Japan

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"Nippon" redirects here. For other uses, see Japan (disambiguation) and Nippon (disambiguation).

Japan

日本国 or 日本 (Japanese)[a]

Nippon-koku or Nihon-koku

Nippon or Nihon

Centered deep red circle on a white rectangle

Flag

Golden circle subdivided by golden wedges with rounded outer edges and thin black outlines

Imperial Seal

Anthem: "Kimigayo" (君が代)

Government Seal

Seal of the Office of the Prime Minister and the Government of Japan

Projection of Asia with Japan's Area colored green

Japanese territory in dark green; claimed but uncontrolled territory in light green

Capital

and largest city

Tokyo

35°41′N 139°46′E

National language Japanese

Government Unitary dominant-party parliamentary constitutional monarchy

• Emperor

Naruhito
• Prime Minister

Yoshihide Suga

Legislature National Diet

• Upper house

House of Councillors

• Lower house

House of Representatives

Formation

• First constitution

November 29, 1890

• Current constitution

May 3, 1947

Area

• Total

377,975 km2 (145,937 sq mi)[2] (61st)

• Water (%)

1.40 (as of 2015)[3]

Population

• 2021 estimate

Decrease 125,570,000[4] (11th)

• 2015 census

127,094,745[5]

• Density

334/km2 (865.1/sq mi) (24th)

GDP (PPP) 2020 estimate

• Total

Decrease $5.236 trillion[6] (4th)

• Per capita

Decrease $41,634 (28th)

GDP (nominal) 2020 estimate

• Total

Decrease $4.911 trillion[6] (3rd)

• Per capita

Decrease $39,048 (22nd)

Gini (2015) 33.9[7]

medium · 78th

HDI (2019) Increase 0.919[8]

very high · 19th

Currency Japanese yen (¥)

Time zone UTC+09:00 (JST)

Driving side left

Calling code +81

ISO 3166 code JP

Internet TLD .jp

Japan (Japanese: 日本, Nippon [ɲippoꜜɴ] (About this soundlisten) or Nihon [ɲihoꜜɴ] (About this
soundlisten)) is an island country in East Asia, located in the northwest Pacific Ocean. It is bordered on
the west by the Sea of Japan, and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north toward the East China
Sea and Taiwan in the south. Part of the Ring of Fire, Japan spans an archipelago of 6852 islands covering
377,975 square kilometers (145,937 sq mi); the five main islands are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu,
and Okinawa. Tokyo is Japan's capital and largest city; other major cities include Yokohama, Osaka,
Nagoya, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Kobe, and Kyoto.

Japan is the eleventh-most populous country in the world, as well as one of the most densely populated
and urbanized. About three-fourths of the country's terrain is mountainous, concentrating its population
of 125.57 million on narrow coastal plains. Japan is divided into 47 administrative prefectures and eight
traditional regions. The Greater Tokyo Area is the most populous metropolitan area in the world, with
more than 37.4 million residents.

Japan has been inhabited since the Upper Paleolithic period (30,000 BC), though the first mentions of
the archipelago appear in Chinese chronicles from the 1st century AD. Between the 4th and 9th
centuries, the kingdoms of Japan became unified under an emperor and his imperial court based in
Heian-kyō. Beginning in the 12th century, political power was held by a series of military dictators
(shōgun) and feudal lords (daimyō), and enforced by a class of warrior nobility (samurai). After a century-
long period of civil war, the country was reunified in 1603 under the Tokugawa shogunate, which
enacted an isolationist foreign policy. In 1854, a United States fleet forced Japan to open trade to the
West, which led to the end of the shogunate and the restoration of imperial power in 1868. In the Meiji
period, the Empire of Japan adopted a Western-styled constitution and pursued a program of
industrialization and modernization. In 1937, Japan invaded China; in 1941, it entered World War II as an
Axis power. After suffering defeat in the Pacific War and two atomic bombings, Japan surrendered in
1945 and came under a seven-year Allied occupation, during which it adopted a new constitution. Since
1947, Japan has maintained a unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy with a bicameral
legislature, the National Diet.

Japan is a great power and a member of numerous international organizations, including the United
Nations (since 1956), the OECD, and the Group of Seven. Although it has renounced its right to declare
war, the country maintains Self-Defense Forces that are ranked as the world's fourth-most powerful
military. After World War II, Japan experienced high economic growth, becoming the second-largest
economy in the world by 1990 before being surpassed by China in 2010. Despite stagnant growth since
the Lost Decade, the country's economy remains the third-largest by nominal GDP and the fourth-largest
by PPP. A leader in the automotive and electronics industries, Japan has made significant contributions
to science and technology. Ranked the second-highest country on the Human Development Index in Asia
after Singapore, Japan has the world's second-highest life expectancy, though it is experiencing a decline
in population. The culture of Japan is well-known around the world, including its art, cuisine, music, and
popular culture, which encompasses prominent animation and video game industries.

Contents

1 Etymology

2 History
2.1 Prehistoric to classical history

2.2 Feudal era

2.3 Modern era

3 Geography

3.1 Climate

3.2 Biodiversity

3.3 Environment

4 Politics

4.1 Administrative divisions

4.2 Foreign relations

4.3 Military

4.4 Domestic law enforcement

5 Economy

5.1 Agriculture and fishery

5.2 Industry

5.3 Services and tourism

5.4 Science and technology

6 Infrastructure

6.1 Transportation

6.2 Energy

6.3 Water supply and sanitation

7 Demographics

7.1 Religion

7.2 Languages

7.3 Education
7.4 Health

8 Culture

8.1 Art and architecture

8.2 Literature and philosophy

8.3 Performing arts

8.4 Customs and holidays

8.5 Cuisine

8.6 Media

8.7 Sports

9 See also

10 Notes

11 References

12 External links