Japan

Japan
Japan

Nippon-koku
Nihon-koku

Flag

Imperial Seal

Anthem:
"Kimigayo"

" "

Government Seal of Japan

(Go-Shichi no Kiri)

Capital
and largest city
Official languages
Recognised regionallanguages

Tokyo
[1]
3541N 13946E
None

National language

[2]

Aynu itak
Ryukyuan languages
Eastern Japanese
Western Japanese
several other Japanese dialects

Japanese

Japan

2
[]

Ethnicgroups ( )

Demonym
Government

98.5% Japanese
0.5% Korean
0.4% Chinese
0.6% other

Japanese
Unitary parliamentary democracy under constitutional monarchy

Emperor

Akihito

Prime Minister

Shinz Abe

Legislature

National Diet

Upper house

House of Councillors

Lower house

House of Representatives
Formation

National Foundation Day 11 February 660BC[3]

Meiji Constitution

29 November 1890

Current constitution

3 May 1947

San Francisco
Peace Treaty

28 April 1952
Area
2[4]

Total

377,944km
(62nd)
145,925sqmi

Water(%)

0.8
Population
[5]

2012estimate

126,659,683

2010census

128,056,026

Density

337.1/km (36th)
873.1/sqmi

GDP(PPP)

(10th)

[6]

2012estimate
[]

Total

$4.628 trillion (4th)

Per capita

$36,266 (23rd)

GDP(nominal)

[]

2012estimate
[]

Total

$5.964 trillion (3rd)

Per capita

$46,736 (14th)

[]

[7]

Gini(2008)

37.6
medium

HDI (2013)

0.912
very high 10th

[]

Currency

Yen ()/ En ( or ) (JPY)

Time zone

JST (UTC+9)

Summer(DST)

not observed(UTC+9)

Japan

3
Date format

yyyy-mm-dd
yyyymd
Erayymd (CE1988)

Drives on the

left

Calling code

+81

ISO 3166 code

JP

Internet TLD

.jp

Japan i/dpn/ (Japanese: Nihon or Nippon; formally 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 127million people. Honsh'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 centuryAD. 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 Sino-Japanese 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,[] Japan has the world's third-largest economy by nominal GDP and the world's
fourth-largest economy 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,[8] used for self-defense and peacekeeping roles. After Singapore, Japan has the lowest
homicide rate (including attempted homicide) in the world.[9] According to Japan's health ministry, Japanese women
have the second highest life expectancy of any country in the world.[10] According to the United Nations, Japan also
has the third lowest infant mortality rate.[][]

Japan

Etymology
The English word Japan derives from the Chinese pronunciation of the Japanese name, , pronounced Nippon
listenWikipedia:Media helpImage:ja-nippon( ).ogg or Nihon
listenWikipedia:Media
helpImage:ja-nihon( ).ogg 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 (
), meaning "the Empire of Great Japan". Today the name Nippon-koku or Nihon-koku ( ) 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 (), meaning "country", "nation" or "state".
Japanese people refer to themselves as Nihonjin ( ) and to their language as Nihongo ( ). 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 () or Wakoku ( ).[11]
The English word for Japan came to the West via early trade routes. The early Mandarin or possibly Wu Chinese
( ) pronunciation of Japan was recorded by Marco Polo as Cipangu. In modern Shanghainese, a Wu dialect, the
pronunciation of characters 'Japan' is Zeppen [zpn]. The old Malay word for Japan, Jepang, was
borrowed from a southern coastal Chinese dialect, probably Fukienese or Ningpo,[12] 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.[13] It was first recorded in English in a 1565 letter, spelled Giapan.[14]

History
Prehistory and ancient history

The Golden Hall and five-storey pagoda of

Hry-ji, among the oldest wooden buildings in
the world, National Treasures, and a UNESCO
World Heritage Site

A Paleolithic culture around 30,000BC constitutes the first known

habitation of the Japanese archipelago. This was followed from around
14,000BC (the start of the Jmon period) by a Mesolithic to Neolithic
semi-sedentary hunter-gatherer culture, who include ancestors of both
the contemporary Ainu people and Yamato people,[15][16]
characterized by pit dwelling and rudimentary agriculture.[17]
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
Jmon.[18] The Yayoi period, starting around 500BC, saw the
introduction of practices like wet-rice farming,[19] a new style of
pottery,[20] and metallurgy, introduced from China and Korea.[21]

Japan first appears in written history in the Chinese Book of Han.[22] 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.[23] Despite early resistance, Buddhism was promoted by the ruling
class and gained widespread acceptance beginning in the Asuka period (592710).[24]
The Nara period (710784) of the 8th century marked the emergence of a strong Japanese state, centered on an
imperial court in Heij-ky (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.[25] The smallpox epidemic of
735737 is believed to have killed as much as one-third of Japan's population.[26] In 784, Emperor Kammu moved
the capital from Nara to Nagaoka-ky before relocating it to Heian-ky (modern Kyoto) in 794.

Japan

This marked the beginning of the Heian period

(7941185), 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.[27]
Buddhism began to spread during the Heian era chiefly
through two major sects, Tendai by Saich, and
Shingon by Kkai. Pure Land Buddhism (Jdo-sh,
Jdo Shinsh) greatly becomes popular in the latter half
of the 11th century.

Samurai warriors face Mongols, during the Mongol invasions of

Japan.

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 Hj clan came to power as
regents for the shoguns. The Zen school of Buddhism was introduced from China in the Kamakura period
(11851333) and became popular among the samurai class.[28] 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.
Ashikaga Takauji establishes the shogunate in Muromachi, Kyoto. It is
a start of Muromachi Period (13361573). 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 nin War) began in
1467, opening the century-long Sengoku period ("Warring States").[29]
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.[30] This age is called AzuchiMomoyama period (15731603).
A Samurai could kill a commoner for the slightest
insult and were widely feared by the Japanese
population. Edo period, 1798.

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).[31] The Tokugawa shogunate enacted
measures including buke shohatto, as a code of conduct to control the autonomous daimyo;[32] 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 (16031868).[33] 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.[34]

Japan

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).[35]
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 (18941895) and the Russo-Japanese War (19041905), Japan gained control of Taiwan,
Korea, and the southern half of Sakhalin.[36] Japan's population grew from 35 million in 1873 to 70 million in
1935.[37]
The early 20th century saw a brief period of "Taish democracy"
overshadowed by increasing expansionism and militarization. World WarI
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.[38] In 1941, Japan
negotiated the SovietJapanese Neutrality Pact.[39]
The Empire of Japan invaded other parts of China in 1937, precipitating the
Second Sino-Japanese War (19371945). The Imperial Japanese Army
swiftly captured the capital Nanjing and conducted the Nanking Massacre [40]
. In 1940, the Empire then invaded French Indochina, after which the United
Emperor Meiji (18681912), in whose
States placed an oil embargo on Japan.[41] On 7 December 1941, Japan
name imperial rule was restored at the
end of the Tokugawa shogunate
attacked the US naval base at Pearl Harbor and declared war, bringing the US
[42][43]
into World War II.
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.[44]
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.[45] 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.[46]
In 1947, Japan adopted a new constitution emphasizing liberal democratic practices. The Allied occupation ended
with the Treaty of San Francisco in 1952[47] 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 mid-1990s when Japan suffered a major recession. In the beginning of the 21st century,
positive growth has signaled a gradual economic recovery.[48] 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.[]

Japan

Government and politics

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.[] 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
Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko
popularly elected members serve six-year terms. There is universal
suffrage for adults over 20 years of age,[] with a secret ballot for all elected offices.[] 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, Shinz Abe replaced
Yoshihiko Noda as the Prime Minister on 26 December 2012.[49] 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.[]
Historically influenced by Chinese law, the Japanese legal system developed independently during the Edo period
through texts such as Kujikata Osadamegaki.[50] 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 Brgerliches Gesetzbuch; with postWorld War II
modifications, the code remains in effect.[51] 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.[] Japan's court system is divided into four basic tiers: the
Supreme Court and three levels of lower courts.[52] The main body of Japanese statutory law is called the Six
Codes.[53]

Japan

Foreign relations and military

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[54] and with India in October 2008.[55] 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.[56]
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.[57] 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.[58]
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.[59] 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).[60]

JDS Kong (DDG-173) guided missile

destroyer launching a Standard Missile 3
anti-ballistic missile.

Japan maintains one of the largest military budgets of any country in the world.[61] Japan contributed non-combatant
troops to the Iraq War but subsequently withdrew its forces.[] The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force is a regular
participant in RIMPAC maritime exercises.[62]
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.[] 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.[63]

Japan

Administrative divisions
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.[64] 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.[65]

Japan

10

Geography
Japan has a total of 6,852 islands extending along the
Pacific coast of East Asia.[66][67] The country,
including all of the islands it controls, lies between
latitudes 24 and 46N, and longitudes 122 and 146E.
The main islands, from north to south, are Hokkaid,
Honsh, Shikoku and Kysh. The Ryky Islands,
including Okinawa, are a chain to the south of Kysh.
Together they are often known as the Japanese
Archipelago.[68]
About 73 percent of Japan is forested, mountainous,
and unsuitable for agricultural, industrial, or residential
use.[][69] 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.[70]
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.[71]
Japan has 108 active volcanoes. Destructive
earthquakes, often resulting in tsunami, occur several
times each century.[72] The 1923 Tokyo earthquake
killed over 140,000 people.[73] More recent major
quakes are the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake and the
2011 Thoku earthquake, a 9.0-magnitude[] quake
which hit Japan on 11 March 2011, and triggered a
large tsunami.[] On 24 May 2012, 6.1 magnitude
earthquake struck off the coast of northeastern Japan.
However, no tsunami was generated.[74]

Topographic map of the Japanese archipelago.

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

Climate
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:

Autumn maple leaves (momiji) at Kongbu-ji on Mount Kya, a

UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Japan
Hokkaid, Sea of Japan, Central Highland, Seto Inland Sea, Pacific Ocean, and Ryky 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.[]
In the Sea of Japan zone on Honsh'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 Chgoku and Shikoku regions shelter the Seto Inland Sea from seasonal winds, bringing mild
weather year-round.[]
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.[]
The average winter temperature in Japan is 5.1 C (41.2F) and the average summer temperature is 25.2 C
(77.4F).[75] The highest temperature ever measured in Japan40.9 C (105.6F)was recorded on 16 August
2007.[76] The main rainy season begins in early May in Okinawa, and the rain front gradually moves north until
reaching Hokkaid in late July. In most of Honsh, 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.[]

Biodiversity
Japan has nine forest ecoregions which reflect the climate and geography of the islands. They range from subtropical
moist broadleaf forests in the Ryky 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.[77] Japan has over 90,000 species of wildlife, including the brown bear, the Japanese macaque, the Japanese
raccoon dog, and the Japanese giant salamander.[78] 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.[79][80] Four sites have been inscribed
on the UNESCO World Heritage List for their outstanding natural value.[81]

Environment
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.[82] The oil crisis in 1973 also encouraged the efficient use of energy because of Japan's lack of natural
resources.[83] 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.[84]
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.[85] 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.[86]

11

Japan

Economy
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.[87] During the Meiji period from 1868,
Japan expanded economically with the embrace of the
market economy.[88] Many of today's enterprises were
founded at the time, and Japan emerged as the most
developed nation in Asia.[89] 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.[90]
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
[]
The Tokyo Stock Exchange, the largest stock exchange in Asia.
global slowdown in 2000.[] 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.[91]
As of 2012[92], Japan is the third largest national economy in the world, after the United States and China, in terms
of nominal GDP,[93] and the fourth largest national economy in the world, after the United States, China and India, in
terms of purchasing power parity.[] As of January 2011[92], 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.[94] The service sector accounts for three quarters
of the gross domestic product.[95]
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.[] As of 2010, Japan's labor force
consisted of some 65.9 million workers.[96] Japan has a low unemployment rate of around four percent. Almost one
in six Japanese, or 20 million people, lived in poverty in 2007.[97] Housing in Japan is characterized by limited land
supply in urban areas.[98]

12

Japan

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.[] 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).[]

13

A plug-in hybrid car manufactured by Toyota, one of the world's

largest carmakers. Japan is the second-largest producer of
[99]
automobiles in the world.

Japan's main imports are machinery and equipment,

fossil fuels, foodstuffs (in particular beef), chemicals,
textiles and raw materials for its industries.[] By market share measures, domestic markets are the least open of any
OECD country.[] Junichiro Koizumi's administration began some pro-competition reforms, and foreign investment in
Japan has soared.[100]
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 seniority-based career advancement are relatively common in the Japanese
work environment.[][101] Japanese companies are known for management methods like "The Toyota Way", and
shareholder activism is rare.[102]
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..[103] 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.[104] Japan is home to 326 companies from the
Forbes Global 2000 or 16.3 percent (as of 2006).[105]

Science and technology

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.[106] Japan is a world leader in
fundamental scientific research, having produced
sixteen Nobel laureates in either physics, chemistry or
medicine,[107] three Fields medalists,[108] and one
Gauss Prize laureate.[109] Some of Japan's more
prominent technological contributions are in the fields
of electronics, automobiles, machinery, earthquake
The Japanese Experiment Module(Kibo) at the International Space
engineering, industrial robotics, optics, chemicals,
Station.
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.[110]
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

Japan

14

Japanese Experiment Module (Kibo) was added to the station during Space Shuttle assembly flights in 2008.[111]
Japan's plans in space exploration include: launching a space probe to Venus, Akatsuki;[112][113] developing the
Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter to be launched in 2013;[114][115] and building a moon base by 2030.[116]
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.[] 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,[117][118] flying at
an altitude of about 100km (62mi).[119] The probe's mission was ended when it was deliberately crashed by JAXA
into the Moon on 11 June 2009.[120]

Infrastructure
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.[122]
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.[123] Given its heavy dependence on imported
energy,[124] Japan has aimed to diversify its sources
and maintain high levels of energy efficiency.[125]

[121]

Nozomi Shinkansen or 'Bullet Train' at Tokyo Station

Japan's road spending has been extensive.[126] Its 1.2 million kilometers of paved road are the main means of
transportation.[127] 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.[]
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.[128][129] Proposals for a new Maglev route between Tokyo and Osaka are at an advanced stage.[130]
There are 173 airports in Japan; the largest domestic airport, Haneda Airport, is Asia's second-busiest airport.[131]
The largest international gateways are Narita International Airport, Kansai International Airport and Chbu Centrair
International Airport.[132] Nagoya Port is the country's largest and busiest port, accounting for 10 percent of Japan's
trade value.[133]

Japan

15

Demographics
Japan's population is estimated at around 127.3
million,[] with 80% of the population living on Honsh.
Japanese society is linguistically and culturally
homogeneous,[] composed
of
98.5%
ethnic
Japanese,[134] with small populations of foreign
workers.[] Zainichi Koreans,[135] Zainichi Chinese,
Filipinos, Brazilians mostly of Japanese descent,[] and
Peruvians mostly of Japanese descent are among the
small minority groups in Japan.[136] 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),[]
the largest community of Westerners.[137]

Ainu, an ethnic minority people from Japan

The most dominant native ethnic group is the Yamato

people; primary minority groups include the indigenous
Ainu[138] and Ryukyuan peoples, as well as social
minority groups like the burakumin.[139] 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
Japanese wedding at the Meiji Shrine
some families going back up to seven generations.[140]
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),[141] 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.[142] 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 Tar As
has once described Japan as being a nation of one race, one civilization, one language and one culture.[143]
Japan has the longest overall life expectancy at birth of any country in the world: 83.5 years for persons born in the
period 20102015.[][] The Japanese population is rapidly aging as a result of a postWorld 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.[]
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.[] 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.[144]
Japan's population is expected to drop to 95 million by 2050,[][145] demographers and government planners are
currently in a heated debate over how to cope with this problem.[] Immigration and birth incentives are sometimes

Japan

16

suggested as a solution to provide younger workers to support the nation's aging population.[146][147] Japan accepts a
steady flow of 15,000 new Japanese citizens by naturalization ( ) per year.[148] According to the UNHCR, in
2012 Japan accepted just 18 refugees for resettlement,[149] while the US took in 76,000.[150]
Japan suffers from a high suicide rate.[][] In 2009, the number of suicides exceeded 30,000 for the twelfth straight
year.[151] Suicide is the leading cause of death for people under 30.[]

Religion
Japan enjoys full religious freedom based on Article 20
of its Constitution. Upper estimates suggest that 8496
percent of the Japanese population subscribe to
Buddhism or Shinto, including a large number of
followers of a syncretism of both religions.[][152]
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.[] According to Edwin Reischauer and Marius
Jansen, some 7080% of the Japanese regularly tell
pollsters they do not consider themselves believers in
any religion.[]

Torii of Itsukushima Shrine near Hiroshima, one of the Three Views

of Japan and a UNESCO World Heritage Site

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.[153] Japanese streets are decorated on Tanabata,
Obon and Christmas. Fewer than one percent of Japanese are Christian.[154] Other minority religions include Islam,
Hinduism, Sikhism, and Judaism, and since the mid-19th century numerous new religious movements have emerged
in Japan.[]

Languages
More than 99 percent of the population speaks Japanese as their first language.[] 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.[155]
Besides Japanese, the Ryukyuan languages, also part of the Japonic language family, are spoken in Okinawa;
however, few children learn these languages.[156] 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.[157] Most public
and private schools require students to take courses in both Japanese and English.[158]

Japan

17

Education
Primary schools, secondary schools and universities
were introduced in 1872 as a result of the Meiji
Restoration.[159] 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.[160]
The two top-ranking universities in Japan are the
University of Tokyo and Kyoto University.[161][162]
Announcement of the results of the entrance examinations to the
The Programme for International Student Assessment
University of Tokyo
coordinated by the OECD currently ranks the overall
knowledge and skills of Japanese 15-year-olds as sixth best in the world.[163]

Health
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.[164] Patients are free to select the physicians or facilities of their choice.[165]

Culture
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.[166] Sixteen sites have been inscribed on the
UNESCO World Heritage List, twelve of which are of
cultural significance.[167]

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.

Japan

18

Art
The Shrines of Ise have been celebrated as the
prototype of Japanese architecture.[168] 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.[169] 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.[]

The Great Wave off Kanagawa, one of a series of woodblock prints

by Hokusai.

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
post-Impressionism.[] 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.[170] Manga-influenced animation for television and film is called anime. Japanese-made video game consoles
have been popular since the 1980s.[171]

Music
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.[172] 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.[173]
Notable classical composers from Japan include Toru Takemitsu and Rentar 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.[174] 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.[175]

Literature
The earliest works of Japanese literature include the
Kojiki and Nihon Shoki chronicles and the Man'ysh
poetry anthology, all from the 8th century and written
in Chinese characters.[176][177] 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.[] An account of Heian court life is given in
The Pillow Book by Sei Shnagon, while The Tale of
Genji by Murasaki Shikibu is often described as the
world's first novel.[178][179]

12th-century illustrated handscroll of The Tale of Genji, a National

Treasure

Japan

19

During the Edo period, the chnin ("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 Bash revivified the poetic tradition of the Kokinsh with his haikai (haiku) and wrote the poetic travelogue
Oku no Hosomichi.[180] The Meiji era saw the decline of traditional literary forms as Japanese literature integrated
Western influences. Natsume Sseki and Mori gai were the first "modern" novelists of Japan, followed by
Rynosuke Akutagawa, Jun'ichir Tanizaki, Yukio Mishima and, more recently, Haruki Murakami. Japan has two
Nobel Prize-winning authorsYasunari Kawabata (1968) and Kenzabur e (1994).[]

Cuisine
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,[181] 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.[]

Breakfast at a ryokan or inn

Sports
Traditionally, sumo is considered Japan's national sport.[182]
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.[183]
Japan hosted the Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 1964. Japan has
hosted the Winter Olympics twice: Sapporo in 1972 and Nagano
in 1998.[184]
Baseball is currently the most popular spectator sport in the
country. Japan's top professional league, Nippon Professional
Baseball, was established in 1936.[185]

Sumo wrestlers form around the referee during the

ring-entering ceremony

Since the establishment of the Japan Professional Football League

in 1992, association football has also gained a wide following.[186] Japan was a venue of the Intercontinental Cup
from 1981 to 2004 and co-hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup with South Korea.[187] Japan has one of the most
successful football teams in Asia, winning the Asian Cup four times.[188] Also, Japan recently won the FIFA
Women's World Cup in 2011.[189]
Golf is also popular in Japan,[190] as are forms of auto racing like the Super GT series and Formula Nippon.[191] The
country has produced one NBA player, Yuta Tabuse.[]

Japan

References
[1] http:/ / toolserver. org/ ~geohack/ geohack. php?pagename=Japan& params=35_41_N_139_46_E_type:country
[3] According to legend, Japan was founded on this date by Emperor Jimmu, the country's first emperor.
[8] SIPRI Yearbook 2012 - 15 countries with the highest military expenditure in 2011 (http:/ / www. sipri. org/ research/ armaments/ milex/
resultoutput/ 15majorspenders)
[10] http:/ / www. bbc. co. uk/ news/ world-asia-19008870
[13] C. R. Boxer, The Christian Century In Japan 15491650, University of California Press, 1951p. 11, 2836, 4951, ISBN 1-85754-035-2
[40] .
[92] http:/ / en. wikipedia. org/ w/ index. php?title=Japan& action=edit
[140] McCormack, Gavan. "Dilemmas of Development on The Ogasawara Islands," (http:/ / www. jpri. org/ publications/ occasionalpapers/
op15. html) JPRI Occasional Paper, No. 15 (August 1999).
[141] " Japan to Immigrants: Thanks, But You Can Go Home Now (http:/ / www. time. com/ time/ world/ article/ 0,8599,1892469,00. html)".
Time. 20 April 2009.
[142] John Lie Multiethnic Japan (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2001)
[143] " Aso says Japan is nation of 'one race' (http:/ / search. japantimes. co. jp/ member/ member. html?nn20051018a7. htm)". The Japan Times.
18 October 2005.
[145] Forecast provided (http:/ / www. ifs. du. edu/ ifs/ frm_GraphicalDisplay. aspx?ListNames='Population,+ History+ and+ Forecast'&
HistFor=True& GrpOp=0& Dim1=81& File=0) by International Futures
[173] See for example, Olivier Messiaen, Sept haka (1962), (Olivier Messiaen: a research and information guide, Routledge, 2008, By Vincent
Perez Benitez, page 67) and (Messiaen the Theologian, Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2010, page 243-65, By Andrew Shenton)
[181] "A Day in the Life: Seasonal Foods" (http:/ / www. tjf. or. jp/ eng/ content/ japaneseculture/ pdf/ ge09shun. pdf), The Japan Forum
Newsletter No.14 September 1999.

Further reading
Flath, The Japanese Economy, Oxford University Press, 2000 (ISBN 0-19-877503-2)
Henshall, A History of Japan, Palgrave Macmillan, 2001 (ISBN 0-312-23370-1)
Iwabuchi, Recentering Globalization: Popular Culture and Japanese Transnationalism, Duke University Press,
2002 (ISBN 0-8223-2891-7)
Jansen, The Making of Modern Japan, Belknap, 2000 (ISBN 0-674-00334-9)
Kato et al., A History of Japanese Literature: From the Man'Yoshu to Modern Times, Japan Library, 1997 (ISBN
1-873410-48-4)
Samuels, Securing Japan: Tokyo's Grand Strategy and the Future of East Asia, Cornell University Press, 2008
(ISBN 0-8014-7490-6)
Silverberg, Erotic Grotesque Nonsense: The Mass Culture of Japanese Modern Times, University of California
Press, 2007 (ISBN 0-520-22273-3)
Sugimoto et al., An Introduction to Japanese Society, Cambridge University Press, 2003 (ISBN 0-521-52925-5)
Varley, Japanese Culture, University of Hawaii Press, 2000 (ISBN 0-8248-2152-1)

External links
Government
Kantei.go.jp (http://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/index-e.html), official site of the Prime Minister of Japan and
His Cabinet
Kunaicho.go.jp (http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/eindex.html), official site of the Imperial House
National Diet Library (http://www.ndl.go.jp/en/index.html)
Public Relations Office (http://www.gov-online.go.jp/eng/index.html)
Tourism
Japan National Tourist Organization (http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/)
General information
Japan (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ja.html) entry at The World
Factbook

20

Japan

Japan (http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/japan.htm) from UCB Libraries GovPubs

Japan (http://www.dmoz.org/Regional/Asia/Japan/) at the Open Directory Project
Japan (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-14918801) profile from BBC News
Energy Profile for Japan (http://www.eia.gov/countries/country-data.cfm?fips=JA) from the US Energy
Information Administration
Japan (http://www.oecd.org/japan/) from the OECD
Key Development Forecasts for the Japan (http://www.ifs.du.edu/ifs/frm_CountryProfile.aspx?Country=JP)
from International Futures

21

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Andrevan, Andrew Gray, Andrew Levine, Andrew Steller, Andrewpmk, Andrewrhchen, Andrwsc, Andy M. Wang, Andy Marchbanks, Andycjp, Andyjsmith, Ang15, Angela, Angelo De La Paz,
Anger22, Animehater1, Animeyay, Ann Stouter, AnnabelD, Anonymous editor, Anonymous from the 21th century, Antandrus, Anthon17, Anthony Appleyard, Antisora, Anycent, Apocalyptic
Destroyer, Apostrophe, Apparition11, AppleSay, Appleby, Arashi, Arbor to SJ, Arcaeus, Arch dude, Architeuthis, Ardeshire Babakan, Aremith, Ares1991, Arizonatsunami, Arnon Chaffin,
Arnowaschk, Aronomy, Arsha Nos Mondelle, Art LaPella, Artemis123456789, Arthur Rubin, Arthur3030, Ascom, Asdnhk, AsianAstronaut, Asiaticus, Astatine, Asterion, Astronautics,
Astrotrain, Astuishin, Aude, Aumnamahashiva, Australian cowboy, Avala, Avaya1, Avb, Average Earthman, AvicAWB, AxG, Axel8, AySz88, Az1568, Azimuth1, Azips, Aznixiboy,
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Bates14, Bathrobe, Bayerischermann, Bazonka, Bball485, Bbatsell, Bbisdo, Bbx, Bconnor82, Bdell555, Bdiscoe, Bdpmax, Begoon, BenRG, Benau, Bendono, Benlisquare, Bentecbye, Bento00,
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Bjarki S, Bkell, Black bear is.cool, Black fire dragon, Black lupin, BlackTerror, Blackwall310, Blakeinalakewitasnake, BlazeTheMovieFan, Bleh999, Blethering Scot, BlindEagle, Blizzardstep0,
Blotner, BlueMario1016, Bluej33, Bluemask, Bluerfn, BoLingua, Bob A, Bob Palin, Bob The Moari, Bob rulz, Bob twinkle 1, Bobblewik, Bobchawowow, Bobet, Bobmarley100, Bobo12345,
Bobo192, Bobobobobobobopa, Bonehelm, Bootstoots, BorgQueen, Bornhj, Bowei Huang 2, Bpremo, BrAd!, Bradeos Graphon, Brandmeister, Brandonshim184, Bratsche, Brendan Moody,
BrendelSignature, Brentdax, Brian0918, Bridgetansel, Bright888, BrightStarSky, Brighterorange, Brion VIBBER, Brionies, BritishWatcher, Brob, BrokenSegue, Broncos6, Bronxboy205, Bryan
Derksen, Buaidh, Bubble94, Bucketsofg, Bueller 007, Bukubku, Bull Market, Bulldog73, Bunny-chan, Burbs101, Burntsauce, Burschenschafter, Bus36001, Busubi, Butwhatdoiknow, Bwfrank,
Bwithh, Bz2, CBR1kboy, CES, CFGGMann, CIreland, CJ, CTF83!, CTSWyneken, Cactus.man, Cadiomals, CalJW, Calaschysm, CalebNoble, CaliforniaAliBaba, Calimos, Caltas, Calton, Calvin
Lourdes He, Calvin Marquess, CambridgeBayWeather, Can't sleep, clown will eat me, CanadianCaesar, CanbekEsen, Canderson7, Caniago, Canopus1968, Canterbury Tail, Cantus, Canuckian89,
Capecodeph, Capitalistroadster, Captain Impulse, CaptinJohn, Cardboardfish, Carewser, Caribbean H.Q., Carlj7, Carsf, Carsonman, Casewicz, Casey56, Casper2k3, Caspian, Caspian blue,
Cassivs, Cast, CastAStone, CattleGirl, Cattus, Cburnett, Cchow2, Cdc, Cedrus-Libani, Cefisher, Celestra, Celldea, Celyndel, CepterX, Cervelo21, Chairman S., Changesarticles, Chanheigeorge,
Charles Hawkins, CharlotteWebb, CharonM72, Chase me ladies, I'm the Cavalry, Chaser, Chcokr, Che829, Check two you, CheekyMonkey, Cheesebrain, Chensiyuan, Chery, Chesnok, Chevinki,
Chick Bowen, Chiharu2shi, Chimeraking, Chipmunkdavis, Chodorkovskiy, Cholmes75, Chowbok, Chr.K., Chris 73, Chris Lincoln, Chris25, Chrisieboy, Chrislk02, Christopher Parham,
Christy747, Chronus, Cianpeco, CieloEstrellado, Circeus, Civil Engineer III, Cjewell, Ck lostsword, Ckatz, Clardan, Clasqm, Clinton Baptiste, Clngre, Clockwork, Closedmouth, Closet geek,
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Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors

File:Flag of Japan.svg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Flag_of_Japan.svg License: Public Domain Contributors: Anomie
File:Imperial Seal of Japan.svg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Imperial_Seal_of_Japan.svg License: unknown Contributors: User:Philip Nilsson
File:Goshichi no kiri.svg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Goshichi_no_kiri.svg License: Public Domain Contributors: file created on Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop
by: Zagyoso
File:Japan (orthographic projection).svg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Japan_(orthographic_projection).svg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0
Contributors: Connormah
File:Increase2.svg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Increase2.svg License: Public Domain Contributors: Sarang
file:speakerlink-new.svg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Speakerlink-new.svg License: Creative Commons Zero Contributors: User:Kelvinsong

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Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors

File:Loudspeaker.svg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Loudspeaker.svg License: Public Domain Contributors: Bayo, Frank C. Mller, Gmaxwell, Gnosygnu, Husky,
Iamunknown, Mirithing, Myself488, Nethac DIU, Omegatron, Rocket000, Shanmugamp7, Snow Blizzard, The Evil IP address, Trelio, Wouterhagens, 26 anonymous edits
File:Horyu-ji11s3200.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Horyu-ji11s3200.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported Contributors:
663highland
File:Mko Shrai Ekotoba 2.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Mko_Shrai_Ekotoba_2.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors:
File: .jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File: .jpg License: Public Domain Contributors:
File:Meiji tenno1.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Meiji_tenno1.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Artist: Eduardo Chiossone (183398); Photographer:
Maruki Riy (also misspelt as Maruki Toshiaki) UNIQ-ref-4-59afc5984bcf2dd3-QINU
File:Akihito 090710-1600a.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Akihito_090710-1600a.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Contributors: Shawnc
File:SM3 from JDS Kongo.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:SM3_from_JDS_Kongo.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: U.S. Navy
File:Regions and Prefectures of Japan 2.svg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Regions_and_Prefectures_of_Japan_2.svg License: Creative Commons
Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Contributors: User:Tokyoship
File:Japan topo en.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Japan_topo_en.jpg License: GNU Free Documentation License Contributors: Electionworld, Jugger90,
Kenmayer, , 2 anonymous edits
File:UenoParkHanami.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:UenoParkHanami.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Araisyohei, Fg2, Gorgo
File:Kongobuji Koyasan07n3200.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Kongobuji_Koyasan07n3200.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0
Unported Contributors: 663highland
File:Tokyo stock exchange.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Tokyo_stock_exchange.jpg License: GNU Free Documentation License Contributors: Chris 73
File:Toyota Prius plug-in -- 2010 DC.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Toyota_Prius_plug-in_--_2010_DC.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: IFCAR
File:Kibo PM and ELM-PS.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Kibo_PM_and_ELM-PS.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: NASA
File:Shinkansen Nozomi in Tokyo.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Shinkansen_Nozomi_in_Tokyo.jpg License: GNU Free Documentation License Contributors:
Original uploader was BradBeattie at en.wikipedia
File:Bjs48 02 Ainu.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Bjs48_02_Ainu.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Finavon, Gryffindor, Haa900, JMCC1, Pinkville,
Samuraiantiqueworld, Shizhao, Svajcr
File:Meiji-jingu wedding procession - P1000847.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Meiji-jingu_wedding_procession_-_P1000847.jpg License: Creative Commons
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File:Itsukushima torii distance.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Itsukushima_torii_distance.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.5 Contributors:
User:Rdsmith4
File:Tokyo University Entrance Exam Results 6.JPG Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Tokyo_University_Entrance_Exam_Results_6.JPG License: GNU Free
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File:Kinkaku-ji 01.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Kinkaku-ji_01.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0,2.5,2.0,1.0 Contributors: Bernard
Gagnon
File:Great Wave off Kanagawa2.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Great_Wave_off_Kanagawa2.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Aimaimyi, Berrucomons,
Calliopejen1, Durova, JMCC1, Julia W, Justass, Kri, Manuelt15, Materialscientist, Nanae, Simonizer, Sushiya, Takabeg, Tappinen, Uhanu, UpstateNYer, Was a bee, Zolo, , 1 anonymous edits
File:Genji emaki 01003 001.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Genji_emaki_01003_001.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Imperial Palace Kyoto
File:Breakfast at Tamahan Ryokan, Kyoto.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Breakfast_at_Tamahan_Ryokan,_Kyoto.jpg License: Creative Commons
Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Contributors: MichaelMaggs
File:Sumo ceremony.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Sumo_ceremony.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Kkator, Morio, Pawnkingthree, 3 anonymous
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