Japan

{{Infobox Country Nippon-koku Japan ({{lang|ja|日本}} Nihon or Nippon {{sup|? }}, officially {{lang|ja|日本国}} {{Audio|Ja-nippon_nihonkoku.ogg|Nippon-koku}} or Nihon-koku) is an {{wp|island country}} in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of {{wp|People's Republic of China|China}}, {{wp|Korea}} and {{wp|Russia}}, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the {{wp|East China Sea}} in the south. The {{wp|kanji|characters}} that make up {{wp|Names of Japan|Japan's name}} mean "sun-origin", which is why Japan is sometimes identified as the "Land of the Rising Sun".
 * native_name = {{lang|ja|日本国}}
 * common_name = Japan
 * conventional_long_name = Japan
 * image_flag = Flag of Japan.svg
 * image_coat = Imperial Seal of Japan.svg
 * symbol_type = Imperial Seal
 * image_map = LocationMapJapan.png
 * national_anthem = {{nihongo|{{wp|Kimi ga Yo}}|君が代|}}
 * official_languages = {{wp|Japanese language|Japanese}}
 * demonym = Japanese
 * capital = {{wp|Tokyo}}{{sup|1}}
 * latd=35 |latm=41 |latNS=N |longd=139 |longm=46 |longEW=E
 * largest_city = capital
 * government_type = {{wp|Constitutional monarchy}}
 * leader_title1 = {{wp|Emperor of Japan|Emperor}}
 * leader_name1 = {{wp|Akihito}}
 * leader_title2 = {{wp|Prime Minister of Japan|Prime Minister}}
 * leader_name2 = {{wp|Yasuo Fukuda}}
 * area_rank = 62nd
 * area_magnitude = 1 E11
 * area_km2 = 377,873
 * area_sq_mi = 145,883

Japan comprises over three thousand islands, the largest of which are {{wp|Honshū}}, {{wp|Hokkaidō}}, {{wp|Kyūshū}} and {{wp|Shikoku}}, together accounting for 97% of land area. Most of the islands are {{wp|mountain}}ous, many {{wp|volcano|volcanic}}; for example, Japan’s highest peak, {{wp|Mount Fuji}}, is a volcano. Japan has the world's {{wp|List of countries by population|tenth largest population}}, with about 128 million people. The {{wp|Greater Tokyo Area}}, which includes {{wp|Capital of Japan|the capital city}} of {{wp|Tokyo}} and several surrounding {{wp|Japanese prefectures|prefectures}}, is the {{wp|World largest cities|largest metropolitan area}} in the world, with over 30 million residents.

{{wp|Archaeology|Archaeological}} research indicates that people were living on the islands of Japan as early as the Upper Paleolithic period. The first written mention of Japan begins with brief appearances in {{wp|History of China|Chinese history}} texts from the first century AD.

Influence from the outside world followed by long periods of isolation has characterized Japan's history. Since adopting its {{wp|Constitution of Japan|constitution}} in 1947, Japan has maintained a {{wp|Unitary state|unitary}} {{wp|constitutional monarchy}} with an {{wp|Emperor of Japan|emperor}} and an elected parliament, the {{wp|Diet of Japan|Diet}}.

A major economic power, Japan has the world's {{wp|List of countries by GDP (nominal)|second largest}} economy by {{wp|nominal GDP}}. It is a member of the {{wp|United Nations}}, {{wp|G8}}, {{wp|G4 nations|G4}} and {{wp|APEC}}, with the world's {{wp|List of countries by military expenditures|fifth largest defense budget}}. It is also the world's {{wp|List of countries by exports|fourth largest exporter}} and {{wp|List of countries by imports|sixth largest importer}} and a world leader in technology and machinery.

History
The first signs of occupation on the appeared with a  culture around, followed from around  by the , a  to  semi-sedentary  culture of pit dwelling and a rudimentary form of. Decorated clay vessels from this period, often with plaited patterns, are some of the oldest surviving examples of in the world.

The, starting around the third century BC, introduced new practices, such as wet-rice farming, and -making and a new style of pottery, brought by migrants from  or. With the development of Yayoi culture, a predominantly agricultural society emerged in Japan.

The Japanese first appear in written history in China’s . According to the Chinese , the most powerful kingdom on the archipelago during the third century was called.

Japan was first introduced to from, but the subsequent development of  and Buddhist sculptures were primarily influenced by. Despite early resistance, was promoted by the ruling class and eventually gained growing acceptance since the.

The of the eighth century marked the first emergence of a strong central Japanese state, centered around an imperial court in the city of, or modern day. In addition to the continuing adoption of Chinese administrative practices, the is characterized by the appearance of a nascent written literature with the completion of the massive chronicles ' (712) and ' (720).

In 784, moved the capital to  for a brief ten-year period, before relocating it to  (modern day ) in 794, where it remained for more than a millennium. This marked the beginning of the, during which time a distinctly indigenous Japanese culture emerged, noted for its , and. ' and the lyrics of modern Japan's national anthem, ' were written during this time.

Japan's era was characterized by the emergence of a ruling class of warriors, the. In 1185, following the defeat of the rival, was appointed  and established a base of power in. After Yoritomo's death, the came to rule as regents for the shoguns. Buddhism was introduced from China in the (1185–1333) and became popular among the samurai class. The managed to repel  in 1274 and 1281, aided by a storm that the Japanese interpreted as a, or Divine Wind. The Kamakura shogunate was eventually, who was soon himself defeated by in 1336. The succeeding failed to control the feudal warlords (), and a civil war erupted (the ) in 1467 which opened a century-long.

During the sixteenth century, traders and  from  reached Japan for the first time, initiating active commercial and cultural exchange between Japan and the West ().

conquered numerous other daimyo by using European technology and and had almost unified the nation when he was assassinated in 1582. succeeded Nobunaga and united the nation in 1590. Hideyoshi, but following several defeats by n and  forces and Hideyoshi's death, Japanese troops were withdrawn in 1598.



After Hideyoshi's death, utilized his position as regent for Hideyoshi's son  to gain political and military support. When open war broke out, he defeated rival clans in the in 1600. Ieyasu was appointed in 1603 and established the  at  (modern ). The Tokugawa shogunate enacted a variety of measures such as  to control the autonomous daimyo. In 1639, the shogunate began the isolationist  ("closed country") policy that spanned the two and a half centuries of tenuous political unity known as the. The study of Western sciences, known as , continued during this period through contacts with the enclave at  in. The Edo period also gave rise to , or literally "national studies", the study of Japan by the Japanese themselves.

On, , and the "" of the  forced the opening of Japan to the outside world with the. Subsequent similar treaties with the Western countries in the brought Japan into economic and political crises. The abundance of the prerogative and the resignation of the shogunate led to the and the establishment of  unified under the name of the Emperor. Adopting Western political, judicial and military institutions, the organized the, introduced the , and assembled the. The transformed the  into an  world power that embarked on a number of military conflicts to expand the nation's sphere of influence. After victories in the (1894–1895) and the  (1904–1905), Japan gained control of, , and the southern half of.

The early twentieth century saw a brief period of "" overshadowed by the rise of and. enabled Japan, which joined the side of the victorious, to. Japan continued its expansionist policy by occupying in 1931. As a result of, Japan resigned from the two years later. In 1936, Japan signed the with, joining the  in 1941.

In 1937, Japan invaded other parts of, precipitating the (1937–1945), after which the  placed an oil embargo on Japan. On, , Japan in  and declared war on the , the  and the. This act brought the United States into. After the of  and  in 1945, along with, Japan agreed to an  on. The war cost Japan millions of lives and left much of the country's industry and infrastructure destroyed. The, was convened by the (on , ) to prosecute Japanese leaders for  such as the.

In 1947, Japan adopted a new  emphasizing  practices. ended by the in 1952 and Japan was granted membership in the  in 1956. Japan later achieved to become the second largest economy in the world, with an annual growth rate averaging 10% for four decades. This ended in the mid-1990s when Japan suffered. Positive growth in the early twenty-first century has signaled a gradual recovery.

Government and politics


Japan is a where the power of the  is very limited. As a ceremonial figurehead, he is defined by the as "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people". Power is held chiefly by the and other elected members of the, while sovereignty is vested in the. The Emperor effectively acts as the on diplomatic occasions. is the current Emperor of Japan. , stands as next in line to the throne.

Japan's legislative organ is the, a bicameral. The Diet consists of a, containing 480 seats, elected by popular vote every four years or when dissolved and a of 242 seats, whose popularly-elected members serve six-year terms. There is for adults over 20 years of age, with a  for all elective offices. The  (LDP) has been in power since 1955, except for a short-lived  formed from opposition parties in 1993. The largest opposition party is the.

The Prime Minister of Japan is the. The position is appointed by the after being designated by the  from among its members and must enjoy the confidence of the  to remain in office. The Prime Minister is the head of the (the literal translation of his Japanese title is "Prime Minister of the Cabinet") and appoints and dismisses the, a majority of whom must be Diet members. currently serves as the Prime Minister of Japan.

Historically influenced by, the developed independently during the  through texts such as . However, since the late nineteenth century, the has been largely based on the  of, notably  and. For example, in 1896, the Japanese government established a based on the German model. With post-World War II modifications, the code remains in effect in present-day Japan. Statutory law originates in Japan's legislature, the National Diet of Japan, with the rubber-stamp approval of the Emperor. The current constitution requires that the Emperor promulgates legislation passed by the Diet, without specifically giving him the power to oppose the passing of the legislation. Japan's court system is divided into four basic tiers: the and three levels of lower courts. The main body of Japanese statutory law is a collection called the.

Foreign relations and military


Japan maintains close economic and military relations with its key ally the, with the serving as the cornerstone of its. A member state of the since 1956, Japan has served as a non-permanent  member for a, most recently in 2005–2006. It is also one of the seeking permanent membership in the Security Council. As a member of the, the , the "" and a participant in the , Japan actively participates in international affairs. It is also the world's second-largest donor of, donating 0.19% of its in 2004. Japan contributed non-combatant troops to the but subsequently withdrew its forces from.

Japan is engaged in several territorial disputes with its neighbors: with over the, with  over the , with  and  over the  and with China over the status of. Japan also faces an ongoing dispute with over its  and its  and missile program.

Japan's military is restricted by of the, which renounces Japan's right to declare war or use military force as a means of settling international disputes, although the current government is seeking to amend the Constitution via a referendum. Japan's military is governed by the, and primarily consists of the (JGSDF), the  (JMSDF) and the  (JASDF). The forces have been recently used in operations and the  marked the first overseas use of its military since.

Administrative divisions
While there exist eight commonly defined, administratively Japan consists of , each overseen by an elected governor, legislature and administrative bureaucracy. The is further divided into, each with the same powers as cities.

The nation is currently undergoing administrative 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.

Japan has dozens of, which play an important role in Japan's culture, heritage and economy. Those in the list below of the ten most populous are all prefectural capitals and, except where indicated:



a 23 municipalities. Also capital of Japan. b Government Ordinance City only.

Geography and climate


Japan is a country of over three thousand islands extending along the coast of Asia. The main islands, running from north to south, are, (the main island),  and. The, including , are a chain of islands south of Kyushū. Together they are often known as the.

About 70% to 80% of the country is forested, mountainous, and unsuitable for agricultural, industrial, or residential use. This is because of the generally steep elevations, climate and risk of landslides caused by earthquakes, soft ground and heavy rain. This has resulted in an extremely high population density in the habitable zones that are mainly located in coastal areas. Japan is the thirtieth in the world.

Its location on the, at the juncture of three tectonic plates, gives Japan frequent low-intensity tremors and occasional volcanic activity. Destructive s, often resulting in s, occur several times each century. The most recent major quakes are the and the  of 1995. are numerous and have been developed as resorts.

The climate of Japan is predominantly, but varies greatly from north to south. Japan's geographical features divide it into six principal climatic zones:
 * : The northernmost zone has a temperate climate with long, cold winters and cool summers. is not heavy, but the islands usually develop deep snow banks in the winter.
 * : On Honshū's west coast, the northwest wind in the wintertime brings heavy snowfall. In the summer, the region is cooler than the Pacific area, though it sometimes experiences extremely hot temperatures, because of the phenomenon.
 * : A typical inland climate, with large temperature differences between summer and winter, and between day and night. Precipitation is light.
 * : The mountains of the and  regions shelter the region from the seasonal winds, bringing mild weather throughout the year.
 * : The east coast experiences cold winters with little 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. are common.

The hottest temperature ever measured in Japan - 40.9 degrees Celsius - was recorded on August 16, 2007.

The main begins in early May in Okinawa, and the stationary rain front responsible for this gradually works its way north until it dissipates in northern Japan before 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, s often bring heavy rain.

Japan is home to nine forest which reflect the climate and geography of the islands. They range from in the Ryūkyū and Bonin islands, to  in the mild climate regions of the main islands, to  in the cold, winter portions of the northern islands.

Economy


Close - cooperation, a strong, mastery of nology, and a comparatively small have helped Japan become the  economy in the world, after the , at around US$4.5  in terms of  and third after the  and  in terms of.

ing,, , , and s are all major industries. Japan has a large industrial capacity and is home to some of the largest and most technologically advanced producers of s,, s, and nonferrous s, s, s, s and s. It is home to leading s and commercial s in  and. has long been one of Japan's largest industries, with the help of multi-billion dollar government contracts in the civil sector. Distinguishing characteristics of the Japanese economy have included the cooperation of manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and banks in closely-knit groups called  and the guarantee of in big corporations. Recently, Japanese companies have begun to abandon some of these norms in an attempt to increase profitability.



Japan is home to the world's largest bank,, which has roughly US$3.2 in s and others such as  (US$1.2 trillion ),  (US$1.4 trillion ) and  (US$1.3 trillion ). It is home to the world's second largest, the , with a market of over 549.7  Yen as of December 2006. It is also home to some of the largest companies, s and s. For instance several large s (business groups) and multinational companies such as, ,  and  own billion- and trillion- operating s,  and/or financial services such as , , ,  and.

From the 1960s to the 1980s, overall real economic growth has been called : a 10% average in the 1960s, a 5% average in the 1970s and a 4% average in the 1980s. Growth slowed markedly in the 1990s, largely because of the after-effects of 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 in 2000 to 2001 by the deceleration of the global economy. However, the economy showed strong signs of recovery after 2005. GDP growth for that year was 2.8%, with an annualized fourth quarter expansion of 5.5%, surpassing the growth rates of the US and during the same period.

Because only about 15% of Japan's land is suitable for cultivation, a system of terrace farming is used to build in small areas. This results in one of the world's highest levels of crop yields per unit area. However, Japan's small sector is also highly subsidized and protected. Japan must import about 50% of its requirements of and fodder crops other than rice, and it relies on imports for most of its supply of. In fishing, Japan is ranked second in the world behind in tonnage of fish caught. Japan maintains one of the world's largest fleets and accounts for nearly 15% of the global catch. Japan relies on foreign countries for almost all and.

Transportation in Japan is highly developed. As of 2004, there are 1,177,278 (731,683 s) of paved roadways, 173 airports, and 23,577 km (14,653 miles) of s. Air transport is mostly operated by  (ANA) and  (JAL). Railways are operated by among others. There are extensive international flights from many cities and countries to and from Japan.

Japan's main export partners are the 22.9%,  13.4%,  7.8%,  7.3% and  6.1% (for 2005). Japan's main exports are transport equipment,, , electrical machinery and s. With very limited to sustain economic development, Japan depends on other nations for most of its raw materials; thus it imports a wide variety of goods. Its main import partners are 21%,  12.7%,  5.5%,  4.9%,  4.7%,  4.7% and  4% (for 2005). Japan's main imports are machinery and equipment,, s (in particular ), , s and raw materials for its industries. Overall, Japan's largest trading partner is.

Science and technology


Japan is a leading nation in the fields of, , and. Nearly 700,000 researchers share a US$130 billion budget, the third largest in the world.

Some of Japan's more important technological contributions are found in the fields of, s, , , , s, and s. Japan leads the world in , possessing more than half (402,200 of 742,500) of the world's industrial robots used for manufacturing. It also produced, and. Japan is the world's largest producer of automobiles and home to six of the automobile manufacturers and seven of the   sales leaders.

Japan has significant plans in, including building a by 2030. The (JAXA) conducts space and planetary research, aviation research, and development of rockets and satellites. It also built the (Kibo), which is slated to be launched and added to the  during  assembly flights in 2007 and 2008.

Demographics
Japan's population is estimated at around 127.4 million. For the most part, Japanese society is and culturally homogeneous with small populations of foreign workers, s,, ,  and others. The most dominant native is the ; the primary s include the indigenous  and, as well as social minority groups like the .

Japan has one of the highest rates in the world, at 81.25 years of age as of 2006. However, the Japanese population is rapidly aging, the effect of followed by a decrease in births in the latter part of the twentieth century. In 2004, about 19.5% of the population was over the age of 65.

The changes in the demographic structure have created a number of social issues, particularly a potential decline in the workforce population and increases in the cost of social security benefits such as the. It is also noted that many Japanese youth are increasingly preferring not to or have families as adults. Japan's population is expected to drop to 100 million by 2050 and to 64 million by 2100. Demographers and government planners are currently in a heated debate over how to cope with this problem. and birth incentives are sometimes suggested as a solution to provide younger workers to support the nation's aging population. Immigration, however, is not popular.

Around 84% of Japanese people profess to believe both (the indigenous religion of Japan) and. Buddhism, and  from China have significantly influenced Japanese beliefs and mythology. Religion in Japan tends to be in nature, and this results in a variety of practices, such as parents and children celebrating  rituals, students praying before exams, couples holding a wedding at a   and funerals being held at  temples. A minority (0.7%) profess to. In addition, since the mid-19th century, numerous religious sects () have emerged in Japan.

About 99% of the population speaks as their first language. It is an distinguished by a system of  reflecting the  nature of Japanese society, with verb forms and particular vocabulary which indicate the relative status of speaker and listener. Japanese has borrowed or derived large amounts of vocabulary from and, since the end of World War II,. The uses  (s) and two sets of  ( based on simplified Chinese characters), as well as the  and. The, also part of the to which Japanese belongs, are spoken in , but few children learn these languages. The is, with only a few elderly  remaining in. Most public and private schools require students to take courses in both Japanese and English.

Education and health
Primary, secondary schools and universities were introduced into Japan in 1872 as a result of the. Since 1947, compulsory education in Japan consists of and, which lasts for nine years (from age 6 to age 15). Almost all children continue their education at a three-year senior, and, according to the , about 75.9% of high school graduates attend a , , trade school, or other post-secondary institution in 2005. Japan's education is very competitive, especially for entrance to institutions of higher education. According to, the two top-ranking universities in Japan are the and.

In Japan, healthcare services are provided by national and local governments. Payment for personal medical services is offered through a universal health care 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. Patients are free to select physicians or facilities of their choice.

Culture and recreation


has evolved greatly over the years, from the country's original culture to its contemporary culture, which combines influences from,  and. Traditional s include (,, , , ware, ), performances , traditions  and. The fusion of traditional and Western art led to the creation of, a typically Japanese  format that is now popular within and outside Japan. Manga-influenced for television and film is called. Japanese-made have prospered since the 1980s.

is eclectic, having borrowed instruments, scales and styles from neighboring cultures. Many instruments, such as the, were introduced in the ninth and tenth centuries. The accompanied of the  drama dates from the fourteenth century and the popular folk music, with the guitar-like, from the sixteenth. , introduced in the late nineteenth century, now forms an integral part of the culture. Post-war Japan has been heavily influenced by American and European modern music, which has led to the evolution of popular band music called. is the most widely practiced cultural activity. A November 1993 survey by the found that more Japanese had sung karaoke that year than had participated in traditional cultural pursuits such as  or.

The earliest works of include two history books the ' and the ' and the eighth century poetry book , all written in Chinese characters. In the early days of the, the system of transcription known as kana ( and ) was created as phonograms.  is considered the oldest Japanese narrative. An account of Heian court life is given by ' written by, while ' by is often described as the world's first novel. During the, literature became not so much the field of the samurai aristocracy as that of the , the ordinary people. , for example, became popular and reveals this profound change in the readership and authorship. The Meiji era saw the decline of traditional literary forms, during which Japanese literature integrated Western influences. and were the first "modern" novelists of Japan, followed by, , ,  and, more recently,. Japan has two authors— (1968) and  (1994).

Sports


Traditionally, is considered Japan's  and it is one of the most popular spectator sports in Japan. such as, and  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.

The was established in 1936. Today is the most popular  in the country. One of the most famous Japanese baseball players is, who, having won Japan's Most Valuable Player award in 1994, 1995 and 1996, now plays in North American.

Since the establishment of the in 1992,  has also gained a wide following. Japan was a venue of the from 1981 to 2004 and co-hosted the  with. Japan is one of the most successful soccer teams in Asia, winning the Asian Cup the most number of times (3).

is also popular in Japan, as is, the sports car series and  formula racing.