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Local name Nihon (Nippon)

Timezone GMT +9 Area 377 728 km²/145 803 sq mi population total (2002e) 127 347 000 Status Monarchy Capital Tokyo Language Japanese (official) Ethnic groups Japanese (99%), with Korean minorities Religions Shintoist (40%), Buddhist (39%), Christian (4%) Physical features Island state comprising four large islands (Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku) and several small islands; consists mainly of steep mountains with many volcanoes; Hokkaido (N) central range runs N-S, rising to over 2000 m/6500 ft, falling to coastal uplands and plains; Honshu, the largest island, comprises parallel arcs of mountains bounded by narrow coastal plains, and includes Mt Fuji, 3776 m/12 388 ft; heavily populated Kanto plain in E; Shikoku and Kyushu (SW) consist of clusters of low cones and rolling hills, mostly 1000–2000 m/3000–6000 ft; Ryukyu chain of volcanic islands to the S, largest Okinawa; frequent earthquakes notably in Kanto (1923), Kobe (1995). Climate Oceanic climate, influenced by the Asian monsoon; heavy winter rainfall on W coasts of Honshu and in Hokkaido; short, warm summers in N, and severe winters, with heavy snow; variable winter weather throughout Japan, especially in N and W; typhoons in summer and early autumn; mild and almost subtropical winters in S Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu; average annual temperatures 5°C (Jan), 25°C (Jul) in Tokyo. Currency 1 Yen (JPY) = 100 sen Economy Limited natural resources (less than 20% of land under cultivation); intensive crop production (principally of rice); timber, fishing, engineering, shipbuilding, textiles, chemicals; major industrial developments since 1960s, especially in computing, electronics, and vehicles. GDP (2002e) $3·651 tn, per capita $28 700 Human Development Index (2002) 0·933 History Originally occupied by the Ainu; developed into small states, 4th-c; culture strongly influenced by China, 7th-9th-c; ruled by feudal shoguns until power passed to the emperor, 1867; limited contact with the West until the Meiji Restoration, 1868; successful war with China, 1894–5; gained Formosa (Taiwan) and S Manchuria; formed alliance with Britain, 1902; war with Russia, 1904–5; Russia ceded southern half of Sakhalin; Korea annexed, 1910; joined allies in World War 1, 1914; received German Pacific islands as mandates, 1919; war with China; occupied Manchuria, 1931–2; renewed fighting, 1937; entered World War 2 with surprise attack on the US fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, 1941; occupied British and Dutch possessions in SE Asia, 1941–2; pushed back during 1943–5; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki by allied forces in 1945, ending World War 2 with Japanese surrender; allied control commission took power, and Formosa and Manchuria returned to China; Emperor Hirohito became figurehead ruler, 1946; full sovereignty regained, 1952; joined United Nations, 1958; strong economic growth in 1960s; regained Bonin, Okinawa, and Volcano Islands, 1972; a constitutional monarchy with Emperor as Head of State; government consists of a Prime Minister, Cabinet, and bicameral Diet (Kokkai), with a House of Representatives and a House of Councillors. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of China, Korea, and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea in the south. Its capital is Tokyo.

At over 377,872 square kilometres (145,898 sq mi), Japan is the 62nd largest country by area. It encompasses over 3,000 islands, the largest of which are Honsh?, Hokkaid?, Ky?sh? and Shikoku. Most of Japan's islands are mountainous, and many are volcanic, including the highest peak, Mount Fuji. The Greater Tokyo Area, with over 30 million residents, is the largest metropolitan area in the world.

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 Chinese history texts from the 1st century AD. Its culture today is a mixture of outside and internal influences.

Since it adopted its constitution on May 3, 1947, Japan has maintained a unitary constitutional monarchy with an emperor and an elected parliament, the Diet, which is one of the oldest legislative bodies in Asia. Japan is an economic world power with the world's second largest economy, and is the sixth largest exporter and importer and is a member of the United Nations, G8, G4, and APEC. -->

Jomon and Yayoi eras

The first signs of civilization appeared around 10,000 BC with the Jomon culture, characterized by a mesolithic to neolithic semi-sedentary hunter-gatherer lifestyle of pit dwelling and a rudimentary form of agriculture.Many believe that the Ainu, an indigenous people found mostly on the northern island of Hokkaid?, are descended from the Jomon and thus represent descendants of the first inhabitants of Japan. The Jomon people made decorated clay vessels, often with plaited patterns.

• Alternatively, the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Timeline of Art History www.metmuseum.org/toah/splash.htm notes "Carbon-14 testing of the earliest known shards has yielded a production date of about 10,500 B.C., but because this date falls outside the known chronology of pottery development elsewhere in the world, such an early date is not generally accepted". www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/02/eaj/ht02eaj.htm.
  

The Yayoi period, starting around 300 BC, marked the influx of new practices such as rice farming and iron and bronze-making brought by migrants from continental East Asia. Japan first appears in written history in 57 AD, in China's Book of Later Han, as "the people of Wa, formed from more than one hundred tribes." In the 3rd century, according to China's Book of Wei, the most powerful kingdom in Japan was called Yamataikoku.

Classical era

The Yamato period, from the 3rd century to the 7th century, saw the establishment of a dominant polity centered in the Yamato area whence arose the Japanese imperial lineage.

The kingdom of Baekje introduced Buddhism to Japan, and it was promoted by the Japanese ruling class. ISBN 0804705232) Prince Sh?toku devoted his efforts to the spread of Buddhism and Chinese culture in Japan. He is credited with bringing relative peace to Japan through the proclamation of the Seventeen-article constitution.

Starting with the Taika Reform Edicts of 645, the Yamato court intensified the adoption of Chinese cultural practices and reorganized the government and the penal code based on the Chinese administrative structure of the timeThis is in reference to the Ritsury?. This period also saw the first use of the word as a name for the emerging state.

The Nara period of the 8th century marked the first emergence of a strong Japanese state, centered around an imperial court in the city of Heij?-ky?. According to them Japan was founded in 660 BC by Emperor Jimmu, a descendant of the Shinto deity Amaterasu (the Sun Goddess). Historians, however, believe the first emperor who actually existed was Emperor ?jin, though the date of his reign is uncertain.citeneeded

In the Heian period, from 794 to 1185, a distinctly indigenous culture emerged, noted for its art, especially poetry and literature.

Medieval era

Japan's medieval era was characterized by the emergence of a ruling class of warriors, the samurai. In 1185, following the defeat of the rival Taira clan, Minamoto no Yoritomo was appointed Sh?gun and established a base of power in Kamakura. The Kamakura shogunate managed to repel Mongol invasions in 1274 and 1281, with assistance from a storm that the Japanese interpreted as a kamikaze, or Divine Wind. The ?nin War (1467 to 1477) is generally regarded as the onset of the "Warring States" or Sengoku period.

During the 16th century, traders and missionaries from Portugal reached Japan for the first time, initiating the Nanban ("southern barbarian") period of active commercial and cultural exchange between Japan and the West. Oda Nobunaga conquered numerous other daimyo by using European technology and firearms, and had almost unified the nation when he was assassinated in the "Incident at Honn?ji" in 1582. Hideyoshi twice invaded Korea, but was thwarted by Korean and Ming Chinese forces.

Edo era

After Hideyoshi's death, Tokugawa Ieyasu utilized his position as the regent of Hideyoshi's son Toyotomi Hideyori as well as the conflicts among loyalists of the Toyotomi clan, to gain the support of warlords from across Japan. Ieyasu was appointed sh?gun in 1603 and established the Tokugawa shogunate at Edo (modern Tokyo).

After defeating Toyotomi clan, at the Siege of Osaka in 1614 and 1615, the Tokugawas became rulers of Japan, setting up a centralized feudal system with the Tokugawa shogunate at the head of the feudal domains. The study of Western sciences, known as rangaku, continued during this period through contacts with the Dutch enclave at Dejima in Nagasaki.

Modern Japan

On March 31, 1854, Commodore Matthew Perry and the "Black Ships" of the United States Navy forced the opening of Japan to the West with the Convention of Kanagawa. One of the main figures that helped bring change was Fukuzawa Yukichi who wrote the article "Leaving Asia", encouraging Japanese people to be open to change and modernize through Westernization.

Japan adopted numerous Western institutions, including a modern government, legal system and military. Japan introduced a parliamentary system modeled after the British parliament, with It? Hirobumi as first Prime Minister in 1882.

The Meiji era reforms helped transform the Empire of Japan into a world power and embarked on number of military conflicts to increase access to natural resources with victories in the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895) and the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905). By 1910, Japan controlled Korea, Taiwan and the southern half of Sakhalin. Next year, the unequal treaties Japan had signed with western powers were canceled.

The early 20th century saw a brief period of "Taish? In 1936, Japan signed the Anti-Comintern Pact with Germany, later joining the Axis Powers alliance in 1941.

Japan subsequently attacked the rest of China, starting the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) and many countries and islands in southeast Asia and the Pacific. In 1941, after suffering from oil embargoes and diplomatic pressure from the United States, United Kingdom and the Netherlands, Japan attacked the United States naval base in Pearl Harbor in response and declared war on those three powers. Germany subsequently declared war on the United States four days later, bringing the U.S. into World War II.

After a long campaign in the Pacific War, Japan gradually lost its initial territorial gains. American forces advanced far enough to begin the strategic bombing of cities like Tokyo and Osaka, resulting in the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which together killed about 214,000 people (mostly civilians).

Possibly the most extensive review and analysis of the various death toll estimates is in:

After the atomic bombings, Imperial Japan agreed to an unconditional surrender library.educationworld.net/txt15/surrend1.html. The formal surrender documents were signed September 2, 1945 (V-J Day). The International Military Tribunal for the Far East (on May 31946) was convened to prosecute Japanese leaders for crimes against peace and humanity as well as war crimes including the Nanking Massacre. In 1947, Japan adopted a new pacifist constitution, seeking international cooperation and emphasizing human rights and democratic practices. Official American occupation lasted until 1952 and Japan was granted membership of the United Nations in 1956. This ended in the 1990s, when Japan suffered a major recession from which it has since been slowly recovering.news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/5178822.stm

Government and politics

In academic studies, Japan is generally considered a constitutional monarchy, based largely upon the British system with strong influences from European continental civil law countries such as Germany and France.

The Diet

The Constitution of Japan states that the nation's "highest organ of state power" is its bicameral parliament, the National Diet (Kokkai). There is universal adult (over 20 years old) suffrage, with a secret ballot for all elective offices.
The liberal conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has been in power since 1955, except for a short-lived coalition government formed from its opposition parties in 1993;

The Prime Minister

The Prime Minister is the head of government of Japan, although the literal translation of the title is "Prime Minister of the Cabinet". The Prime Minister is appointed by the Emperor of Japan after being designated by the Diet from among its members, and must enjoy the confidence of the House of Representatives to remain in office.

The Judiciary

Japanese law was historically heavily influenced by Chinese law and developed independently during the Edo period through texts such as Kujikata Osadamegaki, but has been largely based on the civil law of Germany since the late 19th century. Japan is a member state of the United Nations and currently serving as a non-permanent Security Council member. It is also one of the "G4 nations" seeking permanent membership in the Security Council.

Japan is a member of the G8, the APEC, the "ASEAN plus three", and a participant in the East Asia Summit. PDFlink As member of the G8 Japan maintains cordial relations with most countries as a key trading partner.

Japan has several territorial disputes with its neighbors concerning the control of certain outlying islands. Japan also has an ongoing dispute with North Korea over its abduction of Japanese citizens and its nuclear weapons and missile programs.

Military

Japan's military is restricted by Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan of 1946, which states that "Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes." Thus, Japan's current constitution prohibits the use of military force to wage war against other countries.

Japan's military is governed by the Japan Defense Agency (JDA) and primarily consists of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. The forces have been recently used in peacekeeping operations and the deployment of Japanese troops to Iraq marked the first overseas use of its military since World War II. The former city of Tokyo is further divided into 23 special wards, which have the same powers as cities.

Japan 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.siteresources.worldbank.org/WBI/Resources/wbi37175.pdf Mabuchi, Masaru, "Municipal Amalgamation in Japan," World Bank, 2001.

Geography

Japan, a country of islands, extends along the eastern or Pacific coast of Asia. The main islands, running from north to south, are Hokkaid??????,
Honsh????,?or the mainland), Shikoku????, and Ky?sh?????. In addition, about 3,000 smaller islands may be counted in the full extent of the archipelago.

In some maps published in Japan, the Kuril Islands also are marked as territory of Japan. About 70 to 80% of the country is forested, mountainous encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761566679/Japan.html "Japan," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2006

Its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire, at the juncture of three tectonic plates, gives Japan frequent low-intensity earth tremors and occasional volcanic activity. Precipitation is light.

• Seto Inland Sea: The mountains of the Ch?goku and Shikoku regions shelter the region from the seasonal winds, bringing mild weather throughout the year.
  
• Pacific Ocean: The east coast experiences cold winters with little snowfall and hot, humid summers due to the southeast seasonal wind.
  
• Southwest Islands: The Ry?ky? Typhoons are common.
  

The main rainy season 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 Hokkaid? 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.

Economy

Japan is an economic world power, with free-market economy ranking second by market exchange rates (with GDP at over $4.5 trillion in 2005) and third after United States and China by purchasing power parity. As a result it is dependent on other nations for most of its raw materials.

Government-industry cooperation, a strong work ethic, mastery of high technology, and a comparatively small defense allocation have helped Japan advance with extraordinary speed to become the second largest economy in the world. Hence, the Japanese government predicts that recovery will continue in 2006.

Distinguishing characteristics of the Japanese economy include the cooperation of manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, and banks in closely-knit groups called keiretsu(these being Mitsubishi, Sumitomo, Fuyo, Mitsui, Dai-Ichi Kangyo and Sanwa); cosy relations with government bureaucrats, and the guarantee of lifetime employment (shushin koyo) in big corporations and highly unionized blue-collar factories. Please add new information there.-->

Japan is among the world's largest and most technologically advanced producers of motor vehicles, electronic equipment, machine tools, steel and nonferrous metals, ships, chemical, textiles, and processed foods, and is home to some of the largest and most well-known multinational corporations and commercial brands (see list of Japanese companies). Banking, insurance, real estate, retailing, transportation, and telecommunications are all major industries.

Japan holds very large market shares in high technology industries such as electronics, industrial chemicals, machine tools, electronic media and (in recent years) aerospace.

Science and technology

Japan is a leading nation in scientific research and the production of innovative technological products. Some of the most important industrial contributions include chemicals, metals, semiconductors, robotics, entertainment, machinery, industrial robotics and optics. It is also one of the leading nations in health care and medical research and robotics having produced QRIO, ASIMO, and Aibo, and possesses more than half (402,200 of 742,500) of the world's industrial robots used for manufacturing.www.unece.org/press/pr2000/00stat10e.htm

Japan is making headway into aerospace research and space exploration. It founded its aerospace exploration agency, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency in October 1, 2003 and is involved in many missions and projects, as well as a possible independent manned mission to the moon, having, from 2005, shifted some of its focus away from international efforts. Japan must import about 50% "" target=_blank rel=nofollow class=elnk>www.skillclear.co.uk/japan/default.asp" of its requirements of grain and fodder crops other than rice, and relies on imports for most of its supply of meat.

In fishing, Japan is ranked second in the world behind China in tonnage of fish caught. target=_blank rel=nofollow class=elnk>www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ja.html#Econ".

Infrastructure and transportation

Japan is unique in that its electric power transmission runs at different frequencies in different parts of the country — The household power line voltage is constant 100 V throughout the nation.

Japan has 1,177,278 km of paved roadways, 173 airports, and 23,577 km of railways as of 2004. Its main export partners are the US 22.7%, China 13.1%, South Korea 7.8%, Taiwan 7.4% and Hong Kong 6.3%.
Japan's main exports are transport equipment, motor vehicles, electronics, electrical machinery and chemicals.

As a nation that relies heavily on international trade, Japan also imports a wide variety of goods. Its main import partners are China 20.7%, US 14%, South Korea 4.9%, Australia 4.3%, Indonesia 4.1%, Saudi Arabia 4.1%, UAE 4% (as of 2004). Japan's main imports are machinery and equipment, fossil fuels, foodstuffs (in particular beef), chemicals, textiles and raw materials for its industries.

Demographics

Population

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Japan has the highest life expectancy in the world: 85.2 years for women and 78.3 years for men (in 2002).Vital statistics summary and expectation of life at birth: 1999-2003, United Nations Statistics Division. Immigration, however, is not popular as recent increased crime rates are often attributed to foreigners living in Japan.

Largest cities

Japan has dozens of major cities, which play an important role in Japan culture, heritage, and economy.

No.	Prefecture	City	Population	Rank
01	Tokyo	Tokyo(23 special wards)	8,390,967	23 special wards/The capital of Japan/Prefecture capital
02	Kanagawa	Yokohama	3,579,133	[[City designated by government ordinance (Japan)| Government Ordinance City]] / Prefecture capital
03	Osaka	Osaka	2,640,097	Government Ordinance City / Prefecture capital
04	Aichi	Nagoya	2,214,958	Government Ordinance City / Prefecture capital
05	Hokkaid?	Sapporo	1,882,424	Government Ordinance City / Prefecture capital
06	Hy?go	Kobe	1,525,389	Government Ordinance City / Prefecture capital
07	Kyoto	Kyoto	1,474,764	Government Ordinance City / Prefecture capital
08	Fukuoka	Fukuoka	1,400,621	Government Ordinance City / Prefecture capital
09	Kanagawa	Kawasaki	1,317,862	Government Ordinance City
10	Saitama	Saitama	1,185,030	Government Ordinance City / Prefecture capital

Language

Japan's official language is Japanese (Nihongo), and about 99% of the population speaks Japanese as their first language. The Ryukyuan languages, also part of the Japonic language family to which Japanese belongs, are spoken in Okinawa, but few children are learning these languages now. Ainu, the language of the indigenous minority, is moribund, with only a few elderly native speakers remaining in Hokkaid?. Most public and private schools require students to take courses in both Japanese and English.

The Japanese language is an agglutinative language distinguished by a system of honorifics reflecting the hierarchical nature of Japanese society, with verb forms and particular vocabulary which indicate the relative status of speaker and listener. The writing system uses kanji (Chinese characters) and two sets of kana (syllabaries based on simplified forms of Chinese characters), as well as the Roman alphabet and Hindu-Arabic numerals.

Religion

84% of Japanese people profess to believe both Shinto (the indigenous religion of Japan) and Buddhismwww.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ja.html#People. Religion in Japan tends to be syncretic in nature, and this results in a variety of practices such as parents and children celebrating Shinto rituals, students praying before exams, couples holding a wedding at a Christian church and funerals being held at Buddhist temples. A minority (0.7%) profess to Christianity and other religions (4.7%) like shamanism, Islam, and Hinduism. Almost all children continue their education at a three-year senior high school, and, according to basic statics of MEXT, 67.5% of high school graduates attend a university, junior college, trade school, or other post-secondary institution in 2006. Japan's education is very competitive especially at the college level and it has prestigious and large universities such as University of Tokyo, University of Tohoku, Keio University, Waseda University,Kyoto University,and Hitotsubashi University.

Culture

Japanese culture has evolved greatly over the years, from the country's original Jomon culture to its contemporary hybrid culture, which combines influences from Asia, Europe, and North America.

Traditional Japanese arts include crafts (ikebana, origami, ukiyo-e, dolls, lacquerware, pottery), performances (bunraku, dance, kabuki, noh, rakugo), traditions (games, tea ceremony, bud?, architecture, gardens, swords), and cuisine.

Post-war Japan has been heavily influenced by American and European culture which has led to the evolution of popular band music (called J-Pop). The fusion of traditional woodprinting and Western art led to the creation of manga, a typically Japanese comic book format that is now popular in and even outside Japan.

Cuisine

A basic, traditional Japanese meal consists of white Japanese rice with accompanying tsukemono (pickles), a bowl of soup, and dishes known as okazu - fish, meat and vegetable dishes. Foods from Japan, such as sushi and ramen, and beverages including green tea and sake are recognized worldwide. The accompanied recitative of the Noh drama dates from the 14th century and the popular folk music, with the guitarlike shamisen, from the 16th.The Concise Columbia Encyclopedia 1983 edition ISBN:0-380-63396-5 © Columbia University Press

Western music, introduced in the late 19th century, now forms an integral part of the culture, as evident from the profusion of J-Pop artists.

Literature

The earliest works include two history books the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki, and a poetry book Man'y?sh? in the eighth century, all written in Chinese characters.
In the early days of the Heian period, the system of transcription known as kana (Hiragana and Katakana) was invented. The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter is considered the oldest Japanese narrative. Windows on asia (Michigan State University) An account of Heian court life is given by The Pillow Book, written by Sei Sh?nagon while The Tale of Genji by Lady Murasaki is sometimes called the world's first novel.

During the Edo Period, literature became not so much the field of the samurai aristocracy as that of the ch?nin, the ordinary people. Natsume S?seki and Mori ?gai were the first "modern" novelists of Japan, followed by Akutagawa Ry?nosuke, Tanizaki Jun'ichir?, Kawabata Yasunari, Mishima Yukio, and more recently, Murakami Haruki.

Sports and recreation

Beginning in the 12th century Japan developed traditional martial arts known as bud?, which were popular among the warrior class. These include judo, karate and kend?. Sumo is sometimes considered Japan's national sport and is one of its most popular.

Baseball is the most popular ball game in Japan - the professional baseball league in Japan was established in 1937. One of Japan's most famous baseball players in major league baseball is Suzuki Ichiro, who won a Gold Glove. Japan was a venue of the Intercontinental Cup from 1981 to 2004, and Japan co-hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup with South Korea. Rugby, golf, table tennis, various martial arts, and fishing are also popular in Japan, as is auto racing, Super GT sports car series and Formula Nippon formula racing.

Each year, Japan observes the second Monday in October as Health and Sports Day. Other major sporting events that Japan has hosted include the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo and the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano.