| Empire of Japan/State of Japan 日本皇国/日本国 Timeline: DifferentlyNippon Kōkoku/Nihon-koku | ||||||
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| Anthem: Kimigayo |
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 Location of Japan (green)
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| Capital (and largest city) | Tokyo | |||||
| Other cities | Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Kyoto | |||||
| Official languages | Japanese | |||||
| Other languages | Ryukyuan languages Ainu |
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| Religion | Shinto Buddhism |
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| Government | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy | |||||
| - | Emperor | Naruhito | ||||
| - | Prime Minister | Yoshihide Suga | ||||
| Legislature | Imperial Diet | |||||
| - | Upper house | House of Councillors | ||||
| - | Lower house | House of Representatives | ||||
| Establishment | ||||||
| - | Imperial Dynasty established | 11 February 660 BC | ||||
| - | Constitution | 29 November 1890 | ||||
| - | People's Republic | 3 November 1931 | ||||
| - | Republic | 23 August 1975 | ||||
| - | Restoration of monarchy | 8 October 1976 | ||||
| Area | ||||||
| - | Total | 377,973 km2 145,936 sq mi |
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| Population | ||||||
| - | Estimate | 126,440,000 (11th) | ||||
| Currency | Yen (¥) (JPY) |
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| Drives on the | left | |||||
Japan (Kanji: 日本, Hiragana: にっぽん or にほん, Katakana: ニッポン or ニホン Nippon or Nihon, Literally, "The sun's origin"), officially the Empire of Japan (
Its surface area of 377,973 square kilometers makes Japan Asia's 15th- and the world's 67th-largest country. With a population of over 126.million inhabitants, it is the sixth-most populous country in Asia and the 11th in the world.
Japan is considered a great power, is among the largest economies of the world, and benefits from a high Human Development Index and longevity. The culture of Japan is well known around the world, including its art, cuisine, music, and popular culture, which encompasses prominent comic, animation and video game industries.
History[]
Japan is believed to have been inhabited by paleolithic peoples as early as 40,000 BC. By 14,000 BC, a sedentary hunter-gatherer culture with advanced pottery and tools was dominant. Intensive rice agriculture, as well as bronze and iron working, began around 300 BC in the Yayoi period.
Recorded history in Japan begins around 250, the same time Shinto emerged in the country. In the 6th century, Buddhism arrived in Japan from China and the country was renamed from Wa (
In the early 17th century, the Tokugawa shogunate introduced a strictly isolationist policy under which almost no one could enter or leave the country; Japanese economy and culture flourished in isolation. In the 19th century, Japan was forced to open trade to the United States, Russia and Britain and gradually relinquished its isolationist policy. The Meiji Restoration of 1868 modernized the country.
In the early 20th century, Japan invaded several neighboring countries with success and they had beaten both China and Russia in two wars which shocked the entire western world. Japan joined the Central Powers and they won the war. However the Japanese and Germans lost the cold war to America and the Soviet Union as an American backed Republican revolution overthrew the German monarchy. Japan lost control of its vast Asian and Pacific Empire.
It eventually joined PANTO in 1978.
Politics[]
Japan is a unitary state and constitutional monarchy similar to that of the United Kingdom. Most of the executive power is wielded by the Prime Minister of Japan and his Cabinet, whose sovereignty is vested in the Japanese people. Naruhito is the Emperor of Japan, having succeeded his father Akihito upon his accession to the Chrysanthemum Throne in 2019.
Japan's legislative organ is the Imperial Diet (皇国議会 Kōkoku-gikai), a bicameral parliament. It consists of a lower House of Representatives (衆議院 Shūgi-in) with 465 seats, elected by popular vote every four years or when dissolved, and an upper House of Councillors (参議院 Sangi-in) with 245 seats, whose popularly-elected members serve six-year terms. There is universal suffrage for adults over 18 years of age, with a secret ballot for all elected offices. The prime minister as the head of government has the power to appoint and dismiss Ministers of State, and is appointed by the emperor after being designated from among the members of the Diet. Elected in the 2020 Japanese prime minister election, Yoshihide Suga is Japan's prime minister.
Historically influenced by Chinese law, the Japanese legal system developed independently during the Edo period through texts such as Kujikata Osadamegaki. Since the late 19th century, the judicial system has been largely based on the civil law of Europe, notably Germany. In 1896, Japan established a civil code based on the German Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch, which remains in effect with post–Anglo-American War modifications. Statutory law originates in the legislature, and the constitution requires that the emperor promulgate legislation passed by the Diet while giving him minimal powers to oppose it. The main body of Japanese statutory law is called the Six Codes. Japan's court system is divided into four basic tiers: the Supreme Court and three levels of lower courts.
Administrative divisions[]
Japan is divided into 48 prefectures (都道府県 todōfuken), which rank immediately below the national government and form the country's first level of jurisdiction and administrative division. They include 44 prefectures proper (県 ken) two urban prefectures (府 fu, Osaka and Kyoto), one "circuit" or "territory" (道 dō, Hokkaido) and one metropolis (都 to, Tokyo), each overseen by an elected governor and legislature. In the following table, the prefectures are grouped by region:
| Name | Population | Area (km²) | Capital |
|---|---|---|---|
 Hokkaido Region(北海道地方 Hokkaidō-chihō, Ainu: アィヌ・モシリ, Aynu Mosir) | |||
| Hokkaidō (北海道) |
5,281,297 | 83,423.84 | Sapporo (札幌市) |
| Karafuto (樺太県) Карафуто |
5,281,297 | 199,190 | Toyohara (豊原市) Влади́мировка |
 Tohoku Region(東北地方 Tōhoku-chihō) | |||
| Aomori (青森県) |
1,249,314 | 9,645.64 | Aomori (青森市) |
| Iwate (岩手県) |
1,229,432 | 15,275.01 | Morioka (盛岡市) |
| Miyagi (宮城県) |
2,305,596 | 7,282.22 | Sendai (仙台市) |
| Akita (秋田県) |
966,000 | 11,637.52 | Akita (秋田市) |
| Yamagata (山形県) |
1,079,950 | 9,325.15 | Yamagata (山形市) |
| Fukushima (福島県) |
1,810,286 | 13,783.90 | Fukushima (福島市) |
 Kanto Region(東北地方 Kantō-chihō) | |||
| Ibaraki (茨城県) |
2,871,199 | 6,097.19 | Mito (水戸市) |
| Tochigi (栃木県) |
1,943,886 | 6,408.09 | Utsunomiya (宇都宮市) |
| Gunma (群馬県) |
1,937,626 | 6,362.28 | Maebashi (前橋市) |
| Saitama (埼玉県) |
7,338,536 | 3,797.75 | Saitama (さいたま市) |
| Chiba (千葉県) |
6,278,060 | 5,157.61 | Chiba (千葉市) |
| Tōkyō (東京都) |
13,960,236 | 2,194.07 | Tōkyō (東京市) |
| Kanagawa (神奈川県) |
9,058,094 | 2,415.83 | Yokohama (横浜市) |
 Chubu Region(中部地方 Chūbu-chihō) | |||
| Niigata (新潟県) |
2,227,496 | 12,584.18 | Niigata (新潟市) |
| Toyama (富山県) |
1,044,588 | 4,247.61 | Toyama (富山市) |
| Ishikawa (石川県) |
1,140,573 | 4,186.09 | Kanazawa (金沢市) |
| Fukui (福井県) |
778,943 | 4,190.49 | Fukui (福井市) |
| Nagano (長野県) |
2,052,493 | 13,561.56 | Nagano (長野市) |
| Gifu (岐阜県) |
1,991,390 | 10,621.29 | Gifu (岐阜市) |
| Shizuoka (静岡県) |
3,637,998 | 7,777.42 | Shizuoka (静岡市) |
| Aichi (愛知県) |
5,172.873 | 5,172.92 | Nagoya (名古屋市) |
 Kansai Region(関西地方 Kansai-chihō) | |||
| Mie (三重県) |
1,781,948 | 5,774.41 | Tsu (津市) |
| Shiga (滋賀県) |
1,412,916 | 4,017.38 | Ōtsu (大津市) |
| Kyōto (京都府) |
2,579,921 | 4,612.19 | Kyōto (京都市) |
| Ōsaka (大阪府) |
8,823,358 | 1,905.14 | Ōsaka (大阪市) |
| Nara (奈良県) |
1,321,805 | 3,691.09 | Nara (奈良市) |
| Wakayama (和歌山県) |
944,320 | 4,724.69 | Wakayama (和歌山市) |
 Chugoku Region(中国地方 Chūgoku-chihō) | |||
| Tottori (鳥取県) |
570,569 | 3,507.05 | Tottori (鳥取市) |
| Shimane (島根県) |
665,205 | 6,708.26 | Matsue (松江市) |
| Okayama (岡山県) |
1,906,464 | 7,114.50 | Okayama (岡山市) |
| Hiroshima (広島県) |
2,811,410 | 8,749.43 | Hiroshima (広島市) |
| Yamaguchi (山口県) |
1,377,631 | 6,112.30 | Yamaguchi (山口市) |
 Shikoku Region(四国地方 Shikoku-chihō) | |||
| Tokushima (徳島県) |
728,633 | 4,146.80 | Tokushima (徳島市) |
| Kagawa (香川県) |
949,358 | 1,876.80 | Takamatsu (高松市) |
| Ehime (愛媛県) |
1,342,011 | 5,676.23 | Matsuyama (松山市) |
| Kōchi (高知県) |
757,914 | 7,103.93 | Kōchi (高知市) |
 Kyushu Region(九州地方 Kyūshū-chihō) | |||
| Fukuoka (福岡県) |
5,109,323 | 4,986.52 | Fukuoka (福岡市) |
| Saga (佐賀県) |
809,248 | 2,440.68 | Saga (佐賀市) |
| Nagasaki (長崎県) |
1,314,078 | 4,130.88 | Nagasaki (長崎市) |
| Kumamoto (熊本県) |
1,748,134 | 7,409.48 | Kumamoto (熊本市) |
| Ōita (大分県) |
1,136,245 | 6,340.73 | Ōita (大分市) |
| Miyazaki (宮崎県) |
1,073,054 | 7,735.32 | Miyazaki (宮崎市) |
| Kagoshima (鹿児島県) |
1,599,779 | 9,187.01 | Kagoshima (鹿児島市) |
 Ryukyu Region(琉球地方 Ryūkyū-chihō, Rūchū-chihō) | |||
| Okinawa (沖縄県 Uchinā) |
1,457,162 | 2,281 | Naha (那覇市 Nāfa) |
Political Parties[]
Liberal Democratic Party (自由民主党 Jiyū Minshu-tō): A conservative party, formed in 1955 from a merger of two other parties. Currently in power.- Clean Government Party (公明党 Kōmei-tō): A centre to centre-left party founded by lay members of the new religious movement Soka Gakkai.
- Social Democratic Party (社会民主党 Shakai Minshu-tō): The SDP is a social-democratic party. It is a successor of the Japan Socialist Party, which had been Japan's largest opposition party in the 1955 System.
- Japanese Communist Party (日本共産党 Nihon Kyōsan-tō): The Japanese Communist Party is Japan's oldest party. It was formed in 1922 as an underground organization, but was legalized after the Anglo-American War.
- Japanese Shield Party (大和の楯党 Yamato no Tate-tō): A far right party dedicated to traditional Japanese values and veneration of the Emperor, founded by author Yukio Mishima.
Military[]
Japan is the second-highest-ranked Asian country in the Global Peace Index 2020. Japan maintains one of the largest military budgets of any country in the world. The Japanese Military (日本の軍隊 Nihon no Guntai, Nippon no Guntai) is governed by the Ministry of Defense (防衛省 Bōei-shō). The three main branches of the military are:
- Japanese Army (本帝陸軍 Nippon Rikugun)
- Japanese Navy (日本海軍 Nippon Kaigun)
- Japanese Airforce (日本空軍 Nippon Kūgun)
Sports[]
Japan has hosted a number of international sporting events. In 1964, during socialist times, Tokyo hosted the Summer Olympics. In 1985, about one decade after the fall of socialism, the country hosted the FIFA World Cup of that year. In 1994, the city of Nagano hosted the Winter Olympics. In 2020, Tokyo again hosted the Summer Olympics.
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