Japan

Japan
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This article is about the country. For other uses, see Japan (disambiguation).
"Nippon" redirects here. For other uses, see Nippon (disambiguation).

Japan


日本国



Nippon-koku



Nihon-koku

Flag

Imperial Seal

Anthem:


"Kimigayo"



"君が代"

Government Seal of Japan




五七桐 (Go-Shichi no Kiri?)

Capital
and largest city
Official languages

Tokyo
35°41′N 139°46′E35.683°N
139.767°E

None[1]
Aynu itak
Ryukyuan languages

Recognised regional
languages

Eastern Japanese
Western Japanese
several other Japanese dialects

National language

Japanese
98.5% Japanese

Ethnic groups ([2])

0.5% Korean
0.4% Chinese
0.6% other

Demonym
Government

Japanese
Unitary parliamentary democracy
under constitutional monarchy

- Emperor

Akihito

- Prime Minister

Shinzō Abe

Legislature

National Diet

- Upper house

House of Councillors

- Lower house

House of Representatives
Formation

-

National Foundation
Day

- Meiji Constitution

11 February 660 BC[3]
29 November 1890

- Current constitution 3 May 1947
-

San Francisco
Peace Treaty

28 April 1952
Area

- Total
- Water (%)

377,944 km2[4] (62nd)
145,925 sq mi
0.8
Population

- 2012 estimate

126,659,683[5] (10th)

- 2010 census

128,056,026[6]

- Density
GDP (PPP)

337.1/km2 (36th)
873.1/sq mi
2012 estimate

- Total

$4.616 trillion[7] (4th)

- Per capita

$36,179[7] (25th)

GDP (nominal)

2012 estimate

- Total

$5.984 trillion[7] (3rd)

- Per capita

$46,895[7] (18th)

HDI (2013)

0.912[8]
very high · 10th

Currency

Yen (¥) / En (円 or 圓) (JPY)

Time zone

JST (UTC+9)

- Summer (DST)

not observed (UTC+9)
yyyy-mm-dd
yyyy 年 m 月 d 日

Date format

Era yy 年 m 月 d 日
(CE−1988)

Drives on the

left

Calling code

+81

ISO 3166 code

JP

Internet TLD

.jp

For an overview of Japanese topics, see the Index of Japan-related articles or the Japan portal.
See also Outline of Japan.
This article contains Japanese text.
Without proper rendering support, you
may see question marks, boxes, or other
symbols instead of kanji and kana.

Japan i/dʒəˈpæn/ (Japanese: 日本 Nihon or Nippon; formally 日本国 Nippon-koku or
Nihon-koku, literally "[the] State of Japan") is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the
Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and
Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the
south. The characters that make up Japan's name mean "sun-origin", which is why Japan is
sometimes referred to as the "Land of the Rising Sun".
Japan is an archipelago of 6,852 islands. The four largest islands are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu,
and Shikoku, which together comprise about ninety-seven percent of Japan's land area. Japan has
the world's tenth-largest population, with over 127 million people. Honshū's Greater Tokyo Area,
which includes the de facto capital city of Tokyo and several surrounding prefectures, is the
largest metropolitan area in the world, with over 30 million residents.
Archaeological research indicates that people lived in Japan as early as the Upper Paleolithic
period. The first written mention of Japan is in Chinese history texts from the 1st century AD.
Influence from other nations followed by long periods of isolation has characterized Japan's
history. From the 12th century until 1868, Japan was ruled by successive feudal military
dictatorships (shogunates) in the name of the Emperor. Japan entered into a long period of

isolation in the early 17th century, which was only ended in 1853 when a United States fleet
pressured Japan to open to the West. Nearly two decades of internal conflict and insurrection
followed before the Meiji Emperor was restored as head of state in 1868 and the Empire of Japan
was proclaimed, with the Emperor as a divine symbol of the nation. In the late 19th and early
20th centuries, victory in the First Sino-Japanese War, the Russo-Japanese War and World War I
allowed Japan to expand its empire during a period of increasing militarism. The Second SinoJapanese War of 1937 expanded into part of World War II in 1941, which came to an end in 1945
following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Since adopting its revised
constitution in 1947, Japan has maintained a unitary constitutional monarchy with an emperor
and an elected legislature called the Diet.
A major economic power,[2] Japan has the world's third-largest economy by nominal GDP and by
purchasing power parity. It is also the world's fourth-largest exporter and fourth-largest importer.
Although Japan has officially renounced its right to declare war, it maintains a modern military
with the sixth largest military budget,[9] used for self-defense and peacekeeping roles. After
Singapore, Japan has the lowest homicide rate (including attempted homicide) in the world.[10]
According to Japan's health ministry, Japanese women have the second highest life expectancy of
any country in the world.[11] According to the United Nations, Japan also has the third lowest
infant mortality rate.[12][13]

Contents
[hide]


1 Etymology



2 History
o 2.1 Prehistory and ancient history
o 2.2 Feudal era
o 2.3 Modern era



3 Government and politics



4 Foreign relations and military



5 Administrative divisions



6 Geography
o 6.1 Climate

o 6.2 Biodiversity
o 6.3 Environment


7 Economy
o 7.1 Science and technology
o 7.2 Infrastructure



8 Demographics
o 8.1 Religion
o 8.2 Languages
o 8.3 Education
o 8.4 Health



9 Culture
o 9.1 Art
o 9.2 Music
o 9.3 Literature
o 9.4 Cuisine
o 9.5 Sports



10 References



11 External links

Etymology
Main article: Names of Japan
The English word Japan derives from the Chinese pronunciation of the Japanese name, 日本,
pronounced Nippon listen (help·info) or Nihon listen (help·info) in Japanese. The pronunciation

Nippon is more formal, and is in Japanese used for most official purposes, including international
sporting events.
From the Meiji Restoration until the end of World War II, the full title of Japan was Dai Nippon
Teikoku (大日本帝國?), meaning "the Empire of Great Japan". Today the name Nippon-koku or
Nihon-koku (日本国?) is used as a formal modern-day equivalent; countries like Japan whose
long form does not contain a descriptive designation are generally given a name appended by the
character koku (国?), meaning "country", "nation" or "state".
Japanese people refer to themselves as Nihonjin (日本人?) and to their language as Nihongo (日
本語?). Both Nippon and Nihon mean "sun-origin" and are often translated as Land of the Rising
Sun. This nomenclature comes from Japanese missions to Imperial China and refers to Japan's
eastward position relative to China. Before Nihon came into official use, Japan was known as Wa
(倭?) or Wakoku (倭国?).[14]
The English word for Japan came to the West via early trade routes. The early Mandarin or
possibly Wu Chinese (吳語) pronunciation of Japan was recorded by Marco Polo as Cipangu. In
modern Shanghainese, a Wu dialect, the pronunciation of characters 日本 'Japan' is Zeppen
[zəʔpən]. The old Malay word for Japan, Jepang, was borrowed from a southern coastal Chinese
dialect, probably Fukienese or Ningpo,[15] and this Malay word was encountered by Portuguese
traders in Malacca in the 16th century. Portuguese traders were the first to bring the word to
Europe.[16] It was first recorded in English in a 1565 letter, spelled Giapan.[17]

History
Main article: History of Japan

Prehistory and ancient history

The Golden Hall and five-storey pagoda of Hōryū-ji, among the oldest wooden buildings in the
world, National Treasures, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site
A Paleolithic culture around 30,000 BC constitutes the first known habitation of the Japanese
archipelago. This was followed from around 14,000 BC (the start of the Jōmon period) by a
Mesolithic to Neolithic semi-sedentary hunter-gatherer culture, who include ancestors of both the
contemporary Ainu people and Yamato people,[18][19] characterized by pit dwelling and
rudimentary agriculture.[20] Decorated clay vessels from this period are some of the oldest

surviving examples of pottery in the world. Around 300 BC, the Yayoi people began to enter the
Japanese islands, intermingling with the Jōmon.[21] The Yayoi period, starting around 500 BC,
saw the introduction of practices like wet-rice farming,[22] a new style of pottery,[23] and
metallurgy, introduced from China and Korea.[24]
Japan first appears in written history in the Chinese Book of Han.[25] According to the Records of
the Three Kingdoms, the most powerful kingdom on the archipelago during the 3rd century was
called Yamataikoku. Buddhism was first introduced to Japan from Baekje of Korea, but the
subsequent development of Japanese Buddhism was primarily influenced by China.[26] Despite
early resistance, Buddhism was promoted by the ruling class and gained widespread acceptance
beginning in the Asuka period (592–710).[27]
The Nara period (710–784) of the 8th century marked the emergence of a strong Japanese state,
centered on an imperial court in Heijō-kyō (modern Nara). The Nara period is characterized by
the appearance of a nascent literature as well as the development of Buddhist-inspired art and
architecture.[28] The smallpox epidemic of 735–737 is believed to have killed as much as onethird of Japan's population.[29] In 784, Emperor Kammu moved the capital from Nara to
Nagaoka-kyō before relocating it to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto) in 794.

Byōdō-in (1053) is a temple of Pure Land Buddhism. It was registered to the UNESCO World
Heritage Site.
This marked the beginning of the Heian period (794–1185), during which a distinctly indigenous
Japanese culture emerged, noted for its art, poetry and prose. Lady Murasaki's The Tale of Genji
and the lyrics of Japan's national anthem Kimigayo were written during this time.[30]
Buddhism began to spread during the Heian era chiefly through two major sects, Tendai by
Saichō, and Shingon by Kūkai. Pure Land Buddhism (Jōdo-shū, Jōdo Shinshū) greatly becomes
popular in the latter half of the 11th century.

Feudal era
Japan's feudal era was characterized by the emergence and dominance of a ruling class of
warriors, the samurai. In 1185, following the defeat of the Taira clan, sung in the epic Tale of
Heike, samurai Minamoto no Yoritomo was appointed shogun and established a base of power in
Kamakura. After his death, the Hōjō clan came to power as regents for the shoguns. The Zen
school of Buddhism was introduced from China in the Kamakura period (1185–1333) and

became popular among the samurai class.[31] The Kamakura shogunate repelled Mongol
invasions in 1274 and 1281, but was eventually overthrown by Emperor Go-Daigo. Go-Daigo
was himself defeated by Ashikaga Takauji in 1336.

Ginkaku-ji in Kyoto (Higashiyama period in Muromachi Period, c. 1489). It was registered as
part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto".
Ashikaga Takauji establishes the shogunate in Muromachi, Kyoto. It is a start of Muromachi
Period (1336–1573). The Ashikaga shogunate receives glory in the age of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu,
and the culture based on Zen Buddhism (art of Miyabi) has prospered. It evolves to Higashiyama
Culture, and has prospered until the 16th century. On the other hand, the succeeding Ashikaga
shogunate failed to control the feudal warlords (daimyo), and a civil war (the Ōnin War) began in
1467, opening the century-long Sengoku period ("Warring States").[32]
During the 16th century, traders and Jesuit missionaries from Portugal reached Japan for the first
time, initiating direct commercial and cultural exchange between Japan and the West. Oda
Nobunaga conquered many other daimyo using European technology and firearms; after he was
assassinated in 1582, his successor Toyotomi Hideyoshi unified the nation in 1590. Hideyoshi
invaded Korea twice, but following defeats by Korean and Ming Chinese forces and Hideyoshi's
death, Japanese troops were withdrawn in 1598.[33] This age is called Azuchi–Momoyama period
(1573–1603).
Tokugawa Ieyasu served as regent for Hideyoshi's son and used his position to gain political and
military support. When open war broke out, he defeated rival clans in the Battle of Sekigahara in
1600. Ieyasu was appointed shogun in 1603 and established the Tokugawa shogunate at Edo
(modern Tokyo).[34] The Tokugawa shogunate enacted measures including buke shohatto, as a
code of conduct to control the autonomous daimyo;[35] and in 1639, the isolationist sakoku
("closed country") policy that spanned the two and a half centuries of tenuous political unity
known as the Edo period (1603–1868).[36] The study of Western sciences, known as rangaku,
continued through contact with the Dutch enclave at Dejima in Nagasaki. The Edo period also
gave rise to kokugaku ("national studies"), the study of Japan by the Japanese.[37]

Modern era
On 31 March 1854, Commodore Matthew Perry and the "Black Ships" of the United States Navy
forced the opening of Japan to the outside world with the Convention of Kanagawa. Subsequent

similar treaties with Western countries in the Bakumatsu period brought economic and political
crises. The resignation of the shogun led to the Boshin War and the establishment of a centralized
state nominally unified under the Emperor (the Meiji Restoration).[38]
Adopting Western political, judicial and military institutions, the Cabinet organized the Privy
Council, introduced the Meiji Constitution, and assembled the Imperial Diet. The Meiji
Restoration transformed the Empire of Japan into an industrialized world power that pursued
military conflict to expand its sphere of influence. After victories in the First Sino-Japanese War
(1894–1895) and the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905), Japan gained control of Taiwan, Korea,
and the southern half of Sakhalin.[39] Japan's population grew from 35 million in 1873 to 70
million in 1935.[40]

The Meiji Emperor (1868–1912), in whose name imperial rule was restored at the end of the
Tokugawa shogunate
The early 20th century saw a brief period of "Taishō democracy" overshadowed by increasing
expansionism and militarization. World War I enabled Japan, on the side of the victorious Allies,
to widen its influence and territorial holdings. It continued its expansionist policy by occupying
Manchuria in 1931; as a result of international condemnation of this occupation, Japan resigned
from the League of Nations two years later. In 1936, Japan signed the Anti-Comintern Pact with
Nazi Germany, and the 1940 Tripartite Pact made it one of the Axis Powers.[41] In 1941, Japan
negotiated the Soviet–Japanese Neutrality Pact.[42]
The Empire of Japan invaded other parts of China in 1937, precipitating the Second SinoJapanese War (1937–1945). The Imperial Japanese Army swiftly captured the capital Nanjing
and conducted the Nanking Massacre [43] . In 1940, the Empire then invaded French Indochina,
after which the United States placed an oil embargo on Japan.[44] On 7 December 1941, Japan
attacked the US naval base at Pearl Harbor and declared war, bringing the US into World War II.
[45][46]
After the Soviet invasion of Manchuria and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and
Nagasaki in 1945, Japan agreed to an unconditional surrender on 15 August.[47] The war cost
Japan and the rest of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere millions of lives and left much
of the nation's industry and infrastructure destroyed. The Allies (led by the US) repatriated
millions of ethnic Japanese from colonies and military camps throughout Asia, largely
eliminating the Japanese empire and restoring the independence of its conquered territories.[48]

The Allies also convened the International Military Tribunal for the Far East on 3 May 1946 to
prosecute some Japanese leaders for war crimes. However, the bacteriological research units and
members of the imperial family involved in the war were exonerated from criminal prosecutions
by the Supreme Allied Commander despite calls for trials for both groups.[49]
In 1947, Japan adopted a new constitution emphasizing liberal democratic practices. The Allied
occupation ended with the Treaty of San Francisco in 1952[50] and Japan was granted
membership in the United Nations in 1956. Japan later achieved rapid growth to become the
second-largest economy in the world, until surpassed by China in 2010. This ended in the mid1990s when Japan suffered a major recession. In the beginning of the 21st century, positive
growth has signaled a gradual economic recovery.[51] On 11 March 2011, Japan suffered the
strongest earthquake in its recorded history; this triggered the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear
disaster, one of the worst disasters in the history of nuclear power.[52]

Government and politics

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko
Japan is a constitutional monarchy where the power of the Emperor is very limited. As a
ceremonial figurehead, he is defined by the constitution as "the symbol of the state and of the
unity of the people". Power is held chiefly by the Prime Minister of Japan and other elected
members of the Diet, while sovereignty is vested in the Japanese people.[53] Akihito is the current
Emperor of Japan; Naruhito, Crown Prince of Japan, stands as next in line to the throne.
Japan's legislative organ is the National Diet, a bicameral parliament. The Diet consists of a
House of Representatives with 480 seats, elected by popular vote every four years or when
dissolved, and a House of Councillors of 242 seats, whose popularly elected members serve sixyear terms. There is universal suffrage for adults over 20 years of age,[2] with a secret ballot for
all elected offices.[53] The Diet is dominated by the social liberal Democratic Party of Japan and
the conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). The LDP has enjoyed near continuous
electoral success since 1955, except for a brief 11 month period between 1993 and 1994, and
from 2009 to 2012. It holds 294 seats in the lower house and 83 seats in the upper house.
The Prime Minister of Japan is the head of government and is appointed by the Emperor after
being designated by the Diet from among its members. The Prime Minister is the head of the

Cabinet, and he appoints and dismisses the Ministers of State. Following the LDP's landslide
victory in the 2012 general election, Shinzō Abe replaced Yoshihiko Noda as the Prime Minister
on 26 December 2012.[54] Although the Prime Minister is formally appointed by the Emperor, the
Constitution of Japan explicitly requires the Emperor to appoint whoever is designated by the
Diet.[53]
Historically influenced by Chinese law, the Japanese legal system developed independently
during the Edo period through texts such as Kujikata Osadamegaki.[55] However, since the late
19th century the judicial system has been largely based on the civil law of Europe, notably
Germany. For example, in 1896, the Japanese government established a civil code based on a
draft of the German Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch; with post–World War II modifications, the code
remains in effect.[56] Statutory law originates in Japan's legislature and has the rubber stamp of
the Emperor. The Constitution requires that the Emperor promulgate legislation passed by the
Diet, without specifically giving him the power to oppose legislation.[53] Japan's court system is
divided into four basic tiers: the Supreme Court and three levels of lower courts.[57] The main
body of Japanese statutory law is called the Six Codes.[58]

Foreign relations and military
Main articles: Foreign relations of Japan and Japan Self-Defense Forces

JDS Kongō (DDG-173) guided missile destroyer launching a Standard Missile 3 anti-ballistic
missile.
Japan is a member of the G8, APEC, and "ASEAN Plus Three", and is a participant in the East
Asia Summit. Japan signed a security pact with Australia in March 2007[59] and with India in
October 2008.[60] It is the world's third largest donor of official development assistance after the
United States and France, donating US$9.48 billion in 2009.[61]
Japan has close economic and military relations with the United States; the US-Japan security
alliance acts as the cornerstone of the nation's foreign policy.[62] A member state of the United
Nations since 1956, Japan has served as a non-permanent Security Council member for a total of
20 years, most recently for 2009 and 2010. It is one of the G4 nations seeking permanent
membership in the Security Council.[63]

Japan is engaged in several territorial disputes with its neighbors: with Russia over the South
Kuril Islands, with South Korea over the Liancourt Rocks, with China and Taiwan over the
Senkaku Islands, and with China over the EEZ around Okinotorishima.[64] Japan also faces an
ongoing dispute with North Korea over the latter's abduction of Japanese citizens and its nuclear
weapons and missile program (see also Six-party talks).[65]
Japan maintains one of the largest military budgets of any country in the world.[66] Japan
contributed non-combatant troops to the Iraq War but subsequently withdrew its forces.[67] The
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force is a regular participant in RIMPAC maritime exercises.[68]
Japan's military is restricted by Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, which renounces Japan's
right to declare war or use military force in international disputes. Japan's military is governed by
the Ministry of Defense, and primarily consists of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
(JGSDF), the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) and the Japan Air Self-Defense
Force (JASDF). The forces have been recently used in peacekeeping operations; the deployment
of troops to Iraq marked the first overseas use of Japan's military since World War II.[67] Nippon
Keidanren has called on the government to lift the ban on arms exports so that Japan can join
multinational projects such as the Joint Strike Fighter.[69]

Administrative divisions
Further information: Prefectures of Japan, Regions of Japan, Cities of Japan, Towns of Japan,
and Villages of Japan
Japan consists of forty-seven prefectures, each overseen by an elected governor, legislature and
administrative bureaucracy. Each prefecture is further divided into cities, towns and villages.[70]
The nation is currently undergoing administrative reorganization by merging many of the cities,
towns and villages with each other. This process will reduce the number of sub-prefecture
administrative regions and is expected to cut administrative costs.[71]

Geography
Main articles: Geography of Japan and Geology of Japan

Topographic map of the Japanese archipelago.

Hanami celebrations under the cherry blossom in Ueno Park, Tokyo.

Autumn maple leaves (momiji) at Kongōbu-ji on Mount Kōya, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Japan has a total of 6,852 islands extending along the Pacific coast of East Asia.[72][73] The
country, including all of the islands it controls, lies between latitudes 24° and 46°N, and
longitudes 122° and 146°E. The main islands, from north to south, are Hokkaidō, Honshū,
Shikoku and Kyūshū. The Ryūkyū Islands, including Okinawa, are a chain to the south of
Kyūshū. Together they are often known as the Japanese Archipelago.[74]

About 73 percent of Japan is forested, mountainous, and unsuitable for agricultural, industrial, or
residential use.[2][75] As a result, the habitable zones, mainly located in coastal areas, have
extremely high population densities. Japan is one of the most densely populated countries in the
world.[76]
The islands of Japan are located in a volcanic zone on the Pacific Ring of Fire. They are
primarily the result of large oceanic movements occurring over hundreds of millions of years
from the mid-Silurian to the Pleistocene as a result of the subduction of the Philippine Sea Plate
beneath the continental Amurian Plate and Okinawa Plate to the south, and subduction of the
Pacific Plate under the Okhotsk Plate to the north. Japan was originally attached to the eastern
coast of the Eurasian continent. The subducting plates pulled Japan eastward, opening the Sea of
Japan around 15 million years ago.[77]
Japan has 108 active volcanoes. Destructive earthquakes, often resulting in tsunami, occur
several times each century.[78] The 1923 Tokyo earthquake killed over 140,000 people.[79] More
recent major quakes are the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake and the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake, a
9.0-magnitude[80] quake which hit Japan on 11 March 2011, and triggered a large tsunami.[52] On
24 May 2012, 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of northeastern Japan. However, no
tsunami was generated.[81]

Climate
Main article: Climate of Japan
The climate of Japan is predominantly temperate, but varies greatly from north to south. Japan's
geographical features divide it into six principal climatic zones: Hokkaidō, Sea of Japan, Central
Highland, Seto Inland Sea, Pacific Ocean, and Ryūkyū Islands. The northernmost zone,
Hokkaido, has a humid continental climate with long, cold winters and very warm to cool
summers. Precipitation is not heavy, but the islands usually develop deep snowbanks in the
winter.[82]
In the Sea of Japan zone on Honshū's west coast, northwest winter winds bring heavy snowfall.
In the summer, the region is cooler than the Pacific area, though it sometimes experiences
extremely hot temperatures because of the foehn wind. The Central Highland has a typical inland
humid continental climate, with large temperature differences between summer and winter, and
between day and night; precipitation is light, though winters are usually snowy. The mountains
of the Chūgoku and Shikoku regions shelter the Seto Inland Sea from seasonal winds, bringing
mild weather year-round.[82]
The Pacific coast features a humid subtropical climate that experiences milder winters with
occasional snowfall and hot, humid summers because of the southeast seasonal wind. The
Ryukyu Islands have a subtropical climate, with warm winters and hot summers. Precipitation is
very heavy, especially during the rainy season. The generally humid, temperate climate exhibits
marked seasonal variation such as the blooming of the spring cherry blossoms, the calls of the
summer cicada and fall foliage colors that are celebrated in art and literature.[82]

The average winter temperature in Japan is 5.1 °C (41.2 °F) and the average summer temperature
is 25.2 °C (77.4 °F).[83] The highest temperature ever measured in Japan—40.9 °C (105.6 °F)—
was recorded on 16 August 2007.[84] The main rainy season begins in early May in Okinawa, and
the rain front gradually moves north until reaching Hokkaidō in late July. In most of Honshū, the
rainy season begins before the middle of June and lasts about six weeks. In late summer and
early autumn, typhoons often bring heavy rain.[85]

Biodiversity
Japan has nine forest ecoregions which reflect the climate and geography of the islands. They
range from subtropical moist broadleaf forests in the Ryūkyū and Bonin Islands, to temperate
broadleaf and mixed forests in the mild climate regions of the main islands, to temperate
coniferous forests in the cold, winter portions of the northern islands.[86] Japan has over 90,000
species of wildlife, including the brown bear, the Japanese macaque, the Japanese raccoon dog,
and the Japanese giant salamander.[87] A large network of national parks has been established to
protect important areas of flora and fauna as well as thirty-seven Ramsar wetland sites.[88][89] Four
sites have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List for their outstanding natural
value.[90]

Environment
Main article: Environmental issues in Japan
In the period of rapid economic growth after World War II, environmental policies were
downplayed by the government and industrial corporations; as a result, environmental pollution
was widespread in the 1950s and 1960s. Responding to rising concern about the problem, the
government introduced several environmental protection laws in 1970.[91] The oil crisis in 1973
also encouraged the efficient use of energy because of Japan's lack of natural resources.[92]
Current environmental issues include urban air pollution (NOx, suspended particulate matter, and
toxics), waste management, water eutrophication, nature conservation, climate change, chemical
management and international co-operation for conservation.[93]
Japan is one of the world's leaders in the development of new environment-friendly technologies,
and is ranked 20th best in the world in the 2010 Environmental Performance Index.[94] As a
signatory of the Kyoto Protocol, and host of the 1997 conference which created it, Japan is under
treaty obligation to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions and to take other steps to curb climate
change.[95]

Economy
Main article: Economy of Japan

The Tokyo Stock Exchange, the largest stock exchange in Asia.[96]
Some of the structural features for Japan's economic growth developed in the Edo period, such as
the network of transport routes, by road and water, and the futures contracts, banking and
insurance of the Osaka rice brokers.[97] During the Meiji period from 1868, Japan expanded
economically with the embrace of the market economy.[98] Many of today's enterprises were
founded at the time, and Japan emerged as the most developed nation in Asia.[99] The period of
overall real economic growth from the 1960s to the 1980s has been called the Japanese post-war
economic miracle: it averaged 7.5 percent in the 1960s and 1970s, and 3.2 percent in the 1980s
and early 1990s.[100]
Growth slowed markedly in the 1990s during what the Japanese call the Lost Decade, largely
because of the after-effects of the Japanese asset price bubble and domestic policies intended to
wring speculative excesses from the stock and real estate markets. Government efforts to revive
economic growth met with little success and were further hampered by the global slowdown in
2000.[2] The economy showed strong signs of recovery after 2005; GDP growth for that year was
2.8 percent, surpassing the growth rates of the US and European Union during the same period.
[101]

As of 2011, Japan is the third largest national economy in the world, after the United States and
China, in terms of nominal GDP,[102] and the third largest national economy in the world, after the
United States and China, in terms of purchasing power parity.[7] As of January 2011, Japan's
public debt was more than 200 percent of its annual gross domestic product, the largest of any
nation in the world. In August 2011, Moody's rating has cut Japan's long-term sovereign debt
rating one notch from Aa3 to Aa2 inline with the size of the country's deficit and borrowing
level. The large budget deficits and government debt since the 2009 global recession and

followed by earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 made the rating downgrade.[103] The service
sector accounts for three quarters of the gross domestic product.[104]
Japan has a large industrial capacity, and is home to some of the largest and most technologically
advanced producers of motor vehicles, electronics, machine tools, steel and nonferrous metals,
ships, chemical substances, textiles, and processed foods. Agricultural businesses in Japan
cultivate 13 percent of Japan's land, and Japan accounts for nearly 15 percent of the global fish
catch, second only to China.[2] As of 2010, Japan's labor force consisted of some 65.9 million
workers.[105] Japan has a low unemployment rate of around four percent. Almost one in six
Japanese, or 20 million people, lived in poverty in 2007.[106] Housing in Japan is characterized by
limited land supply in urban areas.[107]

A plug-in hybrid car manufactured by Toyota, one of the world's largest carmakers. Japan is the
second-largest producer of automobiles in the world.[108]
Japan's exports amounted to US$4,210 per capita in 2005. Japan's main export markets are China
(18.88 percent), the United States (16.42 percent), South Korea (8.13 percent), Taiwan (6.27
percent) and Hong Kong (5.49 percent) as of 2009. Its main exports are transportation
equipment, motor vehicles, electronics, electrical machinery and chemicals.[2] Japan's main
import markets as of 2009 are China (22.2 percent), the US (10.96 percent), Australia (6.29
percent), Saudi Arabia (5.29 percent), United Arab Emirates (4.12 percent), South Korea (3.98
percent) and Indonesia (3.95 percent).[109]
Japan's main imports are machinery and equipment, fossil fuels, foodstuffs (in particular beef),
chemicals, textiles and raw materials for its industries.[109] By market share measures, domestic
markets are the least open of any OECD country.[110] Junichiro Koizumi's administration began
some pro-competition reforms, and foreign investment in Japan has soared.[111]
Japan ranks 12th of 178 countries in the 2008 Ease of doing business index and has one of the
smallest tax revenues of the developed world. The Japanese variant of capitalism has many
distinct features: keiretsu enterprises are influential, and lifetime employment and senioritybased career advancement are relatively common in the Japanese work environment.[110][112]
Japanese companies are known for management methods like "The Toyota Way", and
shareholder activism is rare.[113]
Some of the largest enterprises in Japan include Toyota, Nintendo, NTT DoCoMo, Canon,
Honda, Takeda Pharmaceutical, Sony, Panasonic, Toshiba, Sharp, Nippon Steel, Nippon Oil, and

Seven & I Holdings Co..[114] It has some of the world's largest banks, and the Tokyo Stock
Exchange (known for its Nikkei 225 and TOPIX indices) stands as the second largest in the
world by market capitalization.[115] Japan is home to 326 companies from the Forbes Global 2000
or 16.3 percent (as of 2006).[116]

Science and technology
Main article: Science and technology in Japan

The Japanese Experiment Module(Kibo) at the International Space Station.
Japan is a leading nation in scientific research, particularly technology, machinery and
biomedical research. Nearly 700,000 researchers share a US$130 billion research and
development budget, the third largest in the world.[117] Japan is a world leader in fundamental
scientific research, having produced sixteen Nobel laureates in either physics, chemistry or
medicine,[118] three Fields medalists,[119] and one Gauss Prize laureate.[120] Some of Japan's more
prominent technological contributions are in the fields of electronics, automobiles, machinery,
earthquake engineering, industrial robotics, optics, chemicals, semiconductors and metals. Japan
leads the world in robotics production and use, possessing more than half (402,200 of 742,500)
of the world's industrial robots.[121]
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is Japan's space agency; it conducts space,
planetary, and aviation research, and leads development of rockets and satellites. It is a
participant in the International Space Station: the Japanese Experiment Module (Kibo) was
added to the station during Space Shuttle assembly flights in 2008.[122] Japan's plans in space
exploration include: launching a space probe to Venus, Akatsuki;[123][124] developing the Mercury
Magnetospheric Orbiter to be launched in 2013;[125][126] and building a moon base by 2030.[127]
On 14 September 2007, it launched lunar explorer "SELENE" (Selenological and Engineering
Explorer) on an H-IIA (Model H2A2022) carrier rocket from Tanegashima Space Center.
SELENE is also known as Kaguya, after the lunar princess of The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.[128]
Kaguya is the largest lunar mission since the Apollo program. Its purpose is to gather data on the
moon's origin and evolution. It entered a lunar orbit on 4 October,[129][130] flying at an altitude of
about 100 km (62 mi).[131] The probe's mission was ended when it was deliberately crashed by
JAXA into the Moon on 11 June 2009.[132]

Infrastructure

Main articles: Energy in Japan and Transport in Japan

Nozomi Shinkansen or 'Bullet Train' at Tokyo Station[133]
As of 2008, 46.4 percent of energy in Japan is produced from petroleum, 21.4 percent from coal,
16.7 percent from natural gas, 9.7 percent from nuclear power, and 2.9 percent from hydropower.
Nuclear power produced 25.1 percent of Japan's electricity, as of 2009.[134] However, as of 5 May
2012, all of the country's nuclear power plants had been taken offline because of ongoing public
opposition following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, though government officials have
been continuing to try to sway public opinion in favor of returning at least some of Japan's 50
nuclear reactors to service.[135] Given its heavy dependence on imported energy,[136] Japan has
aimed to diversify its sources and maintain high levels of energy efficiency.[137]
Japan's road spending has been extensive.[138] Its 1.2 million kilometers of paved road are the
main means of transportation.[139] A single network of high-speed, divided, limited-access toll
roads connects major cities and is operated by toll-collecting enterprises. New and used cars are
inexpensive; car ownership fees and fuel levies are used to promote energy efficiency. However,
at just 50 percent of all distance traveled, car usage is the lowest of all G8 countries.[140]
Dozens of Japanese railway companies compete in regional and local passenger transportation
markets; major companies include seven JR enterprises, Kintetsu Corporation, Seibu Railway
and Keio Corporation. Some 250 high-speed Shinkansen trains connect major cities and
Japanese trains are known for their safety and punctuality.[141][142] Proposals for a new Maglev
route between Tokyo and Osaka are at an advanced stage.[143] There are 173 airports in Japan; the
largest domestic airport, Haneda Airport, is Asia's second-busiest airport.[144] The largest
international gateways are Narita International Airport, Kansai International Airport and Chūbu
Centrair International Airport.[145] Nagoya Port is the country's largest and busiest port,
accounting for 10 percent of Japan's trade value.[146]

Demographics
Main articles: Demographics of Japan, Japanese people, and Ethnic issues in Japan

Ainu, an ethnic minority people from Japan

Japanese wedding at the Meiji Shrine
Japan's population is estimated at around 127.3 million,[2] with 80% of the population living on
Honshū. Japanese society is linguistically and culturally homogeneous,[147] composed of 98.5%
ethnic Japanese,[148] with small populations of foreign workers.[147] Zainichi Koreans,[149] Zainichi
Chinese, Filipinos, Brazilians mostly of Japanese descent,[150] and Peruvians mostly of Japanese
descent are among the small minority groups in Japan.[151] In 2003, there were about 134,700
non-Latin American Western and 345,500 Latin American expatriates, 274,700 of whom were
Brazilians (said to be primarily Japanese descendants, or nikkeijin, along with their spouses),[150]
the largest community of Westerners.[152]
The most dominant native ethnic group is the Yamato people; primary minority groups include
the indigenous Ainu[153] and Ryukyuan peoples, as well as social minority groups like the
burakumin.[154] There are persons of mixed ancestry incorporated among the 'ethnic Japanese' or
Yamato, such as those from Ogasawara Archipelago where roughly one-tenth of the Japanese
population can have European, American, Micronesian and/or Polynesian backgrounds, with
some families going back up to seven generations.[155] In spite of the widespread belief that Japan
is ethnically homogeneous (in 2009, foreign-born non-naturalized workers made up only 1.7% of
the total population),[156] also because of the absence of ethnicity and/or race statistics for
Japanese nationals, at least one analysis describes Japan as a multiethnic society, for example,
John Lie.[157] However, this statement is refused by many sectors of Japanese society, who still
tend to preserve the idea of Japan being a monocultural society and with this ideology of
homogeneity, has traditionally rejected any need to recognize ethnic differences in Japan, even as
such claims have been rejected by such ethnic minorities as the Ainu and Ryukyuan people.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Tarō Asō has once described Japan as being a nation of “one
race, one civilization, one language and one culture”.[158]
Japan has the longest overall life expectancy at birth of any country in the world: 83.5 years for
persons born in the period 2010–2015.[12][13] The Japanese population is rapidly aging as a result
of a post–World War II baby boom followed by a decrease in birth rates. In 2009, about 22.7
percent of the population was over 65, by 2050 almost 40 percent of the population will be aged
65 and over, as projected in December 2006.[159]
The changes in demographic structure have created a number of social issues, particularly a
potential decline in workforce population and increase in the cost of social security benefits like
the public pension plan. A growing number of younger Japanese are preferring not to marry or
have families.[160] In 2011, Japan's population dropped for a fifth year, falling by 204,000 people
to 126.24 million people. This is the greatest decline since at least 1947, the first year for which
government data are available. The 204,000 deaths included 15,844 people killed and 3,451 left
missing by the tsunami.[161]
Japan's population is expected to drop to 95 million by 2050,[159][162] demographers and
government planners are currently in a heated debate over how to cope with this problem.[160]
Immigration and birth incentives are sometimes suggested as a solution to provide younger
workers to support the nation's aging population.[163][164] Japan accepts a steady flow of 15,000
new Japanese citizens by naturalization (帰化) per year.[165] According to the UNHCR, in 2007
Japan accepted just 41 refugees for resettlement, while the US took in 50,000.[166]
Japan suffers from a high suicide rate.[167][168] In 2009, the number of suicides exceeded 30,000
for the twelfth straight year.[169] Suicide is the leading cause of death for people under 30.[170]

v
t
e

Largest cities or towns of Japan
2010 Census

Ran
k

City
name

Prefectu
re

Pop.

Ran
Prefectu
City name
k
re

Pop.

1 Tokyo

2

Tokyo

Yokohama

Tokyo

8,949,4
Hiroshim Hiroshim 1,174,2
11
47
a
a
09

Yokoham Kanagaw 3,689,6
12 Sendai
a
a
03

Miyagi

1,045,9
03

3 Osaka

Osaka

2,666,3
Kitakyush
13
Fukuoka 977,288
71
u

4 Nagoya

Aichi

2,263,9
14 Chiba
07

Chiba

962,130

5 Sapporo

Hokkaid
ō

1,914,4
15 Sakai
34

Osaka

842,134

6 Kobe

Hyōgo

1,544,8
16 Niigata
73

Niigata

812,192

7 Kyoto

Kyōto

1,474,4
Hamamat
17
Shizuoka 800,912
73
su

8 Fukuoka Fukuoka

9

1,463,8
Kumamot Kumamo
18
734,294
26
o
to

Kawasak Kanagaw 1,425,6
Sagamiha Kanagaw
19
717,561
i
a
78
ra
a

10 Saitama Saitama

Religion
Main article: Religion in Japan

1,222,9
20 Shizuoka Shizuoka 716,328
10

Osaka

Nagoya

Torii of Itsukushima Shrine near Hiroshima, one of the Three Views of Japan and a UNESCO
World Heritage Site
Japan enjoys full religious freedom based on Article 20 of its Constitution. Upper estimates
suggest that 84–96 percent of the Japanese population subscribe to Buddhism or Shinto,
including a large number of followers of a syncretism of both religions.[2][171] However, these
estimates are based on people affiliated with a temple, rather than the number of true believers.
Other studies have suggested that only 30 percent of the population identify themselves as
belonging to a religion.[172] According to Edwin Reischauer and Marius Jansen, some 70–80% of
the Japanese regularly tell pollsters they do not consider themselves believers in any religion.[173]
Nevertheless, the level of participation remains high, especially during festivals and occasions
such as the first shrine visit of the New Year. Taoism and Confucianism from China have also
influenced Japanese beliefs and customs.[174] Japanese streets are decorated on Tanabata, Obon
and Christmas. Fewer than one percent of Japanese are Christian.[175] Other minority religions
include Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Judaism, and since the mid-19th century numerous new
religious movements have emerged in Japan.[176]

Languages
Main articles: Languages of Japan and Japanese language
More than 99 percent of the population speaks Japanese as their first language.[2] Japanese is an
agglutinative language distinguished by a system of honorifics reflecting the hierarchical nature
of Japanese society, with verb forms and particular vocabulary indicating the relative status of
speaker and listener. Japanese writing uses kanji (Chinese characters) and two sets of kana
(syllabaries based on simplified Chinese characters), as well as the Latin alphabet and Arabic
numerals.[177]
Besides Japanese, the Ryukyuan languages, also part of the Japonic language family, are spoken
in Okinawa; however, few children learn these languages.[178] The Ainu language, which has no
proven relationship to Japanese or any other language, is moribund, with only a few elderly
native speakers remaining in Hokkaido.[179] Most public and private schools require students to
take courses in both Japanese and English.[180]

Education

Main article: Education in Japan

Announcement of the results of the entrance examinations to the University of Tokyo
Primary schools, secondary schools and universities were introduced in 1872 as a result of the
Meiji Restoration.[181] Since 1947, compulsory education in Japan comprises elementary and
middle school, which together last for nine years (from age 6 to age 15). Almost all children
continue their education at a three-year senior high school, and, according to the MEXT, as of
2005 about 75.9 percent of high school graduates attend a university, junior college, trade school,
or other higher education institution.[182]
The two top-ranking universities in Japan are the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University.[183]
[184]
The Programme for International Student Assessment coordinated by the OECD currently
ranks the overall knowledge and skills of Japanese 15-year-olds as sixth best in the world.[185]

Health
Main articles: Health in Japan and Health care system in Japan
In Japan, health care 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. Since 1973, all elderly persons have been covered by government-sponsored
insurance.[186] Patients are free to select the physicians or facilities of their choice.[187]

Culture

Kinkaku-ji or 'The Temple of the Golden Pavilion' in Kyoto, Special Historic Site, Special Place
of Scenic Beauty, and UNESCO World Heritage Site; its torching by a monk in 1950 is the
subject of a novel by Mishima.
Main articles: Culture of Japan, Japanese popular culture, and Japanese folklore
Japanese culture has evolved greatly from its origins. Contemporary culture combines influences
from Asia, Europe and North America. Traditional Japanese arts include crafts such as ceramics,
textiles, lacquerware, swords and dolls; performances of bunraku, kabuki, noh, dance, and
rakugo; and other practices, the tea ceremony, ikebana, martial arts, calligraphy, origami, onsen,
Geisha and games. Japan has a developed system for the protection and promotion of both
tangible and intangible Cultural Properties and National Treasures.[188] Sixteen sites have been
inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, twelve of which are of cultural significance.[189]

Art
Main articles: Japanese art, Japanese architecture, Japanese garden, and Japanese aesthetics

The Great Wave off Kanagawa, one of a series of woodblock prints by Hokusai.
The Shrines of Ise have been celebrated as the prototype of Japanese architecture.[190] Largely of
wood, traditional housing and many temple buildings see the use of tatami mats and sliding
doors that break down the distinction between rooms and indoor and outdoor space.[191] Japanese
sculpture, largely of wood, and Japanese painting are among the oldest of the Japanese arts, with
early figurative paintings dating back to at least 300 BC. The history of Japanese painting
exhibits synthesis and competition between native Japanese aesthetics and adaptation of
imported ideas.[192]

The interaction between Japanese and European art has been significant: for example ukiyo-e
prints, which began to be exported in the 19th century in the movement known as Japonism, had
a significant influence on the development of modern art in the West, most notably on postImpressionism.[192] Famous ukiyo-e artists include Hokusai and Hiroshige. The fusion of
traditional woodblock printing and Western art led to the creation of manga, a comic book format
that is now popular within and outside Japan.[193] Manga-influenced animation for television and
film is called anime. Japanese-made video game consoles have been popular since the 1980s.[194]

Music
Main article: Music of Japan
Japanese music is eclectic and diverse. Many instruments, such as the koto, were introduced in
the 9th and 10th centuries. The accompanied recitative of the Noh drama dates from the 14th
century and the popular folk music, with the guitar-like shamisen, from the sixteenth.[195] Western
classical music, introduced in the late 19th century, now forms an integral part of Japanese
culture. The imperial court ensemble Gagaku has influenced the work of some modern Western
composers.[196]
Notable classical composers from Japan include Toru Takemitsu and Rentarō Taki. Popular
music in post-war Japan has been heavily influenced by American and European trends, which
has led to the evolution of J-pop, or Japanese popular music.[197] Karaoke is the most widely
practiced cultural activity in Japan. A 1993 survey by the Cultural Affairs Agency found that
more Japanese had sung karaoke that year than had participated in traditional pursuits such as
flower arranging (ikebana) or tea ceremonies.[198]

Literature
Main articles: Japanese literature and Japanese poetry

12th-century illustrated handscroll of The Tale of Genji, a National Treasure
The earliest works of Japanese literature include the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki chronicles and the
Man'yōshū poetry anthology, all from the 8th century and written in Chinese characters.[199][200] In
the early Heian period, the system of phonograms known as kana (Hiragana and Katakana) was
developed. The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter is considered the oldest Japanese narrative.[201] An
account of Heian court life is given in The Pillow Book by Sei Shōnagon, while The Tale of
Genji by Murasaki Shikibu is often described as the world's first novel.[202][203]

During the Edo period, the chōnin ("townspeople") overtook the samurai aristocracy as
producers and consumers of literature. The popularity of the works of Saikaku, for example,
reveals this change in readership and authorship, while Bashō revivified the poetic tradition of
the Kokinshū with his haikai (haiku) and wrote the poetic travelogue Oku no Hosomichi.[204] The
Meiji era saw the decline of traditional literary forms as Japanese literature integrated Western
influences. Natsume Sōseki and Mori Ōgai were the first "modern" novelists of Japan, followed
by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, Jun'ichirō Tanizaki, Yukio Mishima and, more recently, Haruki
Murakami. Japan has two Nobel Prize-winning authors—Yasunari Kawabata (1968) and
Kenzaburō Ōe (1994).[201]

Cuisine
Main articles: Japanese cuisine and Kaiseki

Breakfast at a ryokan or inn
Japanese cuisine is based on combining staple foods, typically Japanese rice or noodles, with a
soup and okazu — dishes made from fish, vegetable, tofu and the like – to add flavor to the
staple food. In the early modern era ingredients such as red meats that had previously not been
widely used in Japan were introduced. Japanese cuisine is known for its emphasis on seasonality
of food,[205] quality of ingredients and presentation. Japanese cuisine offers a vast array of
regional specialties that use traditional recipes and local ingredients. The Michelin Guide has
awarded Japanese cities more Michelin stars than the rest of the world combined.[206]

Sports
Main article: Sport in Japan

Sumo wrestlers form around the referee during the ring-entering ceremony

Traditionally, sumo is considered Japan's national sport.[207] Japanese martial arts such as judo,
karate and kendo are also widely practiced and enjoyed by spectators in the country. After the
Meiji Restoration, many Western sports were introduced in Japan and began to spread through
the education system.[208] Japan hosted the Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 1964. Japan has hosted
the Winter Olympics twice: Sapporo in 1972 and Nagano in 1998.[209]
Baseball is currently the most popular spectator sport in the country. Japan's top professional
league, Nippon Professional Baseball, was established in 1936.[210]
Since the establishment of the Japan Professional Football League in 1992, association football
has also gained a wide following.[211] Japan was a venue of the Intercontinental Cup from 1981 to
2004 and co-hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup with South Korea.[212] Japan has one of the most
successful football teams in Asia, winning the Asian Cup four times.[213] Also, Japan recently won
the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2011.[214]
Golf is also popular in Japan,[215] as are forms of auto racing like the Super GT series and
Formula Nippon.[216] The country has produced one NBA player, Yuta Tabuse