go-Shichi no Kiri (五七桐)
 Area controlled by Japan shown in green—claimed, but uncontrolled shown in light

green

Capital Tokyo[4]
and largest city 35°41′N 139°46′E

Official languages None[5]

National language Japanese[5]

Ethnic groups(2011)[6]  98.5% Japanese

 0.5% Korean
 0.4% Chinese
 0.6% other

Religion (2000)[7]  51.82% Folk Shinto / None

 34.9% Buddhism
 4% Shinto sects
 2.3% Christianity
 7.0% No answer

Demonym Japanese

Government Unitary dominant-

partyparliamentaryconstitutional monarchy

• Emperor Akihito

• Crown Prince Naruhito

• Prime Minister Shinzō Abe

• Deputy Prime Minister Tarō Asō

• Speaker of the House Tadamori Oshima

• President of the House of Chuichi Date

Councillors

• Chief Justice Naoto Ōtani

Legislature National Diet

• Upper house House of Councillors

• Lower house House of Representatives

 Formation

• National Foundation Day February 11, 660 BC[8]

• Meiji Constitution November 29, 1890

• Current constitution May 3, 1947

• San Francisco April 28, 1952

Peace Treaty

Area

• Total 377,972 km2(145,936 sq mi)[9] (61st)

• Water (%) 0.8

Population

• 2017 census 126,672,000[10] (10th)

• Density 336/km2 (870.2/sq mi) (36th)

GDP (PPP) 2018 estimate

• Total $5.619 trillion[11] (4th)

• Per capita $44,426[11] (27th)

GDP (nominal) 2018 estimate

• Total $5.167 trillion[11] (3rd)

• Per capita $40,849[11] (20th)

Gini (2011) 37.9[12]

medium · 76th

HDI (2015) 0.903[13]

very high · 17th

Currency Yen (¥) / En 円 (JPY)

Time zone JST (UTC+9)

• Summer (DST) not observed (UTC+9)

Date format  yyyy-mm-dd

 yyyy年m月d日
 Era yy年m月d日 (CE−1988)

Drives on the left

Calling code +81

ISO 3166 code JP

Internet TLD .jp

Website
www.japan.go.jp
 Japan

Japanese name

Kanji 日本国

Hiragana にっぽんこく

にほんこく

Katakana ニッポンコク

ニホンコク

Kyūjitai 日本國

showTranscriptions

Japan (Japanese: 日本; Nippon [ɲippoɴ] or Nihon [ɲihoɴ]; formally 日本国 Nippon-koku or Nihon-koku, lit. "State of
Japan") is a sovereign island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies off the eastern coast of the Asian
mainland and stretches from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and China in the
southwest. Coordinates: 35°N 136°EThe kanji that make up Japan's name mean "sun origin", and it is often called the
"Land of the Rising Sun". Japan is a stratovolcanic archipelago consisting of about 6,852 islands. The four largest
are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku, which make up about ninety-seven percent of Japan's land area and often
are referred to as home islands. The country is divided into 47 prefectures in eight regions, with Hokkaido being the
northernmost prefecture and Okinawa being the southernmost one. The population of 127 million is the world's tenth
largest. Japanese people make up 98.5% of Japan's total population. About 9.1 million people live in Tokyo,[14] the capital
of Japan.
Archaeological research indicates that Japan was inhabited as early as the Upper Paleolithic period. The first written
mention of Japan is in Chinese historytexts from the 1st century AD. Influence from other regions, mainly China, followed
by periods of isolation, particularly from Western Europe, has characterized Japan's history.
From the 12th century until 1868, Japan was ruled by successive feudal military shōguns who ruled in the name of
the Emperor. Japan entered into a long period of isolation in the early 17th century, which was ended in 1853 when a
United States fleet pressured Japan to open to the West. After nearly two decades of internal conflict and insurrection,
the Imperial Court regained its political power in 1868 through the help of several clans from Chōshū and Satsuma—and
the Empire of Japan was established. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, victories in the First Sino-Japanese War,
the Russo-Japanese War and World War I allowed Japan to expand its empire during a period of increasing militarism.
The Second Sino-Japanese War of 1937 expanded into part of World War II in 1941, which came to an end in
1945 following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Japanese surrender. Since adopting its
revised constitution on May 3, 1947, during the occupation by the SCAP, Japan has maintained
a unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy with an Emperor and an elected legislature called the National Diet.
Japan is a member of the ASEAN Plus mechanism, UN, the OECD, the G7, the G8 and the G20—and is considered
a great power.[15][16][17] The country has the world's third-largest economy by nominal GDP and the world's fourth-
largest economy by purchasing power parity. It is also the world's fourth-largest exporter and fourth-largest importer.
The country benefits from a highly skilled workforce and is among the most highly educated countries in the world, with
one of the highest percentages of its citizens holding a tertiary education degree. [18] Although Japan has
officially renounced its right to declare war, it maintains a modern military with the world's eighth-largest military
budget,[19] used for self-defense and peacekeeping roles. Japan is a highly developed country with a very high standard
of living and Human Development Index. Its population enjoys the highest life expectancy and the third lowest infant
mortality rate in the world. Japan is renowned for its historical and extensive cinema, influential music industry,
rich cuisine and its major contributions to science and modern-day technology.[20][21]

Contents

 1Etymology
 2History
o 2.1Prehistory and ancient history
o 2.2Feudal era
o 2.3Modern era
 3Geography
o 3.1Climate
o 3.2Biodiversity
o 3.3Environment
 4Politics
o 4.1Government
o 4.2Administrative divisions
o 4.3Foreign relations
 5Military
 6Economy
o 6.1Economic history
o 6.2Agriculture and fishery
o 6.3Industry
o 6.4Services
o 6.5Tourism
 7Science and technology
o 7.1Electronics and automotive engineering
o 7.2Aerospace
o 7.3Nobel laureates
 8Infrastructure
o 8.1Transportation
o 8.2Energy
o 8.3Water supply and sanitation
 9Demographics
o 9.1Population
o 9.2Religion
o 9.3Languages
o 9.4Problems
 10Education
 11Health
 12Culture
o 12.1Architecture
o 12.2Art
o 12.3Animation
o 12.4Cinema
o 12.5Music
o 12.6Literature
o 12.7Philosophy
o 12.8Cuisine
o 12.9Holidays
o 12.10Festivals
o 12.11Sports
o 12.12Media
 13See also
 14References
 15Notes
 16Further reading
 17External links

Etymology
Main article: Names of Japan
The Japanese word for Japan is 日本, which is pronounced Nihon or Nippon and literally means "the origin of the sun".
The character nichi (日) means "sun" or "day"; hon (本) means "base" or "origin".[22] The compound therefore means
"origin of the sun" and is the source of the popular Western epithet "Land of the Rising Sun".[23]
The earliest record of the name Nihon appears in the Chinese historical records of the Tang dynasty, the Old Book of
Tang. At the end of the seventh century, a delegation from Japan requested that Nihon be used as the name of their
country. This name may have its origin in a letter sent in 607 and recorded in the official history of the Sui
dynasty. Prince Shōtoku, the Regent of Japan, sent a mission to China with a letter in which he called himself "the
Emperor of the Land where the Sun rises" (日出處天子). The message said: "Here, I, the emperor of the country where
the sun rises, send a letter to the emperor of the country where the sun sets. How are you[?]”.

The "King of Na gold seal", said to have been granted to Na king of Wa (Japan) by Emperor Guangwu of Hanin 57 CE. The seal reads

"漢委奴國王". Tokyo National Museum

Prior to the adoption of Nihon, other terms such as Yamato (大和, or "Great Wa") and Wakoku (倭国) were used. The
term Wa (和) is a homophone of Wo 倭 (pronounced "Wa" by the Japanese), which has been used by the Chinese as a
designation for the Japanese as early as the third century Three Kingdoms period. Another form of Wa (委, Wei in
Chinese) was used for an early state in Japan called Nakoku during the Han dynasty.[24] However, the Japanese disliked
some connotation of Wa 倭 (which has been associated in China with concepts like "dwarf" or "pygmy"), and it was
therefore replaced with the substitute character Wa(和), meaning "togetherness, harmony".[25][26]

The English word Japan possibly derives from the historical Chinese pronunciation of 日本. The Old Mandarin or
possibly early Wu Chinese pronunciation of Japan was recorded by Marco Polo as Cipangu.[27] In modern Shanghainese,
a Wu dialect, the pronunciation of characters 日本 Japan is Zeppen [zəʔpən]. The old Malay word for
Japan, Japun or Japang, was borrowed from a southern coastal Chinese dialect, probably Fukienese or Ningpo[28]—and
this Malay word was encountered by Portuguese traders in Southeast Asia in the 16th century. [29] These Early
Portuguese traders then brought the word to Europe.[30] The first record of this name in English is in a book published in
1577 and spelled Giapan, in a translation of a 1565 letter written by a Portuguese Jesuit Luís Fróis.[31][32]
From the Meiji Restoration until the end of World War II, the full title of Japan was Dai Nippon Teikoku (大日本帝國),
meaning "the Empire of Great Japan".[33] Today, the name Nihon-koku/Nippon-koku (日本国) is used as a formal modern-
day equivalent with the meaning of "the State of Japan". Countries like Japan whose long form does not contain a
descriptive designation are generally given a name appended by the character koku (国), meaning "country", "nation" or
"state".

History
Main article: History of Japan

History of Japan

Periods[show]

Topics[show]
  Glossary

 Timeline

 v

 t

 e

Prehistory and ancient history

Emperor Jimmu (神武天皇 Jinmu-tennō), the first Emperor of Japandated as 660 BCE[34][35][36] —in modern Japan his accession is marked

as National Foundation Day on February 11

A Paleolithic culture around 30,000 BC constitutes the first known habitation of the Japanese archipelago. This was
followed from around 14,000 BC (the start of the Jōmon period) by a Mesolithic to Neolithic semi-sedentary hunter-
gathererculture characterized by pit dwelling and rudimentary agriculture,[37] including by ancestors of contemporary Ainu
peopleand Yamato people.[38][39] Decorated clay vessels from this period are some of the oldest surviving examples of
pottery in the world. Around 300 BC, the Yayoi people began to enter the Japanese islands, intermingling with
the Jōmon.[40] The Yayoi period, starting around 500 BC, saw the introduction of practices like wet-rice farming,[41] a new
style of pottery[42]and metallurgy, introduced from China and Korea.[43]
Japan first appears in written history in the Chinese Book of Han.[44] According to the Records of the Three Kingdoms,
the most powerful kingdom on the archipelago during the third century was called Yamataikoku. Buddhism was
introduced to Japan from Baekje, Korea and was promoted by Prince Shōtoku, but the subsequent development
of Japanese Buddhismwas primarily influenced by China.[45] Despite early resistance, Buddhism was promoted by the
ruling class and gained widespread acceptance beginning in the Asuka period (592–710).[46]
The Nara period (710–784) marked an emergence of the centralized Japanese state centered on the Imperial Court
in Heijō-kyō (modern Nara). The Nara period is characterized by the appearance of a nascent literature as well as the
development of Buddhist-inspired art and architecture.[47] The smallpox epidemic of 735–737 is believed to have killed as
much as one-third of Japan's population.[48] In 784, Emperor Kanmu moved the capital from Nara to Nagaoka-kyō, then
to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto) in 794.
This marked the beginning of the Heian period (794–1185), during which a distinctly indigenous Japanese culture
emerged, noted for its art, poetry and prose. Murasaki Shikibu's The Tale of Genji and the lyrics of Japan's national
anthem "Kimigayo" were written during this time.[49]
Buddhism began to spread during the Heian era chiefly through two major
sects, Tendai by Saichō and Shingon by Kūkai. Pure Land Buddhism (Jōdo-shū, Jōdo Shinshū) became greatly popular
in the latter half of the 11th century.

Feudal era
Samurai warriors facing Mongols during the Mongol invasions of Japan; Suenaga, 1293

Japan's feudal era was characterized by the emergence and dominance of a ruling class of warriors, the samurai. In
1185, following the defeat of the Taira clan in the Genpei War, sung in the epic Tale of Heike, samurai Minamoto no
Yoritomo was appointed shōgun by Emperor Go-Toba, and Yoritomo established a base of power in Kamakura. After his
death, the Hōjō clan came to power as regents for the shōguns. The Zen school of Buddhism was introduced from China
in the Kamakura period(1185–1333) and became popular among the samurai class. [50] The Kamakura
shogunate repelled Mongol invasions in 1274 and 1281, but was eventually overthrown by Emperor Go-Daigo. Emperor
Go-Daigo was himself defeated by Ashikaga Takauji in 1336.

Samurais could kill a commoner for the slightest insult and were widely feared by the Japanese population. Edo period, 1798

Ashikaga Takauji established the shogunate in Muromachi, Kyoto. This was the start of the Muromachi period (1336–
1573). The Ashikaga shogunate achieved glory at the age of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, and the culture based on Zen
Buddhism (the art of Miyabi) prospered. This evolved to Higashiyama Culture, and prospered until the 16th century. On
the other hand, the succeeding Ashikaga shogunate failed to control the feudal warlords (daimyōs) and a civil war
(the Ōnin War) began in 1467, opening the century-long Sengoku period ("Warring States").[51]
During the 16th century, traders and Jesuit missionaries from Portugal reached Japan for the first time, initiating
direct commercial and cultural exchange between Japan and the West. This allowed Oda Nobunaga to obtain European
technology and firearms, which he used to conquer many other daimyōs. His consolidation of power began what was
known as the Azuchi–Momoyama period (1573–1603). After Nobunaga was assassinated in 1582 by Akechi Mitsuhide,
his successor Toyotomi Hideyoshi unified the nation in 1590 and launched two unsuccessful invasions of Korea in 1592
and 1597.
Tokugawa Ieyasu served as regent for Hideyoshi's son and used his position to gain political and military support. When
open war broke out, Ieyasu defeated rival clans in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. Tokugawa Ieyasu was
appointed shōgun by Emperor Go-Yōzei in 1603 and established the Tokugawa
shogunate in Edo (modern Tokyo).[52] The shogunate enacted measures including buke shohatto, as a code of conduct to
control the autonomous daimyōs;[53] and in 1639 the isolationist sakoku("closed country") policy that spanned the two and
a half centuries of tenuous political unity known as the Edo period (1603–1868).[54] The study of Western sciences,
known as rangaku, continued through contact with the Dutch enclave at Dejima in Nagasaki. The Edo period also gave
rise to kokugaku ("national studies"), the study of Japan by the Japanese. [55]

Modern era
Emperor Meiji (1868–1912), in whose name imperial rule was restored at the end of the Tokugawa shogunate

On March 31, 1854, Commodore Matthew Perry and the "Black Ships" of the United States Navy forced the opening of
Japan to the outside world with the Convention of Kanagawa. Subsequent similar treaties with Western countries in
the Bakumatsu period brought economic and political crises. The resignation of the shōgun led to the Boshin War and
the establishment of a centralized state nominally unified under the Emperor (the Meiji Restoration).[56]
Plunging itself through an active process of Westernization during the Meiji Restoration in 1868, Japan adopted Western
political, judicial and military institutions and Western cultural influences integrated with its traditional culture for modern
industrialization. The Cabinet organized the Privy Council, introduced the Meiji Constitution, and assembled the Imperial
Diet. The Meiji Restoration transformed the Empire of Japan into an industrialized world power that pursued military
conflict to expand its sphere of influence. Although France and Britain showed some interest, the European powers
largely ignored Japan and instead concentrated on the much greater attractions of China. France was also set back by
its failures in Mexico and defeat by the Germans. [57] After victories in the First Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895) and
the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905), Japan gained control of Taiwan, Korea and the southern half of Sakhalin.[58] In
addition to imperialistic success, Japan also invested much more heavily in its own economic growth, leading to a period
of economic flourishing in the country which lasted until the Great Depression. [59] Japan's population grew from 35 million
in 1873 to 70 million in 1935.[60]