Japan

<h2 id="etymology">Etymology</h2>
Main article: <a href="/facts/Names_of_Japan/acxwmYof">Names of Japan</a>
The name for Japan in <a href="/facts/Japanese_language/EEv485a5">Japanese</a> is written using the <a href="/facts/Kanji/E1IN7hVL">kanji</a> 日本 and is pronounced Nihon or Nippon.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2">2</a> Before 日本 was adopted in the early 8th century, the country was known in China as <a href="/facts/Wa_(name_of_Japan)/WbgzdVEC">Wa</a> (倭, changed in Japan around 757 to 和) and in Japan by the <a href="/facts/Endonym/8pyd1nE9">endonym</a> Yamato.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3">3</a> Nippon, the original <a href="/facts/Sino-Japanese_reading/E1IN7hVL">Sino-Japanese reading</a> of the characters, is favored for official uses, including on <a href="/facts/Banknotes_of_the_Japanese_yen/gnQCVIBB">Japanese banknotes</a> and postage stamps.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4">4</a> Nihon is typically used in everyday speech and reflects shifts in <a href="/facts/Japanese_phonology/PvY84Cf1">Japanese phonology</a> during the <a href="/facts/Edo_period/BWxv9h57">Edo period</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5">5</a> The characters 日本 mean "sun origin",<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6">6</a> which is the source of the popular Western <a href="/facts/Epithet/uUQxrjCC">epithet</a> "Land of the Rising Sun".<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7">7</a>
The name "Japan" is based on <a href="/facts/Min_Chinese/J2pewsaR">Min</a> or <a href="/facts/Wu_Chinese/IXnCCme0">Wu Chinese</a> pronunciations of 日本 and was introduced to European languages through early trade.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8">8</a> In the 13th century, <a href="/facts/Marco_Polo/5I2muKvA">Marco Polo</a> recorded the <a href="/facts/Early_Mandarin/UxnkqjSC">Early Mandarin</a> Chinese pronunciation of the characters 日本國 as Cipangu.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9">9</a> The old <a href="/facts/Malay_language/2T6pPtgv">Malay</a> name for Japan, Japang or Japun, was borrowed from a southern coastal Chinese dialect and encountered by <a href="/facts/Portuguese_Empire/nxn2wnHj">Portuguese</a> traders in <a href="/facts/Southeast_Asia/VafwT517">Southeast Asia</a>, who brought the word to Europe in the early 16th century.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10">10</a> The first version of the name in English appears in a book published in 1577, which spelled the name as Giapan in a translation of a 1565 Portuguese letter.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11">11</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12">12</a>

<h2 id="history">History</h2>
Main article: <a href="/facts/History_of_Japan/XYqQMJCQ">History of Japan</a>
For a chronological guide, see <a href="/facts/Timeline_of_Japanese_history/BRYPyXf0">Timeline of Japanese history</a>.
<h3>Prehistoric to classical history</h3>

Modern humans arrived in Japan around 38,000 years ago (~36,000 BC), marking the beginning of the <a href="/facts/Japanese_Paleolithic/1rBP9YIv">Japanese Paleolithic</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13">13</a> Around 14,500 BC (the start of the <a href="/facts/J%25C5%258Dmon_period/TNVsWsyV">Jōmon period</a>), a <a href="/facts/Mesolithic/XTNS0x3r">Mesolithic</a> to <a href="/facts/Neolithic/wRS0Bnh4">Neolithic</a> semi-sedentary <a href="/facts/Hunter-gatherer/ghnjoNbJ">hunter-gatherer</a> culture characterized by <a href="/facts/Pit-house/4VvfAM23">pit dwelling</a> and rudimentary agriculture emerged.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14">14</a> <a href="/facts/J%25C5%258Dmon_pottery/oPK0zWvm">Clay vessels</a> from the period are among the oldest surviving examples of pottery.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15">15</a> The <a href="/facts/Japonic_languages/SV2A3d5y">Japonic</a>-speaking <a href="/facts/Yayoi_people/QqIfEeyu">Yayoi people</a> later entered the archipelago from the Korean Peninsula,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16">16</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:17" href="#fn:17">17</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:18" href="#fn:18">18</a> intermingling with the <a href="/facts/J%25C5%258Dmon_people/Djnht4JC">Jōmon people</a>;<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:19" href="#fn:19">19</a> the <a href="/facts/Yayoi_period/JMvsRQ9o">Yayoi period</a> saw the introduction of innovative practices including <a href="/facts/Paddy_field/576DlKpn">wet-rice farming</a>,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:20" href="#fn:20">20</a> a new <a href="/facts/Yayoi_pottery/7Rz1LESU">style of pottery</a>,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:21" href="#fn:21">21</a> and metallurgy from China and Korea.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:22" href="#fn:22">22</a> According to legend, <a href="/facts/Emperor_Jimmu/QdJR2J8U">Emperor Jimmu</a> (descendant of <a href="/facts/Amaterasu/6K3tAn93">Amaterasu</a>) founded a kingdom in central Japan in 660 BC, beginning <a href="/facts/Imperial_House_of_Japan/XVfvd9gL">a continuous imperial line</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:23" href="#fn:23">23</a>
Japan first appears in written history in the Chinese <a href="/facts/Book_of_Han/A62EbeBK">Book of Han</a>, completed in 111 AD, where it is described as having a hundred small kingdoms. A century later, the <a href="/facts/Book_of_Wei/uCulNSg1">Book of Wei</a> records that the kingdom of <a href="/facts/Yamatai/9XIxBTRU">Yamatai</a> (which may refer to <a href="/facts/Yamato_Kingship/hjnKFnxk">Yamato</a>) unified most of these kingdoms.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:24" href="#fn:24">24</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:25" href="#fn:25">25</a> <a href="/facts/Buddhism/G0wsjrSl">Buddhism</a> was introduced to Japan from <a href="/facts/Baekje/TdKogGVC">Baekje</a> (a Korean kingdom) in 552, but the development of <a href="/facts/Buddhism_in_Japan/eg1YQT5n">Japanese Buddhism</a> was primarily influenced by China.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:26" href="#fn:26">26</a> Despite early resistance, Buddhism was promoted by the ruling class, including figures like <a href="/facts/Prince_Sh%25C5%258Dtoku/7YoPgj4V">Prince Shōtoku</a>, and gained widespread acceptance beginning in the <a href="/facts/Asuka_period/flpJU4DP">Asuka period</a> (592–710).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:27" href="#fn:27">27</a>
In 645, the government led by <a href="/facts/Emperor_Tenji/0Y285tq2">Prince Naka no Ōe</a> and <a href="/facts/Fujiwara_no_Kamatari/uBl1kfBM">Fujiwara no Kamatari</a> devised and implemented the far-reaching <a href="/facts/Taika_Reform/4J7H01ln">Taika Reforms</a>. The Reform began with land reform, based on Confucian ideas and <a href="/facts/Chinese_philosophy/Tx4ruDzB">philosophies</a> from <a href="/facts/China/lTjIXY5p">China</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:28" href="#fn:28">28</a> It nationalized all land in Japan, to be <a href="/facts/Equal-field_system/BYwb9uek">distributed equally</a> among cultivators, and ordered the compilation of a household registry as the basis for a new system of taxation.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:29" href="#fn:29">29</a> The true aim of the reforms was to bring about greater centralization and to enhance the power of the imperial court, which was also based on the governmental structure of China. Envoys and students were dispatched to China to learn about Chinese writing, politics, art, and religion.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:30" href="#fn:30">30</a> The <a href="/facts/Jinshin_War/99GpEKU5">Jinshin War</a> of 672, a bloody conflict between <a href="/facts/Prince_%25C5%258Cama/QtdoKy4j">Prince Ōama</a> and his nephew <a href="/facts/Prince_%25C5%258Ctomo/LyleF43N">Prince Ōtomo</a>, became a major catalyst for further administrative reforms.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:31" href="#fn:31">31</a> These reforms culminated with the promulgation of the <a href="/facts/Taih%25C5%258D_Code/H6YG2FeN">Taihō Code</a>, which consolidated existing statutes and established the structure of the central and subordinate local governments.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:32" href="#fn:32">32</a> These legal reforms created the <a href="/facts/Ritsury%25C5%258D/T8hHEkJb">ritsuryō</a> state, a system of Chinese-style centralized government that remained in place for half a millennium.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:33" href="#fn:33">33</a>
The <a href="/facts/Nara_period/oEFJgP7V">Nara period</a> (710–784) marked the emergence of a Japanese state centered on the Imperial Court in <a href="/facts/Heij%25C5%258D_Palace/Drv2oGXN">Heijō-kyō</a> (modern <a href="/facts/Nara%2c_Nara/q3IEe0ke">Nara</a>). The period is characterized by the appearance of a nascent <a href="/facts/Japanese_literature/nasdY2wG">literary culture</a> with the completion of the <a href="/facts/Kojiki/tlCyB96E">Kojiki</a> (712) and <a href="/facts/Nihon_Shoki/5pClhB9u">Nihon Shoki</a> (720), as well as the development of Buddhist-inspired artwork and <a href="/facts/Historic_Monuments_of_Ancient_Nara/fRUFl1hz">architecture</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:34" href="#fn:34">34</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:35" href="#fn:35">35</a> A <a href="/facts/735%25E2%2580%2593737_Japanese_smallpox_epidemic/BU4pcnaK">smallpox epidemic in 735–737</a> is believed to have killed as much as one-third of Japan's population.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:36" href="#fn:36">36</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:37" href="#fn:37">37</a> In 784, <a href="/facts/Emperor_Kanmu/yQSAJdst">Emperor Kanmu</a> moved the capital, settling on <a href="/facts/Heian-ky%25C5%258D/sC06RqE8">Heian-kyō</a> (modern-day <a href="/facts/Kyoto/gUWtvjfd">Kyoto</a>) in 794.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:38" href="#fn:38">38</a> This marked the beginning of the <a href="/facts/Heian_period/PmIGpfCx">Heian period</a> (794–1185), during which a distinctly indigenous Japanese culture emerged. <a href="/facts/Murasaki_Shikibu/o9I2T2LL">Murasaki Shikibu</a>'s <a href="/facts/The_Tale_of_Genji/VA8nN6sG">The Tale of Genji</a> and the lyrics of Japan's national anthem "<a href="/facts/Kimigayo/fzl1bfEe">Kimigayo</a>" were written during this time.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:39" href="#fn:39">39</a>

<h3>Feudal era</h3>

Japan's feudal era was characterized by the emergence and dominance of a ruling class of warriors, the <a href="/facts/Samurai/5NSPbSuI">samurai</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:40" href="#fn:40">40</a> In 1185, following the defeat of the <a href="/facts/Taira_clan/YQGyw1R1">Taira clan</a> by the <a href="/facts/Minamoto_clan/zUhSp6e0">Minamoto clan</a> in the <a href="/facts/Genpei_War/KUM8vgx4">Genpei War</a>, samurai <a href="/facts/Minamoto_no_Yoritomo/aBwKJ6x2">Minamoto no Yoritomo</a> established a <a href="/facts/Military_government/2VDt0qs5">military government</a> at <a href="/facts/Kamakura/DMbqbBwC">Kamakura</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:41" href="#fn:41">41</a> After Yoritomo's death, the <a href="/facts/H%25C5%258Dj%25C5%258D_clan/djmyz1FI">Hōjō clan</a> came to power as regents for the shōgun.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:42" href="#fn:42">42</a> The <a href="/facts/Zen/Fvgltk1w">Zen</a> school of Buddhism was introduced from China in the <a href="/facts/Kamakura_period/urEK8SQV">Kamakura period</a> (1185–1333) and became popular among the samurai class.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:43" href="#fn:43">43</a> The <a href="/facts/Kamakura_shogunate/AdB8emNW">Kamakura shogunate</a> repelled <a href="/facts/Mongol_invasions_of_Japan/1GSXRWdU">Mongol invasions</a> in 1274 and 1281 but was eventually <a href="/facts/Kenmu_Restoration/1w9N9QKT">overthrown</a> by <a href="/facts/Emperor_Go-Daigo/nvjx85Qh">Emperor Go-Daigo</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:44" href="#fn:44">44</a> Go-Daigo was defeated by <a href="/facts/Ashikaga_Takauji/F0sQIfBw">Ashikaga Takauji</a> in 1336, beginning the <a href="/facts/Muromachi_period/HsPfQf4A">Muromachi period</a> (1336–1573).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:45" href="#fn:45">45</a> The succeeding <a href="/facts/Ashikaga_shogunate/CKLY690l">Ashikaga shogunate</a> failed to control the feudal warlords (daimyō) and <a href="/facts/%25C5%258Cnin_War/wvd8MMhE">a civil war</a> began in 1467, opening the century-long <a href="/facts/Sengoku_period/xv3vXWPD">Sengoku period</a> ("Warring States").<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:46" href="#fn:46">46</a>
During the 16th century, Portuguese traders and <a href="/facts/Jesuit/n0PeYBB8">Jesuit</a> missionaries reached Japan for the first time, initiating direct <a href="/facts/Nanban_trade/LXsXeSjz">commercial</a> and <a href="/facts/Nanban_art/bvnN8kNe">cultural</a> exchange between Japan and the West.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:47" href="#fn:47">47</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:48" href="#fn:48">48</a> <a href="/facts/Oda_Nobunaga/0tuHyMR8">Oda Nobunaga</a> used European technology and firearms to conquer many other daimyō;<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:49" href="#fn:49">49</a> his consolidation of power began what was known as the <a href="/facts/Azuchi%25E2%2580%2593Momoyama_period/zowUjaU1">Azuchi–Momoyama period</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:50" href="#fn:50">50</a> After <a href="/facts/Honn%25C5%258D-ji_Incident/deLpzGA0">the death of Nobunaga</a> in 1582, his successor, <a href="/facts/Toyotomi_Hideyoshi/aNY0dar2">Toyotomi Hideyoshi</a>, unified the nation in the early 1590s and launched <a href="/facts/Japanese_invasions_of_Korea_(1592%25E2%2580%259398)/wL3FJbhw">two unsuccessful invasions of Korea in 1592 and 1597</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:51" href="#fn:51">51</a>
<a href="/facts/Tokugawa_Ieyasu/9N1Eqplx">Tokugawa Ieyasu</a> served as <a href="/facts/Council_of_Five_Elders/vq0zvhXf">regent</a> for Hideyoshi's son <a href="/facts/Toyotomi_Hideyori/LWIbaaTq">Toyotomi Hideyori</a> and used his position to gain political and military support.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:52" href="#fn:52">52</a> When open war broke out, Ieyasu defeated rival clans in the <a href="/facts/Battle_of_Sekigahara/1GgXGB1e">Battle of Sekigahara</a> in 1600. He was appointed shōgun by <a href="/facts/Emperor_Go-Y%25C5%258Dzei/Gl05qbLl">Emperor Go-Yōzei</a> in 1603 and established the <a href="/facts/Tokugawa_shogunate/S4q54Sq6">Tokugawa shogunate</a> at <a href="/facts/Edo_(Tokyo)/Q6slPwDA">Edo</a> (modern Tokyo).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:53" href="#fn:53">53</a> The shogunate enacted measures including <a href="/facts/Buke_shohatto/rGaFxQlM">buke shohatto</a>, as a code of conduct to control the autonomous daimyō,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:54" href="#fn:54">54</a> and in 1639 the isolationist <a href="/facts/Sakoku/vRuvcoKt">sakoku</a> ("closed country") policy that spanned the two and a half centuries of tenuous political unity known as the <a href="/facts/Edo_period/BWxv9h57">Edo period</a> (1603–1868).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:55" href="#fn:55">55</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:56" href="#fn:56">56</a> Modern Japan's economic growth began in this period, resulting in <a href="/facts/Kaid%25C5%258D/GNnfbzvF">roads</a> and water transportation routes, as well as financial instruments such as <a href="/facts/Futures_contract/4SD3dKty">futures contracts</a>, banking and insurance of the <a href="/facts/Osaka_rice_brokers/S7DPsU9h">Osaka rice brokers</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:57" href="#fn:57">57</a> The study of Western sciences (<a href="/facts/Rangaku/MfhebGwa">rangaku</a>) continued through contact with the Dutch enclave in <a href="/facts/Nagasaki/5HMR4mnp">Nagasaki</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:58" href="#fn:58">58</a> The Edo period gave rise to <a href="/facts/Kokugaku/MloepvHp">kokugaku</a> ("national studies"), the study of Japan by the Japanese.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:59" href="#fn:59">59</a>

<h3>Modern era</h3>

The <a href="/facts/United_States_Navy/xYK0fUou">United States Navy</a> sent Commodore <a href="/facts/Matthew_C._Perry/VRyq4wXQ">Matthew C. Perry</a> to force the opening of Japan to the outside world. Arriving at <a href="/facts/Uraga%2c_Kanagawa/HfFVamAq">Uraga</a> with four "<a href="/facts/Black_Ships/BckoKT4B">Black Ships</a>" in July 1853, the <a href="/facts/Perry_Expedition/BmzGtlJN">Perry Expedition</a> resulted in the March 1854 <a href="/facts/Convention_of_Kanagawa/NbP2Ja1J">Convention of Kanagawa</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:60" href="#fn:60">60</a> Subsequent similar treaties with other Western countries brought economic and political crises.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:61" href="#fn:61">61</a> The resignation of the shōgun led to the <a href="/facts/Boshin_War/EL3otAGC">Boshin War</a> and the establishment of a <a href="/facts/Abolition_of_the_han_system/HrSeSwlo">centralized state</a> nominally unified under the emperor (the <a href="/facts/Meiji_Restoration/DLkCDHk4">Meiji Restoration</a>).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:62" href="#fn:62">62</a> Adopting Western political, judicial, and military institutions, the <a href="/facts/Cabinet_of_Japan/7BIow5ss">Cabinet</a> organized the <a href="/facts/Privy_Council_(Japan)/RmnPfacX">Privy Council</a>, introduced the <a href="/facts/Meiji_Constitution/tHTSd7tc">Meiji Constitution</a> (November 29, 1890), and assembled the <a href="/facts/National_Diet/pxHWQLqb">Imperial Diet</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:63" href="#fn:63">63</a> During the <a href="/facts/Meiji_period/Ajr5VCQ5">Meiji period</a> (1868–1912), the <a href="/facts/Empire_of_Japan/gMpNKg2W">Empire of Japan</a> emerged as the most developed state in <a href="/facts/Asia/4IToYrrQ">Asia</a> and as an industrialized world power that pursued military conflict to expand its sphere of influence.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:64" href="#fn:64">64</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:65" href="#fn:65">65</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:66" href="#fn:66">66</a> After victories in the <a href="/facts/First_Sino-Japanese_War/rYlcDT7Y">First Sino-Japanese War</a> (1894–1895) and the <a href="/facts/Russo-Japanese_War/YWIxIkE2">Russo-Japanese War</a> (1904–1905), Japan gained control of Taiwan, Korea and the southern half of <a href="/facts/Sakhalin/oWSuMNl8">Sakhalin</a>,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:67" href="#fn:67">67</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:68" href="#fn:68">68</a> and annexed Korea in 1910.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:69" href="#fn:69">69</a> The Japanese population doubled from 35 million in 1873 to 70 million by 1935, with a significant shift to urbanization.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:70" href="#fn:70">70</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:71" href="#fn:71">71</a>
The early 20th century saw a period of <a href="/facts/Taish%25C5%258D_period/9xYDogLf">Taishō democracy</a> (1912–1926) overshadowed by increasing <a href="/facts/Expansionism/JvkIGCpg">expansionism</a> and <a href="/facts/Japanese_militarism/GJtnS8Sa">militarization</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:72" href="#fn:72">72</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:73" href="#fn:73">73</a> <a href="/facts/Japan_during_World_War_I/ujwy4W3b">World War I</a> allowed Japan, which joined the side of the victorious <a href="/facts/Allies_of_World_War_I/HBo9sw1M">Allies</a>, to capture <a href="/facts/German_colonial_empire/CC1hchUz">German possessions</a> in the <a href="/facts/Pacific/bdxgXRVM">Pacific</a> and China in <a href="/facts/Treaty_of_Versailles/BsNmjaqV">1920</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:74" href="#fn:74">74</a> The 1920s saw a political shift towards <a href="/facts/Statism_in_Sh%25C5%258Dwa_Japan/HMvCfK6k">statism</a>, a period of lawlessness following the 1923 <a href="/facts/Great_Tokyo_Earthquake/1jGFj6qN">Great Tokyo Earthquake</a>, the passing of <a href="/facts/Peace_Preservation_Law/9RaSqHuV">laws against political dissent</a>, and a series of <a href="/facts/May_15_Incident/0AaY4KTz">attempted coups</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:75" href="#fn:75">75</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:76" href="#fn:76">76</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:77" href="#fn:77">77</a> This process accelerated during the 1930s, spawning several radical nationalist groups that shared a hostility to liberal democracy and a dedication to expansion in Asia.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:78" href="#fn:78">78</a> In 1931, Japan <a href="/facts/Japanese_invasion_of_Manchuria/yXbDnSIF">invaded China and occupied Manchuria</a>, which led to the establishment of <a href="/facts/Puppet_state/cNDM9tpK">puppet state</a> of <a href="/facts/Manchukuo/EFnnLsde">Manchukuo</a> in 1932; following <a href="/facts/Lytton_Report/p1aw9bvj">international condemnation of the occupation</a>, it resigned from the <a href="/facts/League_of_Nations/PQlcKzXs">League of Nations</a> in 1933.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:79" href="#fn:79">79</a> In 1936, Japan signed the <a href="/facts/Anti-Comintern_Pact/f4prDb5D">Anti-Comintern Pact</a> with <a href="/facts/Nazi_Germany/8kRbqRpo">Nazi Germany</a>; the 1940 <a href="/facts/Tripartite_Pact/KI0FzL0P">Tripartite Pact</a> made it one of the <a href="/facts/Axis_powers/Q3z1D8R9">Axis powers</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:80" href="#fn:80">80</a>

The Empire of Japan invaded other parts of China in 1937, precipitating the <a href="/facts/Second_Sino-Japanese_War/QgPmgfHa">Second Sino-Japanese War</a> (1937–1945).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:81" href="#fn:81">81</a> In 1940, the Empire <a href="/facts/Japanese_invasion_of_French_Indochina/e1DoSkvU">invaded French Indochina</a>, after which the United States placed an oil embargo on Japan.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:82" href="#fn:82">82</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:83" href="#fn:83">83</a> On December 7–8, 1941, Japanese forces carried out surprise <a href="/facts/Attack_on_Pearl_Harbor/CLBkUVjC">attacks on Pearl Harbor</a>, as well as on British forces in <a href="/facts/Battle_of_Malaya/e2p0UHVQ">Malaya</a>, <a href="/facts/Bombing_of_Singapore_(1941)/LEx6sJoo">Singapore</a>, and <a href="/facts/Battle_of_Hong_Kong/RmtL0seD">Hong Kong</a>, among others, beginning <a href="/facts/Pacific_War/yNu6op98">World War II in the Pacific</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:84" href="#fn:84">84</a> Throughout areas occupied by Japan during the war, numerous abuses were committed against local inhabitants, with many forced into <a href="/facts/Comfort_women/kPFHLFAh">sexual slavery</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:85" href="#fn:85">85</a> After <a href="/facts/Allies_of_World_War_II/YzCdtjDY">Allied</a> victories during the next four years, which culminated in the <a href="/facts/Soviet_invasion_of_Manchuria/BlqFWoub">Soviet invasion of Manchuria</a> and the <a href="/facts/Atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki/fRpj8aJA">atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki</a> in 1945, Japan agreed to <a href="/facts/Surrender_of_Japan/SM4dd1M9">an unconditional surrender</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:86" href="#fn:86">86</a> The war cost Japan millions of lives and <a href="/facts/Territorial_conquests_of_the_Empire_of_Japan/mQ3PpaKl">its colonies</a>, including <a href="/facts/De_jure/XLvtHTL3">de jure</a> parts of Japan such as <a href="/facts/Korea_under_Japanese_rule/zXSwP1Qu">Korea</a>, <a href="/facts/Taiwan_under_Japanese_rule/42jbyfMc">Taiwan</a>, <a href="/facts/Karafuto_Prefecture/NItXQ5Ie">Karafuto</a>, and the <a href="/facts/Kuril_Islands/HBRsFdgN">Kurils</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:87" href="#fn:87">87</a> The Allies (led by the United States) repatriated millions of <a href="/facts/Japanese_diaspora/4xuG9X89">Japanese settlers</a> from their former colonies and military camps throughout Asia, largely eliminating the <a href="/facts/Empire_of_Japan/gMpNKg2W">Empire of Japan</a> and its influence over the territories it conquered.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:88" href="#fn:88">88</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:89" href="#fn:89">89</a> The Allies convened the <a href="/facts/International_Military_Tribunal_for_the_Far_East/CLMGPPYD">International Military Tribunal for the Far East</a> to prosecute Japanese leaders except the Emperor<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:90" href="#fn:90">90</a> for <a href="/facts/Japanese_war_crimes/D74fCWEj">Japanese war crimes</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:91" href="#fn:91">91</a>
In 1947, Japan adopted <a href="/facts/Constitution_of_Japan/oBpfn5Lu">a new constitution</a> emphasizing liberal democratic practices.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:92" href="#fn:92">92</a> The <a href="/facts/Occupation_of_Japan/U2LYnBvE">Allied occupation</a> ended with the <a href="/facts/Treaty_of_San_Francisco/crjWktkl">Treaty of San Francisco</a> in 1952,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:93" href="#fn:93">93</a> and Japan was granted membership in the <a href="/facts/United_Nations/fgXLnmgT">United Nations</a> in 1956.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:94" href="#fn:94">94</a> <a href="/facts/Japanese_economic_miracle/Ua28vuF9">A period of record growth</a> propelled Japan to become the world's <a href="/facts/List_of_countries_by_largest_historical_GDP/EWKqnBQ0">second-largest economy at that time</a>;<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:95" href="#fn:95">95</a> this ended in the mid-1990s after the popping of <a href="/facts/Japanese_asset_price_bubble/ejKNah3X">an asset price bubble</a>, beginning the "<a href="/facts/Lost_Decade_(Japan)/U0Larczq">Lost Decade</a>".<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:96" href="#fn:96">96</a> In 2011, Japan suffered one of the largest earthquakes in its recorded history—the <a href="/facts/2011_T%25C5%258Dhoku_earthquake_and_tsunami/pyIXeVlS">Tōhoku earthquake</a>—triggering the <a href="/facts/Fukushima_Daiichi_nuclear_disaster/E74heuvS">Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:97" href="#fn:97">97</a> On May 1, 2019, after the historic <a href="/facts/Abdication_of_Emperor_Akihito/cm3sq0W2">abdication of Emperor Akihito</a>, his son <a href="/facts/Naruhito/33LCkP3B">Naruhito</a> became Emperor, beginning the <a href="/facts/Reiwa/kqysnkqC">Reiwa</a> era (2019-).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:98" href="#fn:98">98</a>

<h2 id="geography">Geography</h2>
Main articles: <a href="/facts/Geography_of_Japan/LB8uSpNl">Geography of Japan</a> and <a href="/facts/Geology_of_Japan/QnHsz03z">Geology of Japan</a>

Japan comprises <a href="/facts/List_of_islands_of_Japan/HJbMwN4b">14,125 islands</a> extending along the Pacific coast of Asia.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:99" href="#fn:99">99</a> It stretches over 3000 km (1900 mi) northeast–southwest from the <a href="/facts/Sea_of_Okhotsk/T4QL1000">Sea of Okhotsk</a> to the <a href="/facts/East_China_Sea/LpC6wxIu">East China Sea</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:100" href="#fn:100">100</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:101" href="#fn:101">101</a> The country's five main islands, from north to south, are <a href="/facts/Hokkaido/kwacDkYD">Hokkaido</a>, <a href="/facts/Honshu/Rp7Ew35d">Honshu</a>, <a href="/facts/Shikoku/j9cUI49U">Shikoku</a>, <a href="/facts/Kyushu/eM5yaMe3">Kyushu</a> and <a href="/facts/Okinawa_Island/b5V1XXmd">Okinawa</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:102" href="#fn:102">102</a> The <a href="/facts/Ryukyu_Islands/94rjkv8f">Ryukyu Islands</a>, which include Okinawa, are a chain to the south of Kyushu. The <a href="/facts/Nanp%25C5%258D_Islands/TJEwc954">Nanpō Islands</a> are south and east of the main islands of Japan. Together they are often known as the <a href="/facts/Japanese_archipelago/zvCaDa4M">Japanese archipelago</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:103" href="#fn:103">103</a> As of 2019, Japan's territory is 377,975.24 km2 (145,937.06 sq mi).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:104" href="#fn:104">104</a> Japan has the <a href="/facts/List_of_countries_by_length_of_coastline/g0K8vjyr">sixth-longest coastline</a> in the world at 29,751 km (18,486 mi). Because of its far-flung outlying islands, <a href="/facts/Exclusive_economic_zone_of_Japan/FnERp2Mh">Japan's exclusive economic zone</a> is the <a href="/facts/List_of_countries_by_length_of_exclusive_economic_zones/UtMbSd3w">eighth-largest</a> in the world, covering 4,470,000 km2 (1,730,000 sq mi).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:105" href="#fn:105">105</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:106" href="#fn:106">106</a>
The Japanese archipelago is 67% <a href="/facts/Forestry_in_Japan/EWjoLMDw">forests</a> and 14% <a href="/facts/Agriculture_in_Japan/EWjoLMDw">agricultural</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:107" href="#fn:107">107</a> The primarily rugged and mountainous terrain is restricted for habitation.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:108" href="#fn:108">108</a> Thus the habitable zones, mainly in the coastal areas, have very high population densities: Japan is the <a href="/facts/List_of_countries_by_population_density/WmvuNLfW">40th most densely populated country</a> even without considering that local concentration.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:109" href="#fn:109">109</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:110" href="#fn:110">110</a> Honshu has the highest population density at 450 persons/km2 (1200/sq mi) as of 2010, while Hokkaido has the lowest density of 64.5 persons/km2 as of 2016.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:111" href="#fn:111">111</a> As of 2014, approximately 0.5% of Japan's total area is <a href="/facts/Land_reclamation/taYL4BjI">reclaimed land</a> (umetatechi).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:112" href="#fn:112">112</a> <a href="/facts/Lake_Biwa/IB6WYWEw">Lake Biwa</a> is an <a href="/facts/Ancient_lake/CotQIXye">ancient lake</a> and the country's largest freshwater lake.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:113" href="#fn:113">113</a>
Japan is substantially prone to <a href="/facts/Earthquakes_in_Japan/9WsbVnly">earthquakes</a>, <a href="/facts/Tsunami/N3xGNHBl">tsunami</a> and <a href="/facts/Types_of_volcanic_eruptions/AwqpzdaG">volcanic eruptions</a> because of its location along the Pacific Ring of Fire.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:114" href="#fn:114">114</a> It has the <a href="/facts/List_of_countries_by_natural_disaster_risk/wDW5aoAT">17th highest natural disaster risk</a> as measured in the 2016 World Risk Index.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:115" href="#fn:115">115</a> Japan has 111 active volcanoes.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:116" href="#fn:116">116</a> Destructive earthquakes, often resulting in tsunami, occur several times each century;<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:117" href="#fn:117">117</a> the <a href="/facts/1923_Great_Kant%25C5%258D_earthquake/1jGFj6qN">1923 Tokyo earthquake</a> killed over 140,000 people.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:118" href="#fn:118">118</a> More recent major quakes are the 1995 <a href="/facts/Great_Hanshin_earthquake/WXM91DrJ">Great Hanshin earthquake</a> and the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake, which triggered a large tsunami.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:119" href="#fn:119">119</a>

<h3>Climate</h3>
Main article: <a href="/facts/Geography_of_Japan/LB8uSpNl">Geography of Japan § Climate</a>

The climate of Japan is predominantly temperate but varies greatly from north to south. The northernmost region, Hokkaido, has a <a href="/facts/Humid_continental_climate/m5J175oK">humid continental climate</a> with long, cold winters and very warm to cool summers. <a href="/facts/Precipitation_(meteorology)/uq3nGQc8">Precipitation</a> is not heavy, but the islands usually develop deep snowbanks in the winter.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:120" href="#fn:120">120</a>
In the <a href="/facts/Sea_of_Japan/eDf8AHIq">Sea of Japan</a> region on Honshu's west coast, northwest winter winds bring heavy snowfall during winter. In the summer, the region sometimes experiences extremely hot temperatures because of the <a href="/facts/Foehn_wind/3egzXtIe">Foehn</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:121" href="#fn:121">121</a> The <a href="/facts/Central_Highland_(Japan)/okVw0WmW">Central Highland</a> has a typical inland humid continental climate, with large temperature differences between summer and winter. The mountains of the <a href="/facts/Ch%25C5%25ABgoku_region/ajT5LnM4">Chūgoku</a> and Shikoku regions shelter the <a href="/facts/Seto_Inland_Sea/m8u5vAK4">Seto Inland Sea</a> from seasonal winds, bringing mild weather year-round.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:122" href="#fn:122">122</a>
The Pacific coast features a <a href="/facts/Humid_subtropical/vr1kMhwS">humid subtropical</a> climate that experiences milder winters with occasional snowfall and hot, humid summers because of the southeast seasonal wind. The Ryukyu and Nanpō Islands have a <a href="/facts/Subtropics/gK0KyFUD">subtropical climate</a>, with warm winters and hot summers. Precipitation is very heavy, especially during the rainy season.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:123" href="#fn:123">123</a> The main <a href="/facts/East_Asian_rainy_season/A9mRRyUC">rainy season</a> begins in early May in Okinawa, and the rain front gradually moves north. In late summer and early autumn, <a href="/facts/Typhoon/xGfFa6H7">typhoons</a> often bring heavy rain.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:124" href="#fn:124">124</a> According to the Environment Ministry, heavy rainfall and increasing temperatures have caused problems in the agricultural industry and elsewhere.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:125" href="#fn:125">125</a> The highest temperature ever measured in Japan, 41.1 °C (106.0 °F), was recorded on July 23, 2018,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:126" href="#fn:126">126</a> and repeated on August 17, 2020.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:127" href="#fn:127">127</a>

<h3>Biodiversity</h3>
Main article: <a href="/facts/Wildlife_of_Japan/W8gBTxXd">Wildlife of Japan</a>
Japan has nine forest <a href="/facts/Ecoregions_in_Japan/YdRCT7wX">ecoregions</a> which reflect the climate and geography of the islands. They range from <a href="/facts/Tropical_and_subtropical_moist_broadleaf_forests/yR0TXBHb">subtropical moist broadleaf forests</a> in the Ryūkyū and <a href="/facts/Bonin_Islands/vGNVKnTT">Bonin Islands</a>, to <a href="/facts/Temperate_broadleaf_and_mixed_forests/GPYCvPBL">temperate broadleaf and mixed forests</a> in the mild climate regions of the main islands, to <a href="/facts/Temperate_coniferous_forest/76dtmt2J">temperate coniferous forests</a> in the cold, winter portions of the northern islands.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:128" href="#fn:128">128</a> Japan has over 90,000 species of wildlife as of 2019,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:129" href="#fn:129">129</a> including the <a href="/facts/Brown_bear/tNpUFtFB">brown bear</a>, the <a href="/facts/Japanese_macaque/69ESEQmM">Japanese macaque</a>, the <a href="/facts/Japanese_raccoon_dog/0PgMRaFe">Japanese raccoon dog</a>, the <a href="/facts/Small_Japanese_field_mouse/7XBWFe1k">small Japanese field mouse</a>, and the <a href="/facts/Japanese_giant_salamander/rHK6v5Eb">Japanese giant salamander</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:130" href="#fn:130">130</a> There are 53 <a href="/facts/Ramsar_sites_in_Japan/asuB8em1">Ramsar wetland sites</a> in Japan.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:131" href="#fn:131">131</a> <a href="/facts/World_Heritage_Sites_in_Japan/EPVsDQsv">Five sites</a> have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List for their outstanding natural value.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:132" href="#fn:132">132</a>

<h3>Environment</h3>
Main articles: <a href="/facts/Environmental_issues_in_Japan/Ph6lNlI3">Environmental issues in Japan</a> and <a href="/facts/Climate_change_in_Japan/JqJ7UIee">Climate change in Japan</a>

In the period of rapid economic growth after World War II, environmental policies were downplayed by the government and industrial corporations; as a result, <a href="/facts/Four_Big_Pollution_Diseases_of_Japan/6ezxwpM1">environmental pollution</a> was widespread in the 1950s and 1960s. Responding to rising concerns, the government introduced environmental protection laws in 1970.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:133" href="#fn:133">133</a> The <a href="/facts/1973_oil_crisis/fpuVQF2T">oil crisis in 1973</a> also encouraged the efficient use of energy because of Japan's lack of natural resources.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:134" href="#fn:134">134</a>
Japan ranks 20th in the 2018 <a href="/facts/Environmental_Performance_Index/75gj41kn">Environmental Performance Index</a>, which measures a country's commitment to environmental sustainability.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:135" href="#fn:135">135</a> Japan is the world's <a href="/facts/List_of_countries_by_carbon_dioxide_emissions/PzWgcb8I">fifth-largest emitter</a> of <a href="/facts/Carbon_dioxide/xGzpppEp">carbon dioxide</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:136" href="#fn:136">136</a> As the host and signatory of the 1997 <a href="/facts/Kyoto_Protocol/88twzpDf">Kyoto Protocol</a>, Japan is under treaty obligation to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions and to take other steps to curb climate change.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:137" href="#fn:137">137</a> In 2020, the government of Japan announced a target of <a href="/facts/Carbon_neutrality/llsAknfI">carbon-neutrality</a> by 2050.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:138" href="#fn:138">138</a> Environmental issues include urban air pollution (<a href="/facts/NOx/qd61Szdy">NOx</a>, suspended <a href="/facts/Particulate_matter/RleGr5E6">particulate matter</a>, and <a href="/facts/Toxics/qa96rs60">toxics</a>), <a href="/facts/Waste_management/EKXuEqQU">waste management</a>, water <a href="/facts/Eutrophication/rqXhQYyt">eutrophication</a>, <a href="/facts/Nature_conservation/EQmI1K8x">nature conservation</a>, <a href="/facts/Climate_change_in_Japan/JqJ7UIee">climate change</a>, chemical management and international co-operation for conservation.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:139" href="#fn:139">139</a>

<h2 id="government-and-politics">Government and politics</h2>
Main articles: <a href="/facts/Emperor_of_Japan/efBDe6cj">Emperor of Japan</a>, <a href="/facts/Government_of_Japan/HSvEeNXN">Government of Japan</a>, <a href="/facts/Politics_of_Japan/s9GnJFJ7">Politics of Japan</a>, and <a href="/facts/Law_of_Japan/RstESS0t">Law of Japan</a>

Japan is a <a href="/facts/Unitary_state/HAxK1eMM">unitary state</a> and <a href="/facts/Constitutional_monarchy/C0TtVRq8">constitutional monarchy</a> in which the power of the <a href="/facts/Emperor_of_Japan/efBDe6cj">Emperor</a> (Tennō) is limited to a <a href="/facts/Ceremonial_head_of_state/wbPngSaT">ceremonial role</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:140" href="#fn:140">140</a> Executive power is instead wielded by the <a href="/facts/Prime_Minister_of_Japan/RMknUoMt">Prime Minister of Japan</a> and his <a href="/facts/Cabinet_of_Japan/7BIow5ss">Cabinet</a>, whose sovereignty is vested in the Japanese people.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:141" href="#fn:141">141</a> <a href="/facts/Naruhito/33LCkP3B">Naruhito</a> is the Emperor of Japan, having succeeded his father <a href="/facts/Akihito/EUkB2Lt4">Akihito</a> upon his accession to the <a href="/facts/Chrysanthemum_Throne/dndoFGzW">Chrysanthemum Throne</a> in 2019.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:142" href="#fn:142">142</a>

Japan's legislative organ is the <a href="/facts/National_Diet/pxHWQLqb">National Diet</a>, a <a href="/facts/Bicameralism/qdbjFfpm">bicameral</a> <a href="/facts/Parliament/n2zfmmBC">parliament</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:143" href="#fn:143">143</a> It consists of a lower <a href="/facts/House_of_Representatives_(Japan)/WF3fWMHd">House of Representatives</a> with 465 seats, elected by popular vote every four years or when dissolved, and an upper <a href="/facts/House_of_Councillors/W4jCM2wY">House of Councillors</a> with 245 seats, whose popularly-elected members serve six-year terms.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:144" href="#fn:144">144</a> There is <a href="/facts/Universal_suffrage/QXTRB4Lh">universal suffrage</a> for adults over 18 years of age,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:145" href="#fn:145">145</a> with a <a href="/facts/Secret_ballot/fSmU4239">secret ballot</a> for all elected offices.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:146" href="#fn:146">146</a> The prime minister as the <a href="/facts/Head_of_government/eHYPvGWL">head of government</a> has the power to appoint and dismiss <a href="/facts/Ministers_of_State/S242DEf3">Ministers of State</a>, and is <a href="/facts/Imperial_Investiture/hScq3N5w">appointed</a> by the emperor after being designated from among the members of the Diet.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:147" href="#fn:147">147</a> <a href="/facts/Shigeru_Ishiba/nLUMBWcD">Shigeru Ishiba</a> is Japan's prime minister; he took office after winning the <a href="/facts/2024_Liberal_Democratic_Party_(Japan)_presidential_election/10WL9kNp">2024 Liberal Democratic Party leadership election</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:148" href="#fn:148">148</a> The broadly conservative <a href="/facts/Liberal_Democratic_Party_(Japan)/RfsT20d0">Liberal Democratic Party</a> has been the <a href="/facts/Dominant-party_system/exEkhIj1">dominant party</a> in the country since the 1950s, often called the <a href="/facts/1955_System/Lr7XlGuG">1955 System</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:149" href="#fn:149">149</a>
Historically influenced by <a href="/facts/Chinese_law/u3AojdlY">Chinese law</a>, the Japanese legal system developed independently during the Edo period through texts such as <a href="/facts/Kujikata_Osadamegaki/AvuJn7B3">Kujikata Osadamegaki</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:150" href="#fn:150">150</a> Since the late 19th century, <a href="/facts/Judicial_system_of_Japan/rXA6p0lF">the judicial system</a> has been largely based on the <a href="/facts/Civil_law_(legal_system)/R878oQ6V">civil law</a> of Europe, notably Germany. In 1896, Japan established a <a href="/facts/Civil_code/aRH3U7VC">civil code</a> based on the German <a href="/facts/B%25C3%25BCrgerliches_Gesetzbuch/3yp6KL5t">Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch</a>, which remains in effect with post–World War II modifications.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:151" href="#fn:151">151</a> The <a href="/facts/Constitution_of_Japan/oBpfn5Lu">Constitution of Japan</a>, adopted in 1947, is the oldest unamended constitution in the world.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:152" href="#fn:152">152</a> Statutory law originates in the legislature, and the constitution requires that the emperor promulgate legislation passed by the Diet without giving him the power to oppose legislation. The main body of Japanese statutory law is called the <a href="/facts/Six_Codes/DggHaM59">Six Codes</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:153" href="#fn:153">153</a> Japan's court system is divided into four basic tiers: the <a href="/facts/Supreme_Court_of_Japan/VQEBdn4P">Supreme Court</a> and three levels of lower courts.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:154" href="#fn:154">154</a>

<h3>Administrative divisions</h3>
Main articles: <a href="/facts/Administrative_divisions_of_Japan/9R1YEaK1">Administrative divisions of Japan</a> and <a href="/facts/Prefectures_of_Japan/qfbjCbfH">Prefectures of Japan</a>
Japan is divided into 47 prefectures, each overseen by an elected <a href="/facts/Governor_(Japan)/ot4YpYwT">governor</a> and legislature.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:155" href="#fn:155">155</a> In the following table, the prefectures are grouped by <a href="/facts/List_of_regions_of_Japan/7tmohXU4">region</a>:<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:156" href="#fn:156">156</a>

<table><tbody><tr><td rowspan="2"></td><td>  <a href="/facts/Hokkaido/kwacDkYD">Hokkaido</a>1. <a href="/facts/Hokkaido/kwacDkYD">Hokkaido</a></td><td>  <a href="/facts/T%25C5%258Dhoku_region/Fbjx2y2E">Tōhoku</a>2. <a href="/facts/Aomori_Prefecture/sjDjA9f6">Aomori</a>3. <a href="/facts/Iwate_Prefecture/DbMGKFht">Iwate</a>4. <a href="/facts/Miyagi_Prefecture/kc47S92f">Miyagi</a>5. <a href="/facts/Akita_Prefecture/VuUofdDR">Akita</a>6. <a href="/facts/Yamagata_Prefecture/Vy2IW8Iw">Yamagata</a>7. <a href="/facts/Fukushima_Prefecture/a72kC69v">Fukushima</a></td><td>  <a href="/facts/Kant%25C5%258D_region/dVLy5bK2">Kantō</a>8. <a href="/facts/Ibaraki_Prefecture/NHAGk68w">Ibaraki</a>9. <a href="/facts/Tochigi_Prefecture/l460zpvk">Tochigi</a>10. <a href="/facts/Gunma_Prefecture/PfDqdGxt">Gunma</a>11. <a href="/facts/Saitama_Prefecture/4R0fXkgI">Saitama</a>12. <a href="/facts/Chiba_Prefecture/qKKbqBjg">Chiba</a>13. <a href="/facts/Tokyo/LttKYU40">Tokyo</a>14. <a href="/facts/Kanagawa_Prefecture/Bk6nhS9N">Kanagawa</a></td><td>  <a href="/facts/Ch%25C5%25ABbu_region/r7x5dVax">Chūbu</a>15. <a href="/facts/Niigata_Prefecture/StVhupn9">Niigata</a>16. <a href="/facts/Toyama_Prefecture/pXFHvh8q">Toyama</a>17. <a href="/facts/Ishikawa_Prefecture/Ut0xWbFr">Ishikawa</a>18. <a href="/facts/Fukui_Prefecture/a2UC9P13">Fukui</a>19. <a href="/facts/Yamanashi_Prefecture/lRdCCLjc">Yamanashi</a>20. <a href="/facts/Nagano_Prefecture/S5lbg8hC">Nagano</a>21. <a href="/facts/Gifu_Prefecture/3IRVpFjh">Gifu</a>22. <a href="/facts/Shizuoka_Prefecture/I9tJRlCk">Shizuoka</a>23. <a href="/facts/Aichi_Prefecture/SDqHPcjm">Aichi</a></td></tr><tr><td>  <a href="/facts/Kansai/ubuBp4Au">Kansai</a>24. <a href="/facts/Mie_Prefecture/1j7qCW8b">Mie</a>25. <a href="/facts/Shiga_Prefecture/CIFeTv5t">Shiga</a>26. <a href="/facts/Kyoto_Prefecture/v9q4S8Sk">Kyoto</a>27. <a href="/facts/Osaka_Prefecture/rm71nXeR">Osaka</a>28. <a href="/facts/Hy%25C5%258Dgo_Prefecture/0jRkfbQQ">Hyōgo</a>29. <a href="/facts/Nara_Prefecture/o2bmD2pH">Nara</a>30. <a href="/facts/Wakayama_Prefecture/Yj39Rrxo">Wakayama</a></td><td>  <a href="/facts/Ch%25C5%25ABgoku_region/ajT5LnM4">Chūgoku</a>31. <a href="/facts/Tottori_Prefecture/LjcbARC0">Tottori</a>32. <a href="/facts/Shimane_Prefecture/JnLR5V0o">Shimane</a>33. <a href="/facts/Okayama_Prefecture/6zoy5SoP">Okayama</a>34. <a href="/facts/Hiroshima_Prefecture/wqcNjVbL">Hiroshima</a>35. <a href="/facts/Yamaguchi_Prefecture/s843Mp0T">Yamaguchi</a></td><td>  <a href="/facts/Shikoku/j9cUI49U">Shikoku</a>36. <a href="/facts/Tokushima_Prefecture/TxBaSxcP">Tokushima</a>37. <a href="/facts/Kagawa_Prefecture/T27aaBoP">Kagawa</a>38. <a href="/facts/Ehime_Prefecture/ary9tbou">Ehime</a>39. <a href="/facts/K%25C5%258Dchi_Prefecture/vjEs0Rw6">Kōchi</a></td><td>  <a href="/facts/Ky%25C5%25ABsh%25C5%25AB/eM5yaMe3">Kyūshū</a>40. <a href="/facts/Fukuoka_Prefecture/5oWJfGgY">Fukuoka</a>41. <a href="/facts/Saga_Prefecture/pEu1LRxY">Saga</a>42. <a href="/facts/Nagasaki_Prefecture/8hhTwFuf">Nagasaki</a>43. <a href="/facts/Kumamoto_Prefecture/7TUxKpJe">Kumamoto</a>44. <a href="/facts/%25C5%258Cita_Prefecture/Ttyc5vGE">Ōita</a>45. <a href="/facts/Miyazaki_Prefecture/wlVb5cE9">Miyazaki</a>46. <a href="/facts/Kagoshima_Prefecture/MWe0sGLX">Kagoshima</a>47. <a href="/facts/Okinawa_Prefecture/2PNlxv5K">Okinawa</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

<h3>Foreign relations</h3>
Main article: <a href="/facts/Foreign_relations_of_Japan/MH15Dwx1">Foreign relations of Japan</a>

A member state of the United Nations since 1956, Japan is one of the <a href="/facts/G4_nations/9KcEFsFU">G4 countries</a> seeking reform of the <a href="/facts/United_Nations_Security_Council/ytwaz2e4">Security Council</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:157" href="#fn:157">157</a> Japan is a member of the <a href="/facts/G7/P5xVoq5y">G7</a>, <a href="/facts/Asia-Pacific_Economic_Cooperation/Y9uLYe1C">APEC</a>, and "<a href="/facts/ASEAN_Free_Trade_Area/xKb3CVNJ">ASEAN Plus Three</a>", and is a participant in the <a href="/facts/East_Asia_Summit/bKJuuBla">East Asia Summit</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:158" href="#fn:158">158</a> It is the world's <a href="/facts/List_of_development_aid_sovereign_state_donors/RU4qn9T2">fifth-largest donor</a> of <a href="/facts/Official_development_assistance/DRM4qwne">official development assistance</a>, donating US$9.2 billion in 2014.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:159" href="#fn:159">159</a> In 2024, Japan had the <a href="/facts/List_of_countries_by_number_of_diplomatic_missions/oFw4QbQm">fourth-largest diplomatic network</a> in the world.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:160" href="#fn:160">160</a>
Japan has close economic and military <a href="/facts/Japan%25E2%2580%2593United_States_relations/2WleM3h0">relations with the United States</a>, with which it maintains <a href="/facts/Treaty_of_Mutual_Cooperation_and_Security_between_the_United_States_and_Japan/L1WCT9hf">a security alliance</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:161" href="#fn:161">161</a> The United States is a major market for Japanese exports and a major source of Japanese imports, and is committed to defending the country, with military bases in Japan.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:162" href="#fn:162">162</a> In 2016, Japan announced the Free and Open Indo-Pacific vision, which frames its regional policies.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:163" href="#fn:163">163</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:164" href="#fn:164">164</a> Japan is also a member of the <a href="/facts/Quadrilateral_Security_Dialogue/D4VXu85Q">Quadrilateral Security Dialogue</a> ("the Quad"), a multilateral security dialogue reformed in 2017 aiming to limit Chinese influence in the <a href="/facts/Indo-Pacific/pVfP1gxV">Indo-Pacific</a> region, along with the United States, Australia, and India.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:165" href="#fn:165">165</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:166" href="#fn:166">166</a>
Japan is engaged in several territorial disputes with its neighbors. It contests Russia's control of the <a href="/facts/Kuril_Islands_dispute/bqKRj53z">Southern Kuril Islands</a>, which were occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:167" href="#fn:167">167</a> South Korea's control of the <a href="/facts/Liancourt_Rocks/nRcS2qlk">Liancourt Rocks</a> is acknowledged but not accepted as they are claimed by Japan.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:168" href="#fn:168">168</a> Japan has strained relations with China and Taiwan over the <a href="/facts/Senkaku_Islands/zjeET4GL">Senkaku Islands</a> and the status of <a href="/facts/Okinotorishima/05tV3lUo">Okinotorishima</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:169" href="#fn:169">169</a>

<h3>Military</h3>
Main article: <a href="/facts/Japan_Self-Defense_Forces/teNPuETA">Japan Self-Defense Forces</a>

Japan is the third highest-ranked Asian country in the 2024 <a href="/facts/Global_Peace_Index/Dvq9K3ED">Global Peace Index</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:170" href="#fn:170">170</a> It spent 1.4% of its total GDP on <a href="/facts/Military_budget_of_Japan/r4xn0lur">its defence budget</a> and maintained the <a href="/facts/List_of_countries_by_military_expenditures/QJemgRxr">tenth-largest military budget</a> in the world in 2024.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:171" href="#fn:171">171</a> The country's military, the Japan Self-Defense Forces (SJDF), is restricted by <a href="/facts/Article_9_of_the_Japanese_Constitution/XTgl1tVt">Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution</a>, which renounces Japan's right to declare war or use military force in international disputes.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:172" href="#fn:172">172</a> The military is governed by the <a href="/facts/Ministry_of_Defense_(Japan)/xBdEMBUe">Ministry of Defense</a>, and primarily consists of the <a href="/facts/Japan_Ground_Self-Defense_Force/zB6zcphP">Japan Ground Self-Defense Force</a>, the <a href="/facts/Japan_Maritime_Self-Defense_Force/PuSRom4Y">Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force</a>, and the <a href="/facts/Japan_Air_Self-Defense_Force/dbwdrwzf">Japan Air Self-Defense Force</a>. The <a href="/facts/Japanese_Iraq_Reconstruction_and_Support_Group/zrdItrGY">deployment of troops to Iraq</a> and Afghanistan marked the first overseas use of Japan's military since World War II.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:173" href="#fn:173">173</a>
The <a href="/facts/Government_of_Japan/HSvEeNXN">Government of Japan</a> has been making changes to its security policy which include the establishment of the <a href="/facts/National_Security_Council_(Japan)/G1ANrLh5">National Security Council</a>, the adoption of the National Security Strategy, and the development of the National Defense Program Guidelines.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:174" href="#fn:174">174</a> In May 2014, Prime Minister <a href="/facts/Shinzo_Abe/n6aG71Km">Shinzo Abe</a> said Japan wanted to shed the passiveness it has maintained since the end of World War II and take more responsibility for regional security.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:175" href="#fn:175">175</a> In December 2022, Prime Minister <a href="/facts/Fumio_Kishida/Nz43r6tW">Fumio Kishida</a> further confirmed this trend, instructing the government to increase spending by 65% until 2027.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:176" href="#fn:176">176</a> Recent tensions, particularly with North Korea and China, have reignited the debate over the status of the JSDF and its relation to Japanese society.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:177" href="#fn:177">177</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:178" href="#fn:178">178</a>

<h3>Law enforcement</h3>
Main articles: <a href="/facts/Law_enforcement_in_Japan/z0EapKIm">Law enforcement in Japan</a> and <a href="/facts/Crime_in_Japan/droyTtdt">Crime in Japan</a>

Domestic security in Japan is provided mainly by the <a href="/facts/Prefectural_police_department/HEKmdcPS">prefectural police departments</a>, under the oversight of the <a href="/facts/National_Police_Agency_(Japan)/52H423ha">National Police Agency</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:179" href="#fn:179">179</a> As the central coordinating body for the Prefectural Police Departments, the National Police Agency is administered by the <a href="/facts/National_Public_Safety_Commission_(Japan)/TJ6A7Pmo">National Public Safety Commission</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:180" href="#fn:180">180</a> The <a href="/facts/Special_Assault_Team/aVjJ58G0">Special Assault Team</a> comprises national-level <a href="/facts/Counter-terrorism/XSzTcfND">counter-terrorism</a> tactical units that cooperate with territorial-level <a href="/facts/Riot_Police_Unit/B4lkHsKG">Anti-Firearms Squads and Counter-NBC Terrorism Squads</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:181" href="#fn:181">181</a> The <a href="/facts/Japan_Coast_Guard/r6JRq5fA">Japan Coast Guard</a> guards territorial waters surrounding Japan and uses surveillance and control countermeasures against smuggling, marine <a href="/facts/Environmental_crime/KR8Kk9bs">environmental crime</a>, poaching, piracy, spy ships, unauthorized foreign fishing vessels, and illegal immigration.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:182" href="#fn:182">182</a>
The <a href="/facts/Firearm_and_Sword_Possession_Control_Law/d33SmR6v">Firearm and Sword Possession Control Law</a> strictly regulates the civilian ownership of guns, swords, and other weaponry.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:183" href="#fn:183">183</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:184" href="#fn:184">184</a> According to the <a href="/facts/United_Nations_Office_on_Drugs_and_Crime/6DxttWVq">United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime</a>, among the member states of the UN that report statistics as of 2018, the incidence rates of violent crimes such as murder, abduction, sexual violence, and robbery are very low in Japan.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:185" href="#fn:185">185</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:186" href="#fn:186">186</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:187" href="#fn:187">187</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:188" href="#fn:188">188</a>

<h3>Human rights</h3>
Main article: <a href="/facts/Human_rights_in_Japan/0bIlwITk">Human rights in Japan</a>
Japanese society traditionally places a strong emphasis on <a href="/facts/Wa_(Japanese_culture)/kS667Fxk">collective harmony</a> and <a href="/facts/Collectivism/J88lTIWB">conformity</a>, which has led to the suppression of <a href="/facts/Individual_rights/61eTJH1B">individual rights</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:189" href="#fn:189">189</a> <a href="/facts/Constitution_of_Japan/oBpfn5Lu">Japan's constitution</a> prohibits racial and religious discrimination,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:190" href="#fn:190">190</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:191" href="#fn:191">191</a> and the country is a signatory to numerous international human rights treaties.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:192" href="#fn:192">192</a> However, it lacks any laws against discrimination based on race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity and does not have a national human rights institution.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:193" href="#fn:193">193</a>
Japan has faced criticism for <a href="/facts/Gender_inequality_in_Japan/KakDjN7H">its gender inequality</a>,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:194" href="#fn:194">194</a> <a href="/facts/Same-sex_marriage_in_Japan/V67UkcoK">not allowing same-sex marriages</a>,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:195" href="#fn:195">195</a> use of <a href="/facts/Racial_profiling/ubS94PW6">racial profiling</a> by police,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:196" href="#fn:196">196</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:197" href="#fn:197">197</a> and <a href="/facts/Capital_punishment_in_Japan/IK4do3UW">allowing capital punishment</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:198" href="#fn:198">198</a> Other human rights issues include the treatment of marginalized groups, such as <a href="/facts/Racism_in_Japan/ta0uaGTA">ethnic minorities</a>,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:199" href="#fn:199">199</a> <a href="/facts/Immigration_to_Japan/Fl1GopVK">refugees and asylum seekers</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:200" href="#fn:200">200</a>

<h2 id="economy">Economy</h2>
Main article: <a href="/facts/Economy_of_Japan/2KUW30va">Economy of Japan</a>

Japan has the world's <a href="/facts/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(nominal)/k3Lf3RIL">fifth-largest economy by nominal GDP</a>, after that of the United States, China, Germany and India; and the <a href="/facts/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)/fDw3Ibeo">fifth-largest by PPP-adjusted GDP</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:201" href="#fn:201">201</a> As of 2023, <a href="/facts/Labor_market_of_Japan/YnFk73YD">Japan's labor force</a> is the world's <a href="/facts/List_of_countries_by_labour_force/7BCrwDuK">tenth-largest</a>, consisting of over 69.2 million workers.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:202" href="#fn:202">202</a> As of 2024, Japan has a <a href="/facts/List_of_countries_by_unemployment_rate/C7XNR6pN">low unemployment rate</a> of around 2.6%.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:203" href="#fn:203">203</a> <a href="/facts/Poverty_in_Japan/wlc39Va3">Its poverty rate</a> is the second highest among the G7 countries,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:204" href="#fn:204">204</a> and exceeds 15.7% of the population.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:205" href="#fn:205">205</a> Japan has the highest ratio of public debt to GDP among advanced economies,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:206" href="#fn:206">206</a> with <a href="/facts/National_debt_of_Japan/ce9RMrjC">a national debt</a> estimated at 248% relative to GDP as of 2022.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:207" href="#fn:207">207</a> The <a href="/facts/Japanese_yen/Txz0CFhd">Japanese yen</a> is the world's third-largest <a href="/facts/Reserve_currency/TsQLVutH">reserve currency</a> after the US dollar and the euro.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:208" href="#fn:208">208</a>
In 2022, Japan was the world's <a href="/facts/List_of_countries_by_exports/M6KuE0Gu">fifth-largest exporter</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:209" href="#fn:209">209</a> and <a href="/facts/List_of_countries_by_imports/DFYUJAtG">fourth-largest importer</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:210" href="#fn:210">210</a> Its exports amounted to 18.2% of its total GDP in 2021.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:211" href="#fn:211">211</a> In 2022, <a href="/facts/List_of_the_largest_trading_partners_of_Japan/GclVXdFQ">Japan's main export markets</a> were China (23.9%, including Hong Kong) and the United States (18.5%).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:212" href="#fn:212">212</a> <a href="/facts/List_of_exports_of_Japan/WzbEqrwI">Its main exports</a> are motor vehicles, iron and steel products, semiconductors, and auto parts.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:213" href="#fn:213">213</a> Japan's main import markets in 2022 were China (21.1%), the United States (9.9%), and Australia (9.8%).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:214" href="#fn:214">214</a> Japan's main imports are machinery and equipment, fossil fuels, foodstuffs, chemicals, and raw materials.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:215" href="#fn:215">215</a>
The Japanese variant of capitalism has many distinct features: <a href="/facts/Keiretsu/d0XJhu6K">keiretsu</a> enterprises are influential, <a href="/facts/Lifetime_employment/YDdKc1Rz">lifetime employment</a> and seniority-based career advancement are common in the <a href="/facts/Japanese_work_environment/A8NpBGad">Japanese work environment</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:216" href="#fn:216">216</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:217" href="#fn:217">217</a> Japan has a large <a href="/facts/Cooperative/kQFtXWzt">cooperative</a> sector, with three of the world's ten largest cooperatives, including the largest <a href="/facts/Consumer_cooperative/VvoXye4x">consumer cooperative</a> and the largest <a href="/facts/Agricultural_cooperative/AuNzt8lu">agricultural cooperative</a> as of 2018.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:218" href="#fn:218">218</a> It <a href="/facts/International_rankings_of_Japan/U01El8Ia">ranks highly</a> for <a href="/facts/Competition_(companies)/zscsQx5l">competitiveness</a> and <a href="/facts/Economic_freedom/daNgFbuQ">economic freedom</a>. Japan ranked sixth in the <a href="/facts/Global_Competitiveness_Report/BgQl7FrD">Global Competitiveness Report</a> in 2019.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:219" href="#fn:219">219</a> It attracted 36.9 million international tourists in 2024,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:220" href="#fn:220">220</a> and was <a href="/facts/World_Tourism_rankings/WHLW8GqP">ranked eleventh</a> in the world in 2019 for <a href="/facts/Inbound_tourism_(Japan)/m8SR78HD">inbound tourism</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:221" href="#fn:221">221</a> The 2021 <a href="/facts/Travel_and_Tourism_Competitiveness_Report/HBGHD2uW">Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report</a> ranked Japan first in the world out of 117 countries.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:222" href="#fn:222">222</a> Its international tourism receipts in 2019 amounted to $46.1 billion.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:223" href="#fn:223">223</a>

<h3>Agriculture and fishery</h3>
Main article: <a href="/facts/Agriculture%2c_forestry%2c_and_fishing_in_Japan/EWjoLMDw">Agriculture, forestry, and fishing in Japan</a>

The Japanese agricultural sector accounts for about 1.2% of the country's total GDP as of 2018.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:224" href="#fn:224">224</a> Only 11.2% of Japan's land is suitable for cultivation.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:225" href="#fn:225">225</a> Because of this lack of arable land, a system of <a href="/facts/Terrace_(earthworks)/L5yTzpdk">terraces</a> is used to farm in small areas.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:226" href="#fn:226">226</a> This results in one of the world's highest levels of crop yields per unit area, with an agricultural self-sufficiency rate of about 50% as of 2018.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:227" href="#fn:227">227</a> Japan's small agricultural sector is highly subsidized and <a href="/facts/Agricultural_Protectionism_in_Japan/UTflRxz1">protected</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:228" href="#fn:228">228</a> There has been a growing concern about farming as farmers are aging with a difficult time finding successors.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:229" href="#fn:229">229</a>
Japan ranked seventh in the world in <a href="/facts/Fishing_industry_by_country/tXJLrGMI">tonnage of fish caught</a> and captured 3,167,610 metric tons of fish in 2016, down from an annual average of 4,000,000 tons over the previous decade.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:230" href="#fn:230">230</a> Japan maintains one of the world's largest fishing fleets and accounts for nearly 15% of the global catch,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:231" href="#fn:231">231</a> prompting critiques that Japan's fishing is leading to depletion in fish stocks such as <a href="/facts/Tuna/7HtBI9EL">tuna</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:232" href="#fn:232">232</a> Japan has sparked controversy by supporting commercial <a href="/facts/Whaling_in_Japan/MDLbGjoU">whaling</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:233" href="#fn:233">233</a>

<h3>Industry and services</h3>
Main articles: <a href="/facts/Manufacturing_in_Japan/ls010IWQ">Manufacturing in Japan</a>, <a href="/facts/Trade_and_services_in_Japan/lHEvosMp">Trade and services in Japan</a>, <a href="/facts/Electronics_industry_in_Japan/bkz0eDpT">Electronics industry in Japan</a>, and <a href="/facts/Automotive_industry_in_Japan/8VkVTVod">Automotive industry in Japan</a>

Japan has a large industrial capacity and is home to some of the "largest and most technologically advanced producers of motor vehicles, <a href="/facts/Machine_tool/XPHaqz0p">machine tools</a>, steel and nonferrous metals, ships, <a href="/facts/Chemical_substance/EWcXU41d">chemical substances</a>, textiles, and <a href="/facts/Food_processing/2vRFfCL9">processed foods</a>".<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:234" href="#fn:234">234</a> Japan's industrial sector makes up approximately 27.5% of its GDP.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:235" href="#fn:235">235</a> The country's manufacturing output is the <a href="/facts/List_of_countries_by_manufacturing_output/3qW7bcdy">fourth highest</a> in the world as of 2023.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:236" href="#fn:236">236</a>
Japan is in the top three globally for both automobile production<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:237" href="#fn:237">237</a> and export,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:238" href="#fn:238">238</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:239" href="#fn:239">239</a> and is home to <a href="/facts/Toyota/wHIb40oG">Toyota</a>, the world's <a href="/facts/List_of_manufacturers_by_motor_vehicle_production/STMajhAt">largest automobile company by production</a>. The Japanese shipbuilding industry faces increasing competition from its East Asian neighbors, South Korea and China; a 2020 government initiative identified this sector as a target for increasing exports.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:240" href="#fn:240">240</a>
Once considered the strongest in the world, the <a href="/facts/Japanese_consumer_electronics_industry/bkz0eDpT">Japanese consumer electronics industry</a> is in a state of decline as regional competition arises in neighboring East Asian countries such as South Korea and China.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:241" href="#fn:241">241</a> However, <a href="/facts/Video_games_in_Japan/3JIUqUdS">Japan's video game sector</a> remains a major industry; in 2014, Japan's consumer video game market grossed $9.6 billion, with $5.8 billion coming from mobile gaming.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:242" href="#fn:242">242</a> By 2015, Japan had become the world's <a href="/facts/List_of_video_games_markets_by_country/URVtUsz6">fourth-largest</a> <a href="/facts/PC_game/AEDr23gA">PC game</a> market by revenue, behind <a href="/facts/Video_games_in_China/g4g7UH9q">China</a>, the <a href="/facts/Video_games_in_the_United_States/KAklxlf4">United States</a>, and <a href="/facts/Video_games_in_South_Korea/nARrjBym">South Korea</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:243" href="#fn:243">243</a>
Japan's service sector accounts for about 71.4% of its total economic output as of 2022.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:244" href="#fn:244">244</a> <a href="/facts/Banking_in_Japan/06Nj2cof">Banking</a>, retail, <a href="/facts/Transportation_in_Japan/xVh4xdrw">transportation</a>, and <a href="/facts/Telecommunications_in_Japan/I8BFpAKs">telecommunications</a> are all major industries, with companies such as Toyota, <a href="/facts/Mitsubishi_UFJ_Financial_Group/A6YuKAhw">Mitsubishi UFJ</a>, -<a href="/facts/Nippon_Telegraph_and_Telephone/a3gI457X">NTT</a>, <a href="/facts/Aeon_(company)/4thVPT8l">Aeon</a>, <a href="/facts/SoftBank_Group/rTPGcTJt">SoftBank</a>, <a href="/facts/Hitachi/KeK38e82">Hitachi</a>, and <a href="/facts/Itochu/y8SWFPn7">Itochu</a> listed as among the largest in the world.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:245" href="#fn:245">245</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:246" href="#fn:246">246</a>

<h3>Science and technology</h3>
Main articles: <a href="/facts/Science_and_technology_in_Japan/ydyfm3xb">Science and technology in Japan</a>, <a href="/facts/History_of_science_and_technology_in_Japan/JAk5Wcst">History of science and technology in Japan</a>, <a href="/facts/Research_and_development_in_Japan/HtH2vmX8">Research and development in Japan</a>, and <a href="/facts/List_of_Japanese_inventions_and_discoveries/kfntSrbA">List of Japanese inventions and discoveries</a>

Relative to gross domestic product, Japan's <a href="/facts/Research_and_development/2h5UddUu">research and development</a> budget is the <a href="/facts/List_of_sovereign_states_by_research_and_development_spending/FH9dHP6J">sixth or seventh highest</a> in the world,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:247" href="#fn:247">247</a> with 867,000 researchers sharing a 19-trillion-yen research and development budget as of 2017.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:248" href="#fn:248">248</a> Japan has the second highest number of researchers in science and technology per capita in the world with 14 per 1000 employees.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:249" href="#fn:249">249</a> The country has produced twenty-two <a href="/facts/Nobel_Prize/3z1Y3oFL">Nobel laureates</a> in either physics, chemistry or medicine,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:250" href="#fn:250">250</a> and three <a href="/facts/Fields_Medal/khFmkEnm">Fields medalists</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:251" href="#fn:251">251</a>
Japan leads the world in <a href="/facts/Japanese_robotics/Kw3HFT2m">robotics</a> production and use, supplying 45% of the world's 2020 total;<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:252" href="#fn:252">252</a> down from 55% in 2017.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:253" href="#fn:253">253</a>
The <a href="/facts/Japan_Aerospace_Exploration_Agency/ofUpflgf">Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency</a> is Japan's national <a href="/facts/Space_agency/2Hs0qa3x">space agency</a>; it conducts space, planetary, and aviation research, and leads development of rockets and satellites.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:254" href="#fn:254">254</a> It is a participant in the <a href="/facts/International_Space_Station/VNPUBz9m">International Space Station</a>: the <a href="/facts/Japanese_Experiment_Module/mhbSDHWF">Japanese Experiment Module</a> (Kibō) was added to the station during <a href="/facts/Space_Shuttle/7BoyetEv">Space Shuttle</a> assembly flights in 2008.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:255" href="#fn:255">255</a> The <a href="/facts/Space_probe/AeWRBITP">space probe</a> <a href="/facts/Akatsuki_(spacecraft)/PTq9l4CG">Akatsuki</a> was launched in 2010 and achieved orbit around Venus in 2015.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:256" href="#fn:256">256</a> Japan's plans in <a href="/facts/Space_exploration/2eKXYVdq">space exploration</a> include building a <a href="/facts/Colonization_of_the_Moon/Sc13PEu3">Moon base</a> and landing astronauts by 2030.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:257" href="#fn:257">257</a> In 2007, it launched lunar explorer <a href="/facts/SELENE/wQcBYEUG">SELENE</a> (Selenological and Engineering Explorer) from <a href="/facts/Tanegashima_Space_Center/PKLppwl8">Tanegashima Space Center</a>. The largest lunar mission since the <a href="/facts/Apollo_program/IC1Ek1Ao">Apollo program</a>, its purpose was to gather data on the <a href="/facts/Moon/zKHqEMPb">Moon's origin and evolution</a>. The explorer entered a lunar orbit on October 4, 2007,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:258" href="#fn:258">258</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:259" href="#fn:259">259</a> and was deliberately crashed into the Moon on June 11, 2009.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:260" href="#fn:260">260</a>

<h2 id="infrastructure">Infrastructure</h2>
<h3>Transportation</h3>
Main article: <a href="/facts/Transport_in_Japan/xVh4xdrw">Transport in Japan</a>

Japan has invested heavily in transportation infrastructure since the 1990s.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:261" href="#fn:261">261</a> The country has approximately 1,200,000 kilometers (750,000 miles) of roads made up of 1,000,000 kilometers (620,000 miles) of city, town and village roads, 130,000 kilometers (81,000 miles) of prefectural roads, 54,736 kilometers (34,011 miles) of general national highways and 7641 kilometers (4748 miles) of <a href="/facts/Expressways_of_Japan/6jXHpEz1">national expressways</a> as of 2017.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:262" href="#fn:262">262</a>
Since privatization in 1987,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:263" href="#fn:263">263</a> <a href="/facts/List_of_railway_companies_in_Japan/e3jAxawk">dozens of Japanese railway companies</a> compete in regional and local passenger transportation markets; major companies include seven <a href="/facts/Japan_Railways_Group/4XzU2Asw">JR</a> enterprises, <a href="/facts/Kintetsu_Railway/vVUXJIL6">Kintetsu</a>, <a href="/facts/Seibu_Railway/nMV4G3Kk">Seibu Railway</a> and <a href="/facts/Keio_Corporation/F1JKj6Fm">Keio Corporation</a>. The high-speed <a href="/facts/Shinkansen/Q3lH3fMJ">Shinkansen</a> (bullet trains) that connect major cities are known for their safety and punctuality.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:264" href="#fn:264">264</a>
There are <a href="/facts/List_of_airports_in_Japan/jTtPQV8T">280 airports in Japan</a> as of 2025.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:265" href="#fn:265">265</a> The largest domestic airport, <a href="/facts/Haneda_Airport/Yq2dK9GQ">Haneda Airport</a> in Tokyo, was Asia's <a href="/facts/List_of_busiest_airports_by_passenger_traffic/RC2ySbmH">second-busiest airport</a> in 2019.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:266" href="#fn:266">266</a> The Keihin and Hanshin superport hubs are among the largest in the world, at 7.98 and 5.22 million <a href="/facts/Twenty-foot_equivalent_unit/E2WU7lD5">TEU</a> respectively as of 2017.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:267" href="#fn:267">267</a>

<h3>Energy</h3>
Main article: <a href="/facts/Energy_in_Japan/uNIPxJRu">Energy in Japan</a>

As of 2019, 37.1% of energy in Japan is produced from petroleum, 25.1% from coal, 22.4% from <a href="/facts/Natural_gas/9MYQ7NAP">natural gas</a>, 3.5% from <a href="/facts/Hydropower/Adx1E5ha">hydropower</a> and 2.8% from <a href="/facts/Nuclear_power_in_Japan/oBzqCkqo">nuclear power</a>, among other sources. Nuclear power was down from 11.2 percent in 2010.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:268" href="#fn:268">268</a> By May 2012 all of <a href="/facts/List_of_nuclear_power_plants_in_Japan/tp91Sa0q">the country's nuclear power plants</a> had been taken offline because of ongoing public opposition following the <a href="/facts/Fukushima_nuclear_disaster/E74heuvS">Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster</a> in March 2011, though government officials continued to try to sway public opinion in favor of returning at least some to service.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:269" href="#fn:269">269</a> The <a href="/facts/Sendai_Nuclear_Power_Plant/sIwNtQvc">Sendai Nuclear Power Plant</a> restarted in 2015,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:270" href="#fn:270">270</a> and since then several other nuclear power plants have been restarted.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:271" href="#fn:271">271</a> Japan lacks significant domestic reserves and has a heavy dependence on <a href="/facts/List_of_countries_by_oil_imports/7xWdGP3p">imported energy</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:272" href="#fn:272">272</a> The country has therefore aimed to diversify its sources and maintain high levels of energy efficiency.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:273" href="#fn:273">273</a>

<h2 id="demographics">Demographics</h2>
Main articles: <a href="/facts/Demographics_of_Japan/mSIXJGyJ">Demographics of Japan</a>, <a href="/facts/Japanese_people/MSKDKv3J">Japanese people</a>, <a href="/facts/Ethnic_groups_of_Japan/jSa7SfKz">Ethnic groups of Japan</a>, <a href="/facts/List_of_metropolitan_areas_in_Japan/VnlL2pKB">List of metropolitan areas in Japan</a>, and <a href="/facts/List_of_cities_in_Japan/FyYyQ9Tc">List of cities in Japan</a>

Japan has a population of almost 123 million, of whom nearly 120 million are Japanese nationals (2024 estimates).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:274" href="#fn:274">274</a> A small population of foreign residents makes up the remainder.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:275" href="#fn:275">275</a> 
Japan is the world's <a href="/facts/Aging_of_Japan/Jtjz7esl">fastest aging country</a> and has the highest proportion of <a href="/facts/Elderly_people_in_Japan/ejs4fKKu">elderly citizens</a> of any country, comprising <a href="/facts/List_of_countries_by_age_structure/M1ucnL3r">one-third of its total population</a>;<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:276" href="#fn:276">276</a> this is the result of a <a href="/facts/Post%25E2%2580%2593World_War_II_baby_boom/dD77Y6Y4">post–World War II baby boom</a>, which was followed by an increase in life expectancy and a decrease in <a href="/facts/Birth_rate/t7GJHp2x">birth rates</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:277" href="#fn:277">277</a> Japan has a <a href="/facts/Total_fertility_rate/ugganzwn">total fertility rate</a> of 1.2, which is below the <a href="/facts/Sub-replacement_fertility/AG7SSeDT">replacement rate</a> of 2.1, and is among the world's <a href="/facts/List_of_countries_by_total_fertility_rate/KMc6HBtG">lowest</a>:<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:278" href="#fn:278">278</a> it has a <a href="/facts/Median_age/cXHBer8k">median age</a> of 48.4, the <a href="/facts/List_of_countries_by_median_age/EhgFVBBh">highest</a> in the world.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:279" href="#fn:279">279</a> As of 2025, over 29.3 percent of the population is over 65, or more than one in four out of the Japanese population.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:280" href="#fn:280">280</a> As a growing number of younger Japanese are not marrying or remaining childless,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:281" href="#fn:281">281</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:282" href="#fn:282">282</a> Japan's population is expected to drop to around 88 million by 2065.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:283" href="#fn:283">283</a>
The changes in demographic structure have created several social issues, particularly a decline in the workforce population and an increase in the cost of social security benefits.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:284" href="#fn:284">284</a> The Government of Japan projects that there will be almost one elderly person for each person of working age by 2060.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:285" href="#fn:285">285</a> <a href="/facts/Immigration_to_Japan/Fl1GopVK">Immigration</a> and birth incentives are sometimes suggested as a solution to provide younger workers to support the nation's aging population.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:286" href="#fn:286">286</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:287" href="#fn:287">287</a> On April 1, 2019, Japan's revised immigration law was enacted, protecting the rights of foreign workers to help reduce labor shortages in certain sectors.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:288" href="#fn:288">288</a>
In 2023, 92% of the total Japanese population lived in cities.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:289" href="#fn:289">289</a> The capital city, Tokyo, has a population of 13.9 million (2022).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:290" href="#fn:290">290</a> It is part of the <a href="/facts/Greater_Tokyo_Area/bhIGJ86E">Greater Tokyo Area</a>, the <a href="/facts/List_of_metropolitan_areas_by_population/5eVR5sk2">biggest metropolitan area</a> in the world with 37.4 million people (2024).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:291" href="#fn:291">291</a> Japan is an ethnically and culturally <a href="/facts/List_of_countries_ranked_by_ethnic_and_cultural_diversity_level/CqIw8W6f">homogeneous society</a>,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:292" href="#fn:292">292</a> with the <a href="/facts/Japanese_people/MSKDKv3J">Japanese people</a> forming 97.4% of the country's population.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:293" href="#fn:293">293</a> Minority ethnic groups in the country include the indigenous <a href="/facts/Ainu_people/odg3PUUW">Ainu</a> and <a href="/facts/Ryukyuan_people/oCd8tWza">Ryukyuan people</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:294" href="#fn:294">294</a> <a href="/facts/Koreans_in_Japan/eHLqgj8J">Zainichi Koreans</a>,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:295" href="#fn:295">295</a> <a href="/facts/Chinese_people_in_Japan/MWK97bDE">Chinese</a>,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:296" href="#fn:296">296</a> <a href="/facts/Filipinos_in_Japan/GPkUeNC2">Filipinos</a>,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:297" href="#fn:297">297</a> Brazilians mostly <a href="/facts/Japanese_Brazilian/fSuo93HA">of Japanese descent</a>,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:298" href="#fn:298">298</a> and Peruvians mostly <a href="/facts/Japanese_Peruvian/uj1UJfsB">of Japanese descent</a> are also among Japan's small minority groups.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:299" href="#fn:299">299</a> <a href="/facts/Burakumin/Dy4eFC7w">Burakumin</a> make up a social minority group.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:300" href="#fn:300">300</a>

<table><tbody><tr><th colspan="10"> <ul><li>v</li><li>t</li><li>e</li></ul> Largest cities or towns in Japan<a href="https://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/kokusei/2015/final_en/excel/s06.xls">2015 Census</a></th></tr><tr><th><a href="/facts/List_of_cities_in_Japan_by_population/FyYyQ9Tc">Rank</a></th><th><a href="/facts/List_of_cities_in_Japan/FyYyQ9Tc">Name</a></th><th><a href="/facts/Prefectures_of_Japan/qfbjCbfH">Prefecture</a></th><th><a href="/facts/List_of_cities_in_Japan_by_population/FyYyQ9Tc">Pop.</a></th><th><a href="/facts/List_of_cities_in_Japan_by_population/FyYyQ9Tc">Rank</a></th><th><a href="/facts/List_of_cities_in_Japan/FyYyQ9Tc">Name</a></th><th><a href="/facts/Prefectures_of_Japan/qfbjCbfH">Prefecture</a></th><th><a href="/facts/List_of_cities_in_Japan_by_population/FyYyQ9Tc">Pop.</a></th></tr><tr><td>1</td><td><a href="/facts/Tokyo/LttKYU40">Tokyo</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Tokyo/LttKYU40">Tokyo</a></td><td>9,272,740</td><td>11</td><td><a href="/facts/Hiroshima/WuFDhz14">Hiroshima</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Hiroshima_Prefecture/wqcNjVbL">Hiroshima</a></td><td>1,194,034</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td><a href="/facts/Yokohama/q5RcVlLf">Yokohama</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Kanagawa_Prefecture/Bk6nhS9N">Kanagawa</a></td><td>3,724,844</td><td>12</td><td><a href="/facts/Sendai/gG35qfWN">Sendai</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Miyagi_Prefecture/kc47S92f">Miyagi</a></td><td>1,082,159</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td><a href="/facts/Osaka/sbS1N7sl">Osaka</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Osaka_Prefecture/rm71nXeR">Osaka</a></td><td>2,691,185</td><td>13</td><td><a href="/facts/Chiba_(city)/BKECBG6N">Chiba</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Chiba_Prefecture/qKKbqBjg">Chiba</a></td><td>971,882</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td><a href="/facts/Nagoya/JPTK2v4M">Nagoya</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Aichi_Prefecture/SDqHPcjm">Aichi</a></td><td>2,295,638</td><td>14</td><td><a href="/facts/Kitakyushu/QhQxhqgG">Kitakyushu</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Fukuoka_Prefecture/5oWJfGgY">Fukuoka</a></td><td>961,286</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td><a href="/facts/Sapporo/xuIvvHvU">Sapporo</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Hokkaido/kwacDkYD">Hokkaido</a></td><td>1,952,356</td><td>15</td><td><a href="/facts/Sakai/WnGw33GD">Sakai</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Osaka_Prefecture/rm71nXeR">Osaka</a></td><td>839,310</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td><a href="/facts/Fukuoka/VV7zC0TJ">Fukuoka</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Fukuoka_Prefecture/5oWJfGgY">Fukuoka</a></td><td>1,538,681</td><td>16</td><td><a href="/facts/Niigata_(city)/0kKBcpPU">Niigata</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Niigata_Prefecture/StVhupn9">Niigata</a></td><td>810,157</td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td><a href="/facts/Kobe/zkQWVpkt">Kobe</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Hy%25C5%258Dgo_Prefecture/0jRkfbQQ">Hyōgo</a></td><td>1,537,272</td><td>17</td><td><a href="/facts/Hamamatsu/jpRRjcNR">Hamamatsu</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Shizuoka_Prefecture/I9tJRlCk">Shizuoka</a></td><td>797,980</td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td><a href="/facts/Kawasaki%2c_Kanagawa/DhAHG2A7">Kawasaki</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Kanagawa_Prefecture/Bk6nhS9N">Kanagawa</a></td><td>1,475,213</td><td>18</td><td><a href="/facts/Kumamoto/N2QCLKfD">Kumamoto</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Kumamoto_Prefecture/7TUxKpJe">Kumamoto</a></td><td>740,822</td></tr><tr><td>9</td><td><a href="/facts/Kyoto/gUWtvjfd">Kyoto</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Kyoto_Prefecture/v9q4S8Sk">Kyoto</a></td><td>1,475,183</td><td>19</td><td><a href="/facts/Sagamihara/7pzm1N70">Sagamihara</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Kanagawa_Prefecture/Bk6nhS9N">Kanagawa</a></td><td>720,780</td></tr><tr><td>10</td><td><a href="/facts/Saitama_(city)/usDlEQnP">Saitama</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Saitama_Prefecture/4R0fXkgI">Saitama</a></td><td>1,263,979</td><td>20</td><td><a href="/facts/Okayama/GqWrn6M4">Okayama</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Okayama_Prefecture/6zoy5SoP">Okayama</a></td><td>719,474</td></tr></tbody></table>
<h3>Languages</h3>
Main article: <a href="/facts/Languages_of_Japan/hyUTmCqH">Languages of Japan</a>

The <a href="/facts/Japanese_language/EEv485a5">Japanese language</a> is Japan's de facto national language and the primary written and spoken language of most people in the country.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:301" href="#fn:301">301</a> <a href="/facts/Japanese_writing_system/0Jt6VooH">Japanese writing</a> uses <a href="/facts/Kanji/E1IN7hVL">kanji</a> (<a href="/facts/Chinese_character/5pn1PFvj">Chinese characters</a>) and two sets of <a href="/facts/Kana/kQCM4maE">kana</a> (<a href="/facts/Syllabary/GCbFXaJ4">syllabaries</a> based on <a href="/facts/Cursive_script_(East_Asia)/acEfshtw">cursive script</a> and <a href="/facts/Radical_(Chinese_characters)/VzphA4Rc">radicals</a> used by kanji), as well as the <a href="/facts/Latin_alphabet/pqWVHpBz">Latin alphabet</a> and <a href="/facts/Arabic_numerals/LryNhh26">Arabic numerals</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:302" href="#fn:302">302</a> English has taken a major role in Japan as a business and international <a href="/facts/Link_language/dlGrD7ra">link language</a>, and is a compulsory subject at the junior and senior high school levels.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:303" href="#fn:303">303</a> <a href="/facts/Japanese_Sign_Language/AN7LNr5w">Japanese Sign Language</a> is the primary <a href="/facts/Sign_language/Wjfl9Db6">sign language</a> used in Japan and has gained some official recognition, but its usage has been historically hindered by discriminatory policies and a lack of educational support.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:304" href="#fn:304">304</a>
Besides Japanese, the <a href="/facts/Ryukyuan_languages/jusQa0ar">Ryukyuan languages</a> (<a href="/facts/Amami_%25C5%258Cshima_language/QnEGmWs3">Amami</a>, <a href="/facts/Kunigami_language/cIQq3rGr">Kunigami</a>, <a href="/facts/Okinawan_language/bvbI6K0S">Okinawan</a>, <a href="/facts/Miyakoan_language/tYAfVWAY">Miyako</a>, <a href="/facts/Yaeyama_language/lQVoTlxP">Yaeyama</a>, <a href="/facts/Yonaguni_language/hr1B2SEY">Yonaguni</a>), part of the <a href="/facts/Japonic_languages/SV2A3d5y">Japonic language family</a>, are spoken in the Ryukyu Islands chain.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:305" href="#fn:305">305</a> Few children learn these languages,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:306" href="#fn:306">306</a> but local governments have sought to increase awareness of the traditional languages.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:307" href="#fn:307">307</a> The <a href="/facts/Ainu_language/CsYQnHv0">Ainu language</a>, which is a <a href="/facts/Language_isolate/229etAHg">language isolate</a>, is <a href="/facts/Moribund_language/qcw97ryL">moribund</a>, with only a few native speakers remaining as of 2014.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:308" href="#fn:308">308</a> Additionally, a number of other languages are taught and used by ethnic minorities, immigrant communities, and a growing number of foreign-language students, such as <a href="/facts/Korean_language/dmNnRxAA">Korean</a> (including a distinct <a href="/facts/Zainichi_Korean_language/T8dg4dwH">Zainichi Korean dialect</a>), <a href="/facts/Chinese_language/771ruUY1">Chinese</a> and <a href="/facts/Portuguese_language/vr3Fwzw3">Portuguese</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:309" href="#fn:309">309</a>

<h3>Religion</h3>
Main article: <a href="/facts/Religion_in_Japan/JN9qRso6">Religion in Japan</a>

Japan's constitution guarantees full religious freedom.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:310" href="#fn:310">310</a> Upper estimates suggest that 84–96% of the Japanese population subscribe to <a href="/facts/Shinto/HAAJ0D9C">Shinto</a> as its indigenous religion.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:311" href="#fn:311">311</a> However, these estimates are based on people <a href="/facts/Danka_system/lIJpVghS">affiliated</a> with a temple, rather than the number of true believers. Many Japanese people practice both Shinto and <a href="/facts/Buddhism_in_Japan/eg1YQT5n">Buddhism</a>; they can identify with both religions or describe themselves as non-religious or spiritual.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:312" href="#fn:312">312</a> The level of participation in religious ceremonies as a cultural tradition remains high, especially during <a href="/facts/Japanese_festivals/CCJDA4t8">festivals</a> and occasions such as the <a href="/facts/Hatsum%25C5%258Dde/5PsCICsG">first shrine visit</a> of the <a href="/facts/Japanese_New_Year/HkfnNFEo">New Year</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:313" href="#fn:313">313</a> <a href="/facts/Taoism_in_Japan/4MXIhKRQ">Taoism</a> and <a href="/facts/Confucianism_in_Japan/859CLEVs">Confucianism</a> from China have also influenced Japanese beliefs and customs.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:314" href="#fn:314">314</a>
As of 2018, 1%<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:315" href="#fn:315">315</a> to 1.5% of the population are <a href="/facts/Christianity_in_Japan/yvNH2F46">Christians</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:316" href="#fn:316">316</a> Throughout the latest century, Western customs originally related to Christianity (including <a href="/facts/Marriage_in_Japan/FmCHeu74">Western style weddings</a>, <a href="/facts/Valentine%2527s_Day/63j6qsN8">Valentine's Day</a> and <a href="/facts/Christmas/EsuI0Gds">Christmas</a>) have become popular as secular customs among many Japanese.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:317" href="#fn:317">317</a>
About 90% of those practicing <a href="/facts/Islam_in_Japan/2SRCwmMr">Islam in Japan</a> are foreign-born migrants as of 2016.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:318" href="#fn:318">318</a> In 2018 there were an estimated 105 <a href="/facts/Mosque/U51uY78w">mosques</a> and 200,000 Muslims in Japan, 43,000 of which were Japanese nationals.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:319" href="#fn:319">319</a> Other minority religions include <a href="/facts/Hinduism_in_Japan/RhQGl8L1">Hinduism</a>, <a href="/facts/Judaism_in_Japan/roRjkNsC">Judaism</a>, and <a href="/facts/Bah%25C3%25A1%25CA%25BC%25C3%25AD_Faith_in_Japan/V98lu3BE">Baháʼí Faith</a>, as well as the <a href="/facts/Animist/jsPnJBuD">animist</a> beliefs of the Ainu.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:320" href="#fn:320">320</a>

<h3>Education</h3>
Main article: <a href="/facts/Education_in_Japan/K6Y3Bhab">Education in Japan</a>

Since the 1947 <a href="/facts/Fundamental_Law_of_Education/WKrYRRnp">Fundamental Law of Education</a>, compulsory education in Japan comprises <a href="/facts/Elementary_schools_in_Japan/AWxzyCmv">elementary</a> and <a href="/facts/Secondary_education_in_Japan/F4UXt08G">junior high school</a>, which together last for nine years.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:321" href="#fn:321">321</a> Almost all children continue their education at a three-year <a href="/facts/Secondary_education_in_Japan/F4UXt08G">senior high school</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:322" href="#fn:322">322</a> The top-ranking university in the country is the <a href="/facts/University_of_Tokyo/Td0xnQDF">University of Tokyo</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:323" href="#fn:323">323</a> Starting in April 2016, various schools began the academic year with elementary school and junior high school integrated into one nine-year compulsory schooling program; <a href="/facts/Ministry_of_Education%2c_Culture%2c_Sports%2c_Science_and_Technology/tx30zNfy">MEXT</a> plans for this approach to be adopted nationwide.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:324" href="#fn:324">324</a>
The <a href="/facts/Programme_for_International_Student_Assessment/KG9RF5hR">Programme for International Student Assessment</a> (PISA) coordinated by the OECD ranks the knowledge and skills of Japanese 15-year-olds as the third best in the world.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:325" href="#fn:325">325</a> Japan is one of the top-performing <a href="/facts/OECD/CI9W2zGv">OECD</a> countries in reading literacy, math, and sciences with the average student scoring 520 and has one of the world's highest-educated labor forces among OECD countries.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:326" href="#fn:326">326</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:327" href="#fn:327">327</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:328" href="#fn:328">328</a> It spent 7.4% of its total GDP on education in 2021.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:329" href="#fn:329">329</a> In 2021, the country ranked third for the percentage of 25- to 64-year-olds that have attained tertiary education with 55.6%.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:330" href="#fn:330">330</a> Approximately 65% of Japanese aged 25 to 34 have some form of tertiary education qualification, with bachelor's degrees being held by 34.2% of Japanese aged 25 to 64, the second most in the OECD after <a href="/facts/Education_in_South_Korea/lzGToldW">South Korea</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:331" href="#fn:331">331</a> Japanese women are more highly educated than the men: 59 percent of women possess a university degree, compared to 52 percent of men.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:332" href="#fn:332">332</a>

<h3>Health</h3>
Main articles: <a href="/facts/Health_in_Japan/o1XSQ2B6">Health in Japan</a> and <a href="/facts/Health_care_system_in_Japan/BF9kBS3Q">Health care system in Japan</a>

Health care in Japan is provided by national and local governments. Payment for personal medical services is offered through a universal health insurance system that provides relative equality of access, with fees set by a government committee. People without insurance through employers can participate in a national health insurance program administered by local governments.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:333" href="#fn:333">333</a> Since 1973, all elderly persons have been covered by government-sponsored insurance.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:334" href="#fn:334">334</a>
Japan spent 11.42% of its total GDP on healthcare in 2022.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:335" href="#fn:335">335</a> In 2020, the overall life expectancy in Japan at birth was 85 years (82 years for men and 88 years for women),<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:336" href="#fn:336">336</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:337" href="#fn:337">337</a> the <a href="/facts/List_of_countries_by_life_expectancy/qwatUAo1">highest</a> in the world;<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:338" href="#fn:338">338</a> while it had a very low <a href="/facts/Infant_mortality/zlUfrFPK">infant mortality rate</a> (2 per 1,000 <a href="/facts/Live_birth_(human)/6U8SFb5l">live births</a>).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:339" href="#fn:339">339</a> Since 1981, the principal cause of death in Japan is <a href="/facts/Cancer/PVW6n1D0">cancer</a>, which accounted for 27% of the total deaths in 2018—followed by <a href="/facts/Cardiovascular_disease/HD420nMv">cardiovascular diseases</a>, which led to 15% of the deaths.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:340" href="#fn:340">340</a> Japan has one of the world's <a href="/facts/Suicide_in_Japan/wjySlnDs">highest suicide rates</a>, which is considered a major social issue.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:341" href="#fn:341">341</a> Another significant public health issue is <a href="/facts/Smoking_in_Japan/X9PWjD9r">smoking among Japanese men</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:342" href="#fn:342">342</a> Japan has the lowest rate of heart disease in the OECD, and the lowest level of <a href="/facts/Dementia/T0MRDE9I">dementia</a> among developed countries.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:343" href="#fn:343">343</a>

<h2 id="culture">Culture</h2>
Main article: <a href="/facts/Culture_of_Japan/CrfFTRUp">Culture of Japan</a>
See also: <a href="/facts/Japanese_popular_culture/zv1UeJx4">Japanese popular culture</a>
Contemporary Japanese culture combines influences from Asia, Europe, and North America.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:344" href="#fn:344">344</a> Traditional Japanese arts include <a href="/facts/Japanese_handicrafts/D2dbekGF">crafts</a> such as <a href="/facts/Japanese_pottery_and_porcelain/0IPrw5G6">ceramics</a>, <a href="/facts/Kimono/0NBd91Sv">textiles</a>, <a href="/facts/Japanese_lacquerware/xgvfjIWD">lacquerware</a>, <a href="/facts/Japanese_sword/UDIjjSpU">swords</a>, and <a href="/facts/Japanese_traditional_dolls/XBw3Pb0w">dolls</a>; performances of <a href="/facts/Bunraku/hvnv4ICC">bunraku</a>, <a href="/facts/Kabuki/2oGaj1h1">kabuki</a>, <a href="/facts/Noh/XqdCbdte">noh</a>, <a href="/facts/Japanese_traditional_dance/ocgQ8dtW">dance</a>, and <a href="/facts/Rakugo/77268HMg">rakugo</a>; and other practices, the <a href="/facts/Japanese_tea_ceremony/Rg7HXLzk">tea ceremony</a>, <a href="/facts/Ikebana/eGqNoRUL">ikebana</a>, <a href="/facts/Japanese_martial_arts/xJJpr0aR">martial arts</a>, <a href="/facts/Japanese_calligraphy/f3IyrF46">calligraphy</a>, <a href="/facts/Origami/anFEky9j">origami</a>, <a href="/facts/Onsen/n2KkfSw6">onsen</a>, <a href="/facts/Geisha/IhstdKdD">Geisha</a>, and <a href="/facts/List_of_Japanese_games/Vd40coP7">games</a>. Japan has a developed system for the protection and promotion of both tangible and intangible <a href="/facts/Cultural_Properties_of_Japan/lkTfEhB4">Cultural Properties</a> and <a href="/facts/National_Treasures_of_Japan/vru7zxM2">National Treasures</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:345" href="#fn:345">345</a> <a href="/facts/List_of_World_Heritage_Sites_in_Japan/EPVsDQsv">Twenty-two sites</a> have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, eighteen of which are of cultural significance.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:346" href="#fn:346">346</a> Japan is considered a <a href="/facts/Cultural_superpower/nntw0QAa">cultural superpower</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:347" href="#fn:347">347</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:348" href="#fn:348">348</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:349" href="#fn:349">349</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:350" href="#fn:350">350</a>

<h3>Art and architecture</h3>
Main article: <a href="/facts/Japanese_art/DQB6uTfw">Japanese art</a>
Further information: <a href="/facts/Japanese_architecture/SgFdcFCo">Japanese architecture</a>, <a href="/facts/Japanese_garden/Dw4cMEcn">Japanese garden</a>, <a href="/facts/Japanese_esthetics/ro9tUWch">Japanese esthetics</a>, <a href="/facts/Japanese_painting/Ul98N2go">Japanese painting</a>, and <a href="/facts/Japanese_sculpture/0lmPtoSg">Japanese sculpture</a>

The history of Japanese painting exhibits synthesis and competition between native Japanese esthetics and imported ideas.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:351" href="#fn:351">351</a> The interaction between Japanese and European art has been significant: for example <a href="/facts/Ukiyo-e/gejNflnB">ukiyo-e</a> prints, which began to be exported in the 19th century in the movement known as <a href="/facts/Japonism/jp4CXfBR">Japonism</a>, had a significant influence on the development of modern art in the West, most notably on <a href="/facts/Post-Impressionism/18PBYXzn">post-Impressionism</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:352" href="#fn:352">352</a>
Japanese architecture is a combination of local and other influences. It has traditionally been typified by wooden or mud plaster structures, elevated slightly off the ground, with tiled or thatched roofs.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:353" href="#fn:353">353</a> <a href="/facts/Minka/oG6JQFlI">Traditional housing</a> and many <a href="/facts/Japanese_Buddhist_architecture/v5Rrgr3d">temple buildings</a> see the use of <a href="/facts/Tatami/h1sXMFXK">tatami</a> mats and <a href="/facts/Sh%25C5%258Dji/MwtFIX9t">sliding doors</a> that break down the distinction between rooms and indoor and outdoor space.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:354" href="#fn:354">354</a> Since the 19th century, Japan has incorporated much of Western <a href="/facts/Modern_architecture/T3F1gFrv">modern architecture</a> into construction and design.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:355" href="#fn:355">355</a> It was not until after World War II that Japanese architects made an impression on the international scene, firstly with the work of architects like <a href="/facts/Kenz%25C5%258D_Tange/krUrGnJT">Kenzō Tange</a> and then with movements like <a href="/facts/Metabolist_Movement/3H9KaWwS">Metabolism</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:356" href="#fn:356">356</a>

<h3>Literature and philosophy</h3>
Main articles: <a href="/facts/Japanese_literature/nasdY2wG">Japanese literature</a>, <a href="/facts/Japanese_poetry/BxTWQfvh">Japanese poetry</a>, and <a href="/facts/Japanese_philosophy/Gbk9KBDV">Japanese philosophy</a>

The earliest works of Japanese literature include the <a href="/facts/Kojiki/tlCyB96E">Kojiki</a> and <a href="/facts/Nihon_Shoki/5pClhB9u">Nihon Shoki</a> chronicles and the <a href="/facts/Man%2527y%25C5%258Dsh%25C5%25AB/Mm1Wh1eS">Man'yōshū</a> <a href="/facts/List_of_Japanese_poetry_anthologies/1ozImEe6">poetry anthology</a>, all from the 8th century and written in Chinese characters.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:357" href="#fn:357">357</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:358" href="#fn:358">358</a> In the early Heian period, the system of <a href="/facts/Phonogram_(linguistics)/HbQQXvXx">phonograms</a> known as kana (<a href="/facts/Hiragana/RTn1gxfS">hiragana</a> and <a href="/facts/Katakana/mmdWMTNr">katakana</a>) was developed.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:359" href="#fn:359">359</a> <a href="/facts/The_Tale_of_the_Bamboo_Cutter/lL9Ext3c">The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter</a> is considered the oldest extant Japanese narrative.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:360" href="#fn:360">360</a> An account of court life is given in <a href="/facts/The_Pillow_Book/QcL4x44P">The Pillow Book</a> by <a href="/facts/Sei_Sh%25C5%258Dnagon/mjxGP7Ks">Sei Shōnagon</a>, while <a href="/facts/The_Tale_of_Genji/VA8nN6sG">The Tale of Genji</a> by <a href="/facts/Murasaki_Shikibu/o9I2T2LL">Murasaki Shikibu</a> is often described as the world's first novel.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:361" href="#fn:361">361</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:362" href="#fn:362">362</a>
During the Edo period, the <a href="/facts/Ch%25C5%258Dnin/352gcwog">chōnin</a> ("townspeople") overtook the samurai aristocracy as producers and consumers of literature. The popularity of the works of <a href="/facts/Saikaku/u79SVm8x">Saikaku</a>, for example, reveals this change in readership and authorship, while <a href="/facts/Matsuo_Bash%25C5%258D/wqEabCKp">Bashō</a> revivified the poetic tradition of the <a href="/facts/Kokinsh%25C5%25AB/XD0N0eGj">Kokinshū</a> with his <a href="/facts/Haikai/pp3EzMpm">haikai</a> (<a href="/facts/Haiku/Hbmc82Ng">haiku</a>) and wrote the poetic travelogue <a href="/facts/Oku_no_Hosomichi/Gd50FFwW">Oku no Hosomichi</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:363" href="#fn:363">363</a> The Meiji era saw the decline of traditional literary forms as Japanese literature integrated Western influences. <a href="/facts/Natsume_S%25C5%258Dseki/beE7RCE3">Natsume Sōseki</a> and <a href="/facts/Mori_%25C5%258Cgai/yGaGN7yN">Mori Ōgai</a> were significant novelists in the early 20th century, followed by <a href="/facts/Ry%25C5%25ABnosuke_Akutagawa/YXxDh8So">Ryūnosuke Akutagawa</a>, <a href="/facts/Jun%2527ichir%25C5%258D_Tanizaki/hMruJhLH">Jun'ichirō Tanizaki</a>, <a href="/facts/Kaf%25C5%25AB_Nagai/mPKqB1kB">Kafū Nagai</a> and, more recently, <a href="/facts/Haruki_Murakami/aLu38tut">Haruki Murakami</a> and <a href="/facts/Kenji_Nakagami/aM1FMown">Kenji Nakagami</a>. Japan has two <a href="/facts/Nobel_Prize_in_Literature/wWVXbIbp">Nobel Prize-winning</a> authors – <a href="/facts/Yasunari_Kawabata/eE2byxC2">Yasunari Kawabata</a> (1968) and <a href="/facts/Kenzabur%25C5%258D_%25C5%258Ce/0XHPUzQV">Kenzaburō Ōe</a> (1994).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:364" href="#fn:364">364</a>
Japanese philosophy has historically been a <a href="/facts/Information_fusion/veGbc8F7">fusion</a> of both foreign, particularly <a href="/facts/Chinese_philosophy/Tx4ruDzB">Chinese</a> and <a href="/facts/Western_philosophy/4m6EnYCI">Western</a>, and uniquely Japanese elements. In its literary forms, Japanese philosophy began about fourteen centuries ago. Confucian ideals remain evident in the <a href="/facts/Japanese_society/CrfFTRUp">Japanese concept of society</a> and the self, and in the organization of the government and the structure of society.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:365" href="#fn:365">365</a> Buddhism has profoundly impacted Japanese psychology, metaphysics, and esthetics.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:366" href="#fn:366">366</a>

<h3>Performing arts</h3>
Main articles: <a href="/facts/Music_of_Japan/LbxJSdeg">Music of Japan</a> and <a href="/facts/Theatre_of_Japan/RjB6EN7g">Theatre of Japan</a>

Japanese music is eclectic and diverse. Many <a href="/facts/Traditional_Japanese_musical_instruments/JdlXATS0">instruments</a>, such as the <a href="/facts/Koto_(instrument)/MFCyLArP">koto</a>, were introduced in the 9th and 10th centuries. The popular <a href="/facts/Music_of_Japan/LbxJSdeg">folk music</a>, with the guitar-like <a href="/facts/Shamisen/K8MYXRnv">shamisen</a>, dates from the 16th century.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:367" href="#fn:367">367</a> Western classical music, introduced in the late 19th century, forms an integral part of Japanese culture.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:368" href="#fn:368">368</a> <a href="/facts/Taiko/87wRhLXu">Kumi-daiko</a> (ensemble drumming) was developed in postwar Japan and became very popular in North America.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:369" href="#fn:369">369</a> Popular music in post-war Japan has been heavily influenced by American and European trends, which has led to the evolution of <a href="/facts/J-pop/8czcWhyu">J-pop</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:370" href="#fn:370">370</a> <a href="/facts/Karaoke/BAnQITE2">Karaoke</a> is a significant cultural activity.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:371" href="#fn:371">371</a>
The four traditional theaters from Japan are <a href="/facts/Noh/XqdCbdte">noh</a>, <a href="/facts/Ky%25C5%258Dgen/1bA29gxD">kyōgen</a>, <a href="/facts/Kabuki/2oGaj1h1">kabuki</a>, and <a href="/facts/Bunraku/hvnv4ICC">bunraku</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:372" href="#fn:372">372</a> Noh is one of the oldest continuous theater traditions in the world.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:373" href="#fn:373">373</a>

<h3>Media</h3>
Main articles: <a href="/facts/Cinema_of_Japan/ggDBDANc">Cinema of Japan</a>, <a href="/facts/Manga/DPkkyHos">Manga</a>, <a href="/facts/Anime/d5j1by0m">Anime</a>, and <a href="/facts/Media_of_Japan/n1Hvnj8b">Media of Japan</a>
According to the 2015 NHK survey on television viewing in Japan, 79 percent of Japanese watch television daily.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:374" href="#fn:374">374</a> <a href="/facts/Japanese_television_drama/8gr5L5K7">Japanese television dramas</a> are viewed both within Japan and internationally.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:375" href="#fn:375">375</a> Many Japanese <a href="/facts/Media_franchise/IBzGhQjA">media franchises</a> have gained considerable global popularity and are among the world's <a href="/facts/List_of_highest-grossing_media_franchises/1NfBbxte">highest-grossing media franchises</a>. <a href="/facts/Japanese_newspapers/1DeNnKge">Japanese newspapers</a> are among the most circulated in the world as of 2016.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:376" href="#fn:376">376</a>
Japan has one of the oldest and largest film industries globally.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:377" href="#fn:377">377</a> <a href="/facts/Ishir%25C5%258D_Honda/B6avStSF">Ishirō Honda</a>'s <a href="/facts/Godzilla_(1954_film)/bGFMsbWB">Godzilla</a> became an international icon of Japan and spawned an entire subgenre of <a href="/facts/Kaiju/gfE8tVB0">kaiju</a> films, as well as the longest-running film franchise in history.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:378" href="#fn:378">378</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:379" href="#fn:379">379</a> Japanese comics, known as manga, developed in the mid-20th century and have become popular <a href="/facts/Manga_outside_Japan/A3cX3xRw">worldwide</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:380" href="#fn:380">380</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:381" href="#fn:381">381</a> A large number of <a href="/facts/List_of_best-selling_manga/nww4x7h3">manga series</a> have become some of the <a href="/facts/List_of_best-selling_comic_series/vGXr1KQn">best-selling comics series</a> of all time, rivalling the <a href="/facts/American_comic_book/RA0DTh5F">American comics industry</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:382" href="#fn:382">382</a> Japanese animated films and television series, known as anime, were largely influenced by Japanese manga and have become highly popular globally.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:383" href="#fn:383">383</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:384" href="#fn:384">384</a>

<h3>Holidays</h3>
Main articles: <a href="/facts/Public_holidays_in_Japan/8PLSkBYf">Public holidays in Japan</a> and <a href="/facts/Japanese_festivals/CCJDA4t8">Japanese festivals</a>

Officially, Japan has 16 national, government-recognized holidays. Public holidays in Japan are regulated by the Public Holiday Law (国民の祝日に関する法律, Kokumin no Shukujitsu ni Kansuru Hōritsu) of 1948.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:385" href="#fn:385">385</a> Beginning in 2000, Japan implemented the <a href="/facts/Happy_Monday_System/53ATcyxG">Happy Monday System</a>, which moved a number of national holidays to Monday in order to obtain a long weekend.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:386" href="#fn:386">386</a> The national holidays in Japan are <a href="/facts/Japanese_New_Year/HkfnNFEo">New Year's Day</a> on January 1, <a href="/facts/Coming_of_Age_Day/RbgWj8Wc">Coming of Age Day</a> on the second Monday of January, <a href="/facts/National_Foundation_Day_(Japan)/I40lVWkf">National Foundation Day</a> on February 11, <a href="/facts/The_Emperor%2527s_Birthday/cPPWQqWl">The Emperor's Birthday</a> on February 23, <a href="/facts/Vernal_Equinox_Day/SQYcgHoh">Vernal Equinox Day</a> on March 20 or 21, <a href="/facts/Sh%25C5%258Dwa_Day/xDVjohHC">Shōwa Day</a> on April 29, <a href="/facts/Constitution_Memorial_Day/AjI26P8L">Constitution Memorial Day</a> on May 3, <a href="/facts/Greenery_Day/pbNYHPLY">Greenery Day</a> on May 4, <a href="/facts/Children%2527s_Day_(Japan)/PpmywzGm">Children's Day</a> on May 5, <a href="/facts/Marine_Day/R1QrJNVE">Marine Day</a> on the third Monday of July, <a href="/facts/Mountain_Day/tReYL0IG">Mountain Day</a> on August 11, <a href="/facts/Respect_for_the_Aged_Day/KKg1fkBG">Respect for the Aged Day</a> on the third Monday of September, <a href="/facts/September_equinox/avAVQp1z">Autumnal Equinox</a> on September 23 or 24, <a href="/facts/Health_and_Sports_Day/WYRINl8n">Health and Sports Day</a> on the second Monday of October, <a href="/facts/Culture_Day/bGX6qf5o">Culture Day</a> on November 3, and <a href="/facts/Labor_Thanksgiving_Day/98uPmp21">Labor Thanksgiving Day</a> on November 23.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:387" href="#fn:387">387</a>

<h3>Cuisine</h3>
Main article: <a href="/facts/Japanese_cuisine/xIM9GWR6">Japanese cuisine</a>

Japanese cuisine offers a vast array of <a href="/facts/Japanese_regional_cuisine/PaErwnzJ">regional specialties</a> that use traditional recipes and local ingredients.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:388" href="#fn:388">388</a> Seafood and <a href="/facts/Japanese_rice/aW0vCRgI">Japanese rice</a> or <a href="/facts/Japanese_noodles/55xxnNBA">noodles</a> are traditional staples.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:389" href="#fn:389">389</a> <a href="/facts/Japanese_curry/7KMJmcLQ">Japanese curry</a>, since its introduction to Japan from <a href="/facts/British_Raj/hBe6wvPS">British India</a>, is so widely consumed that it can be termed a <a href="/facts/National_dish/o0wFWtbx">national dish</a>, alongside <a href="/facts/Ramen/1T9FRHH1">ramen</a> and <a href="/facts/Sushi/4WedU0r1">sushi</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:390" href="#fn:390">390</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:391" href="#fn:391">391</a> Traditional Japanese sweets are known as wagashi.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:392" href="#fn:392">392</a> Ingredients such as <a href="/facts/Red_bean_paste/SbdQjnQV">red bean paste</a> and <a href="/facts/Mochi/NHThxFKa">mochi</a> are used. More modern-day tastes include <a href="/facts/Green_tea_ice_cream/xsyrp1Dv">green tea ice cream</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:393" href="#fn:393">393</a>
Popular Japanese beverages include <a href="/facts/Sake/JAnXrMTz">sake</a>, a brewed rice beverage that typically contains 14–17% alcohol and is made by multiple fermentation of rice.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:394" href="#fn:394">394</a> Beer has been brewed in Japan since the late 17th century.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:395" href="#fn:395">395</a> <a href="/facts/Green_tea/IWfzB2Q2">Green tea</a> is produced in Japan and prepared in forms such as <a href="/facts/Matcha/RhVBq0QJ">matcha</a>, used in the <a href="/facts/Japanese_tea_ceremony/Rg7HXLzk">Japanese tea ceremony</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:396" href="#fn:396">396</a>

<h3>Sports</h3>
Main article: <a href="/facts/Sport_in_Japan/NUuTP0qs">Sport in Japan</a>

Traditionally, <a href="/facts/Sumo/IV1qRw4s">sumo</a> is considered Japan's national sport.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:397" href="#fn:397">397</a> Japanese martial arts such as <a href="/facts/Judo/9ahgSftI">judo</a> and <a href="/facts/Kendo/KrL4z0BU">kendo</a> are taught as part of the compulsory junior high school curriculum.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:398" href="#fn:398">398</a> <a href="/facts/Karate/WEDm95Tx">Karate</a>, which originated in the Ryukyu Kingdom, is popular across the world and has been <a href="/facts/Karate_at_the_Summer_Olympics/hdgj8Yn4">included</a> in the Olympic Games.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:399" href="#fn:399">399</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:400" href="#fn:400">400</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:401" href="#fn:401">401</a> <a href="/facts/Baseball_in_Japan/yYVp1EvF">Baseball</a> is the most popular sport in the country.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:402" href="#fn:402">402</a> Japan's top professional league, <a href="/facts/Nippon_Professional_Baseball/075nFHfG">Nippon Professional Baseball</a> (NPB), was established in 1936.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:403" href="#fn:403">403</a> Since the establishment of the <a href="/facts/J.League/wkt5Hhol">Japan Professional Football League</a> (J.League) in 1992, association football gained a wide following.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:404" href="#fn:404">404</a> The country co-hosted the <a href="/facts/2002_FIFA_World_Cup/0JjaNygg">2002 FIFA World Cup</a> with South Korea.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:405" href="#fn:405">405</a> Japan has one of the most successful football teams in Asia, winning the <a href="/facts/AFC_Asian_Cup/thbxz8In">Asian Cup</a> four times,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:406" href="#fn:406">406</a> and the <a href="/facts/2011_FIFA_Women%2527s_World_Cup/doTlW0sK">FIFA Women's World Cup</a> in 2011.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:407" href="#fn:407">407</a> Golf is also popular in Japan.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:408" href="#fn:408">408</a>
In <a href="/facts/Motorsport/7p78I1t2">motorsport</a>, Japanese automotive manufacturers have been successful in multiple different categories, with titles and victories in series such as <a href="/facts/Formula_One/BwdePyWY">Formula One</a>, <a href="/facts/Grand_Prix_motorcycle_racing/ghJpNpbu">MotoGP</a>, and the <a href="/facts/World_Rally_Championship/sNcRpfAM">World Rally Championship</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:409" href="#fn:409">409</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:410" href="#fn:410">410</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:411" href="#fn:411">411</a> Drivers from Japan have victories at the <a href="/facts/Indianapolis_500/zNasWCrK">Indianapolis 500</a> and the <a href="/facts/24_Hours_of_Le_Mans/lotVMp31">24 Hours of Le Mans</a> as well as podium finishes in Formula One, in addition to success in domestic championships.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:412" href="#fn:412">412</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:413" href="#fn:413">413</a> <a href="/facts/Super_GT/V1l1Po6N">Super GT</a> is the most popular national racing series in Japan, while <a href="/facts/Super_Formula_Championship/NPnnvVqX">Super Formula</a> is the top-level domestic open-wheel series.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:414" href="#fn:414">414</a> The country hosts major races such as the <a href="/facts/Japanese_Grand_Prix/5atczRcw">Japanese Grand Prix</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:415" href="#fn:415">415</a>
Japan hosted the Summer Olympics in <a href="/facts/1964_Summer_Olympics/bKtnaC4h">Tokyo in 1964</a> and the Winter Olympics in <a href="/facts/1972_Winter_Olympics/66Taho8B">Sapporo in 1972</a> and <a href="/facts/1998_Winter_Olympics/lxCs55tA">Nagano in 1998</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:416" href="#fn:416">416</a> The country hosted the official <a href="/facts/2006_Basketball_World_Championship/BlWb0LXU">2006 Basketball World Championship</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:417" href="#fn:417">417</a> and co-hosted the <a href="/facts/2023_Basketball_World_Championship/SgCw0ebF">2023 Basketball World Championship</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:418" href="#fn:418">418</a> Tokyo hosted the <a href="/facts/2020_Summer_Olympics/gDEUDyJh">2020 Summer Olympics</a> in 2021, making Tokyo the first Asian city to host the Olympics twice.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:419" href="#fn:419">419</a> The country gained the hosting rights for the official <a href="/facts/Women%2527s_Volleyball_World_Championship/LRBbdHGy">Women's Volleyball World Championship</a> on five occasions, more than any other country.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:420" href="#fn:420">420</a> Japan is the most successful Asian <a href="/facts/Rugby_Union/AJSbnB89">Rugby Union</a> country<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:421" href="#fn:421">421</a> and hosted the 2019 IRB <a href="/facts/Rugby_World_Cup/jV5g3dk6">Rugby World Cup</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:422" href="#fn:422">422</a>

<h2 id="see-also">See also</h2>
<ul>
<li>Japan portal</li></ul>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Index_of_Japan-related_articles/6B3yGvIM">Index of Japan-related articles</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Outline_of_Japan/5RjB58r3">Outline of Japan</a></li></ul>
<h2 id="notes">Notes</h2>

<h2 id="external-links">External links</h2>

Government

<ul><li><a href="https://www.japan.go.jp/">JapanGov – The Government of Japan</a> (in English)</li>
<li><a href="https://japan.kantei.go.jp/index.html">Prime Minister of Japan and His Cabinet Official website</a> (in English)</li>
<li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20161120104322/http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/eindex.html">The Imperial Household Agency</a> – official site of the Imperial House of Japan (archived November 20, 2016)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.ndl.go.jp/en/index.html">National Diet Library</a></li></ul>
General information

<ul><li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090421051351/http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/japan.htm">Japan</a> from <a href="/facts/University_of_Colorado_Boulder/SzsmJFb7">UCB</a> Libraries GovPubs (archived April 21, 2009)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-14918801">Japan</a> from <a href="/facts/BBC_News/oGAe2H8E">BBC News</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.oecd.org/japan/">Japan</a> from the <a href="/facts/Organisation_for_Economic_Co-operation_and_Development/CI9W2zGv">OECD</a></li>
<li> Geographic data related to <a href="https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/382313">Japan</a> at <a href="/facts/OpenStreetMap/Hd3yejum">OpenStreetMap</a></li></ul>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1">Japanese: 日本, Nihon [ɲihoꜜɴ] ⓘ or Nippon [ɲippoꜜɴ] ⓘ, formally 日本国, Nihon-koku or Nippon-koku. In Japanese, the name of the country as it appears on official documents, including the country's constitution, is 日本国, meaning "State of Japan". The short name 日本 is also often used officially. In English, the official name of the country is simply "Japan".[10] <a href="/wiki/Japanese_language" target="_blank">/wiki/Japanese_language</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:2">Schreiber, Mark (November 26, 2019). "You say 'Nihon', I say 'Nippon', or let's call the whole thing 'Japan'?". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on October 27, 2022. <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2019/11/26/language/nihon-nippon-japan/" target="_blank">https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2019/11/26/language/nihon-nippon-japan/</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
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<li id="fn:21">"Kofun Period (ca. 300–710)". Metropolitan Museum of Art. Archived from the original on February 21, 2018. Retrieved August 28, 2020. <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/kofu/hd_kofu.htm" target="_blank">http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/kofu/hd_kofu.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:21" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:22">"Yayoi Culture (ca. 300 B.C.–300 A.D.)". Metropolitan Museum of Art. Archived from the original on January 4, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2020. <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/yayo/hd_yayo.htm" target="_blank">http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/yayo/hd_yayo.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:22" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
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</ol>

Japan open-in-new

Japan