From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
日本国
Nihon-koku
Japan
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Anthem: Kimi ga Yo (君が代, Kimi ga Yo?)
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Capital
(and largest city) |
Tokyo (de facto) 1
 35°41′N, 139°46′E |
| Official languages |
Japanese (de facto) |
| Demonym |
Japanese |
| Government |
Parliamentary democracy and Constitutional monarchy |
| - |
Emperor |
Akihito |
| - |
Prime Minister |
Yasuo Fukuda |
| Formation |
| - |
National Foundation Day |
February 11, 660 BC3 |
| - |
Meiji Constitution |
November 29, 1890 |
| - |
Current constitution |
May 3, 1947 |
| - |
Treaty of
San Francisco |
April 28, 1952 |
| Area |
| - |
Total |
377,873 km² (62nd)
145,883 sq mi |
| - |
Water (%) |
0.8 |
| Population |
| - |
2007 estimate |
127,433,494 (10th) |
| - |
2004 census |
127,333,002 |
| - |
Density |
337/km² (30th)
872.8/sq mi |
| GDP (PPP) |
2007 estimate |
| - |
Total |
$4.346 trillion[1] (3rd) |
| - |
Per capita |
$33,800[2] (24th) |
| GDP (nominal) |
2007 estimate |
| - |
Total |
$4.886 trillion[3] (2nd) |
| - |
Per capita |
$38,341 (14th) |
| Gini |
38.1 (2002)[4] |
| HDI (2007) |
▲ 0.953 (high) (8th) |
| Currency |
International Symbol ¥ Pronounced (Yen)
Japanese Symbol 円 Pronounced (En)
(JPY) |
| Time zone |
JST (UTC+9) |
| Internet TLD |
.jp |
| Calling code |
+81 |
| 1 |
Yokohama is the largest incorporated city. |
| 2 |
"World Factbook; Japan—Economy". CIA (2006-12-19). Retrieved on 2006-12-28. |
| 3 |
According to legend, Japan was founded on this date by the Emperor Jimmu, first emperor of Japan; it is seen as largely symbolic. |
Japan (日本 Nihon or Nippon?, officially 日本国 Nippon-koku?·i or Nihon-koku) is an island country in East Asia. 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. The characters that make up Japan's name mean "sun-origin", which is why Japan is sometimes identified as the "Land of the Rising Sun".
Japan comprises over 3,000 islands[5] making it an archipelago. The largest islands are Honshū, Hokkaidō, Kyūshū and Shikoku, together accounting for 97% of Japan's land area. Most of the islands are mountainous, many volcanic; for example, Japan’s highest peak, Mount Fuji, is a volcano. Japan has the world's tenth largest population, with about 128 million people. The 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 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 first century AD.
Influence from the outside world followed by long periods of isolation has characterized Japan's history. Since adopting its constitution in 1947, Japan has maintained a unitary constitutional monarchy with an emperor and an elected parliament, the Diet.
A major economic power,[6] Japan has the world's second largest economy by nominal GDP. It is a member of the United Nations, G8, G4, OECD and APEC, with the world's fifth largest defense budget. It is also the world's fourth largest exporter and sixth largest importer and a world leader in technology and machinery.
Etymology
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Main article: Names of Japan
The English word Japan is an exonym not used in the Japanese language. The Japanese names for Japan are Nippon (にっぽん) and Nihon (にほん). They are both written in Japanese using the kanji 日本. The Japanese name Nippon is used for most official purposes, including on Japanese money, postage stamps, and for many international sporting events. Nihon is a more casual term and the most frequently used in contemporary speech.
Both Nippon and Nihon literally mean "the sun's origin" and are often translated as the Land of the Rising Sun. This nomenclature comes from Imperial correspondence with Chinese Sui Dynasty and refers to Japan's eastward position relative to China. Before Japan had relations with China, it was known as Yamato and Hi no moto, which means "source of the sun".[7]
The English word for Japan came to the West from early trade routes. The early Mandarin Chinese or possibly Wu Chinese word for Japan was recorded by Marco Polo as Cipangu. The modern Shanghainese (a Wu Chinese dialect 呉語) pronunciation of characters 日本 (Japan) is still Zeppen [zəʔpən] (in Wu language, 日 has two pronunciations 白读：niʔ or 文读：zəʔ, in some regions in South Wu, it is pronounced as niʔpən, similar to that of Japanese). The old Malay word for Japan, Jepang (modern spelling Jepun, although Indonesian has retained the older spelling), was borrowed from a Chinese language, and this Malay word was encountered by Portuguese traders in Malacca in the 16th century. It is thought the Portuguese traders were the first to bring the word to Europe. It was first recorded in English in 1577 spelled Giapan.
History
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The first signs of occupation on the Japanese Archipelago appeared with a Paleolithic culture around 30,000 BC, followed from around 14,000 BC by the Jōmon period, a Mesolithic to Neolithic semi-sedentary hunter-gatherer culture of pit dwelling and a rudimentary form of agriculture. Decorated clay vessels from this period, often with plaited patterns, are some of the oldest surviving examples of pottery in the world.[8][9][10]
The Yayoi period, starting around the third century BC, saw the introduction of many new practices, such as wet-rice farming, iron and bronze-making and a new style of pottery, brought by migrants from China or Korea. These immigrants may have displaced the original Neolithic inhabitants of Japan.[11] With the development of Yayoi culture, a predominantly agricultural society emerged.[12][13][14]
The Japanese first appear in written history in China’s Book of Han. According to the Chinese Records of Three Kingdoms, the most powerful kingdom on the archipelago during the third century was called Yamataikoku.
Buddhism was first introduced to Japan from Baekje of the Korean Peninsula, but the subsequent development of Japanese Buddhism and Buddhist sculptures were primarily influenced by China.[15] Despite early resistance, Buddhism was promoted by the ruling class and eventually gained growing acceptance since the Asuka period.[16]
The Nara period
of the eighth century marked the first emergence of a strong central
Japanese state, centered around an imperial court in the city of Heijō-kyō, or modern day Nara. In addition to the continuing adoption of Chinese administrative practices, the Nara period
Classical
from 
