Japan

Table of Contents

Introduction & Quick Facts
Land
- Relief
  - Geologic framework
  - The major physiographic regions
- Drainage and soils
  - Drainage
  - Soils
- Climate
  - Temperature
  - Precipitation
- Plant and animal life
  - Flora
  - Fauna
  - The environment
People
- Ethnic groups
- Languages
- Religion
- Settlement patterns
  - Traditional regions
  - Rural settlement
  - Urban settlement
- Demographic trends
Economy
- General considerations
  - Background
  - The role of government
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing
  - Agriculture
  - Forestry and fishing
- Resources and power
  - Minerals
  - Mining and quarrying
  - Power
- Manufacturing
- Finance
  - Banking
  - Securities
- Trade
  - External trade
    - Exports
    - Imports
  - Internal trade
- Labor and taxation
  - Trade unions and employers’ associations
  - Taxation
- Transportation and telecommunications
  - Roads
  - Railways
  - Port facilities
  - Air transport
  - Telecommunications
Government and society
- Constitutional framework
- Local government
- Justice
- Political process
  - Elections
  - Political parties
- Security
  - Armed forces
  - Police
- Health and welfare
  - Health
  - Welfare
- Housing
- Education
  - Development of the modern system
  - System organization
    - Primary and secondary education
    - Higher education
    - Continuing education
Cultural life
- Cultural milieu
  - Influences
  - Aesthetics
- The arts
  - Traditional forms
  - Western forms
- Cultural institutions
- Daily life and social customs
  - Popular culture
  - Cuisine
  - Social customs
  - Sports and recreation
- Media and publishing
  - Books and magazines
  - The press
  - Radio and television
History
- Ancient Japan to 1185
  - Prehistoric Japan
    - Pre-Ceramic culture
    - Jōmon culture (c. 10,500 to c. 300 bce)
    - The Yayoi period (c. 300 bce–c. 250 ce)
    - Chinese chronicles
  - The Tumulus (Tomb) period (c. 250–552)
    - The unification of the nation
    - The Yamato court
      Rise and expansion of Yamato
      The Yamato polity
      Yamato relations with Korean states
      Yamato decline and the introduction of Buddhism
  - The age of reform (552–710)
    - The idealized government of Prince Shōtoku
    - The Taika reforms
    - The ritsuryō system
  - The Nara period (710–784)
    - Beginning of the imperial state
    - Culture in the Nara period
  - The Heian period (794–1185)
    - Changes in ritsuryō government
    - Aristocratic government at its peak
    - Government by cloistered emperors
    - The rise of the warrior class
- Medieval Japan
  - The Kamakura period (1192–1333)
    - The establishment of warrior government
    - The Hōjō regency
    - The Mongol invasions
    - Samurai groups and farming villages
    - Kamakura culture: the new Buddhism and its influence
    - Decline of Kamakura society
  - The Muromachi (or Ashikaga) period (1338–1573)
    - The Kemmu Restoration and the dual dynasties
    - The establishment of the Muromachi bakufu
      Muromachi government structure
      The growth of local autonomy
    - Trade between China and Japan
    - The Ōnin War (1467–77)
    - The Sengoku (“Warring States”) period
      The emergence of new forces.
      The arrival of the Europeans
    - The establishment of warrior culture
- Early modern Japan (1550–1850)
  - Unification
    - The Oda regime
    - The Hideyoshi regime
    - Azuchi-Momoyama culture
  - The bakuhan system
    - The establishment of the system
    - The enforcement of national seclusion
    - The Tokugawa status system
    - Commerce, cities, and culture
  - The weakening of the bakuhan system
    - Political reform in the bakufu and the han
    - The growth of the northern problem
    - New learning and thought
      Heterodox Confucian schools
      Shintō and kokugaku
      Western studies
      Growth of popular knowledge
      Religious attitudes
    - The maturity of Edo culture
  - The last years of the bakuhan
    - The Tempō reforms
    - The opening of Japan
- Japan from 1850 to 1945
  - The Meiji restoration
    - The fall of the Tokugawa
    - From feudal to modern state
      Abolition of feudalism
      Constitutional movement
  - The emergence of imperial Japan
    - Foreign affairs
      The Sino-Japanese War
      The Russo-Japanese War
      Japanese expansionism
    - Constitutional government
    - Social change
  - The rise of the militarists
    - The weakening of party government
    - Aggression in Manchuria
    - The road to World War II
      Events in China
      Foreign relations
  - World War II and defeat
    - Prologue to war
    - Early successes
    - Japan on the defensive
    - The end of the war
- Japan since 1945
  - The early postwar decades
    - Occupation
      Political reform
      Economic and social changes
      Educational reforms
      Political trends
    - The era of rapid growth
      Economic transformation
      Social change
      Political developments
      International relations
  - The late 20th and early 21st centuries
    - Economic change
    - Political developments
    - Social change
    - International relations
Emperors and empresses regnant of Japan
Prime ministers of Japan

References & Edit History Facts & Stats

Images, Videos & Interactives

For Students

Japan summary

Japan: Media

Videos

How snow monkeys survive winter in the Japanese Alps

Learn about Japanese macaques (also known as snow monkeys).

Video: Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz

Size and eating habits of Japan's giant salamanders

Learn about the Japanese giant salamander (Andrias japonicus).

Video: Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz

Survival of Japanese cranes in Kushiro Shitsugen National Park

Learn about the red-crowned cranes in Kushiro Shitsugen National Park, eastern Hokkaido,...

Video: Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz

A traditional Shintō wedding ceremony in Japan

Learn about traditional Shintō wedding ceremonies in Japan.

Video: Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz

High-tech urban farming: A new hope for Japan?

Learn about urban farming in Japan, which relies on LED lighting and hydroponics.

Video: Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz

Ancient tradition of cormorant fishing in Japan

Learn about cormorant fishing, a traditional method of fishing practiced in Japan...

Video: Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz

Managing crowds at the world's busiest train station

Learn what's being done to improve crowd flow in Japan's train stations—and how that...

Video: Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz; Thumbnail © Anthony Shaw/Dreamstime.com

The challenge of affordable living in Tokyo

Overview of the housing market in Tokyo, 2009 video.

Video: Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz

Robots assisting the elderly in Japan

The development of robot suits that aid the elderly and disabled.

Video: Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz; Thumbnail © Norman Chan/Dreamstime.com; © Sarah Holmlund/Dreamstime.com

How Japan prepares for potential earthquakes

Amid predictions that Tokyo will be struck by a major earthquake by 2040, local officials...

Video: Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz; Thumbnail © Norman Chan/Dreamstime.com; © Oleksandr Khoma/Dreamstime.com

Images

Japan

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Japan

Map of Japan.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Japan

Locator map of Japan.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Mount Fuji

Mount Fuji from its northern side, Yamanashi prefecture, east-central Honshu, Japan.

T. Okuda/Aspect Picture Library, London

Kinkaku Temple

The Kinkaku Temple (Golden Pavilion) in Kyōto, Japan, was originally built in the...

Consulate General of Japan, New York

Akihabara district in Tokyo

Train of the Sōbu Line passing through Akihabara, a district of Tokyo renowned for...

Japan

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Tōjimbō Point

Cliffs at Tōjimbō Point on the coast of the Sea of Japan (East Sea), Fukui prefecture,...

Akiharu Fujikura/Bon

Mount Fuji

The near-perfect volcanic cone of Japan's Mount Fuji.

Taishō Pond

Taishō Pond in Kamikōchi Valley, central Honshu, Japan. Mount Hotaka, highest in...

T. Okuda/Aspect Picture Library, London

Lake Towada

Lake Towada, Towada-Hachimantai National Park, northern Honshu, Japan.

Asao Fujita/Bon

Hida Range

The Hida Range, part of the Japanese Alps, in central Honshu, Japan.

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coast of the Inland Sea

Coast of the Inland Sea, Okayama prefecture, Japan.

Centphoto-FPG

Akiyoshi Plateau

Limestone outcroppings on the Akiyoshi Plateau, Yamaguchi prefecture, southwestern...

Orion Press-FPG

Mount Aso

The caldera of Mount Aso in central Kyushu, Japan

Kazumi Yahagi/Bon

waterfall in Yamanashi prefecture

Waterfall in Yamanashi prefecture, east-central Honshu, Japan.

Cosio/Shostal Associates

Ishikari River

Ishikari River, western Hokkaido, Japan.

Photos Pack

Ukimi Temple

Ukimi Temple, Lake Biwa, Shiga prefecture, central Honshu, Japan.

spring cherry blossoms surrounding a pagoda

Spring cherry blossoms surrounding a pagoda in Kyōto, Japan.

stone path in Shiga prefecture

Autumn foliage along a stone path, Shiga prefecture, central Honshu, Japan.

Japanese sika

Japanese sika (Cervus nippon nippon).

Kirtley-Perkins—The National Audubon Society Collection/Photo Researchers

Japanese macaques

Japanese macaques groom each other at a spa in Nagano prefecture, east-central Honshu,...

Japanese badger

Japanese badger (Meles anakuma).

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koi

Ornamental carp, or koi, swimming in a pond in Japan.

purification shrine

Purification shrine in Kiyomizu Temple, Kyōto.

D.E. Cox from TSW—CLICK/Chicago

Asahikawa Winter Festival, Japan

People of Ainu descent dancing before a palace made of snow at the Asahikawa Winter...

FPG

Okinawa, Japan: shisa

A traditional guardian diety, called a shisa (Japanese komainu),...

Shintō shrine gateway

Torii (gateway) at the entrance to a Shintō shrine on Mount Hakone, east-central...

R. Manley/Shostal Associates

Shintō shrine

Strips of paper with prayers written on them outside a Shintō shrine in Japan.

Ise Shrine: Outer Shrine

Entrance to the Outer Shrine (Gekū) of the Ise Shrine, Ise, Mie prefecture, Japan.

FPG

Kawasaki, Japan: temple

Kawasaki Daishi (or Heigen) Temple, Kawasaki, Kanagawa prefecture, Japan.

Photos Pack

traditional gassho-zukuri farmhouses

Traditional gassho-zukuri farmhouses, Gifu prefecture, central Honshu, Japan.

W.H. Hodge

castle in Matsumoto

Castle at Matsumoto, Japan.

W.H. Hodge

Yokohama

Central Yokohama, Japan, at dusk.

Japanese bullet train

Japan's Shinkansen (bullet train) passing on a bridge, with Mount Fuji in the background.

terrace cultivation in Japan

Terrace cultivation in Fukuoka prefecture, Kyushu, Japan.

John Launois/Black Star

farms on the Obihiro Plain

Farms on the Obihiro Plain, Hokkaido, Japan

Photos Pack

Japanese burial ground

Burial ground with harvested rice fields in the distance, Tottori prefecture, Japan

F. Olson/Shostal Associates

drying fish at Nakamura port

Drying fish at Nakamura port in Kōchi prefecture, Japan.

Imperial Press/FPG

drying edible algae in Fukushima prefecture, Japan

Drying edible algae on a beach in the Hisanohama district of Iwaki, Fukushima prefecture,...

W.H. Hodge

petroleum plant in the Keihin Industrial Zone

Petroleum plant, Keihin Industrial Zone, Japan.

Imperial Press/FPG

defunct mine in Fukuoka prefecture

Mine waste remaining from a defunct mine at the Chikuhō Coalfield, Iizuka, Fukuoka...

Nobuyuki Tanaka/Orion Press, Tokyo

radioactive-waste storage facility in Japan

Radioactive-waste storage facility at Rokkasho-mura, Japan.

Imabari Japan: towel factory

Towel factory, Imabari, Ehime prefecture, Japan.

FPG

Kure, Japan: shipyard

A shipyard in Kure, Hiroshima prefecture, Japan.

William C. Gagnon/Shostal Associates

Japanese iron mill

Iron mill in Muroran, Japan.

Imperial Press—FPG

Toyota assembly line

Robotic welding on the automobile assembly line at the Toyota Motor Corporation,...

Courtesy, Toyota Motor Corporation

one-thousand-yen banknote

One-thousand-yen banknote from Japan (obverse).

Courtesy of Isabella Saccà

one-thousand-yen banknote (reverse)

One-thousand-yen banknote from Japan (reverse).

Courtesy of Isabella Saccà

Tokyo Stock Exchange

Tokyo Stock Exchange building, Tokyo, Japan.

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port facilities in Onomichi

Port facilities on the industrial channel of Onomichi, Japan.

Photos Pack/Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Shibuya shopping district

Shibuya shopping district, Tokyo.

Seto Great Bridge

The multiple-span Seto Great Bridge over the Inland Sea, linking Kojima, Honshu,...

Orion Press, Tokyo

bullet train near Yonezawa

Shinkansen (bullet train) near Yonezawa, northeastern Honshu, Japan.

Landmark Tower

The Landmark Tower rising above Yokohama Harbor.

Orion Press

Japan Airlines

Japan Airlines Boeing 747-400.

Diet

The Diet building, Tokyo.

Chris 73

Shinzo Abe

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe opening the first session of the Diet in 2007.

Junko Kimura/Getty Images

Koizumi Junichiro

Koizumi Junichiro, 2010.

Fabio Rodrigues Pozzebom/ABr

Metropolitan Police Department command center

Command center of the Metropolitan Police Department, Tokyo, Japan.

Tokyo, University of

Yasuda Auditorium, University of Tokyo.

Daderot

Tsukuba Science City: University of Tsukuba quadrangle

University of Tsukuba quadrangle, Tsukuba Science City, Ibaraki prefecture, Japan.

Dinakar Radhakrishnan

interior of a cha-shitsu

Interior of a cha-shitsu (tea house).

Harumi Konishi

Japanese contemplative garden

Rock-and-gravel kare sansui (“dry mountain stream”) contemplative garden...

Ashiya City Museum of Art and History

Ashiya City Museum of Art and History, Ashiya, Hyogo prefecture, Japan.

663highland

Katsura Imperial Gardens

Pond and moss-covered bridge, Katsura Imperial Gardens, Kyōto, Japan.

William G. Froelich, Jr.

Sashimi

Salmon sashimi.

Sukiyaki

Sukiyaki is a dish of beef and vegetables prepared in the nabemono (one-pot)...

Kapichu

Wide variety of bento boxes at a convenience store in Japan

A selection of bento boxes with traditional Japanese foods on shelves for sale in...

Onigiri

Okaka salmon onigiri.

©photoranger2521/stock.adobe.com

Tea cultivation in Japan

Rows of tea (Camellia sinensis) growing in Japan, with Mount Fuji in the...

Matcha

Arrangement of a chawan (drinking bowl) of steeped matcha green tea, a bowl...

Shichi-go-san

Japanese girls dressed for the Shichi-go-san festival.

Star Festival in Sendai

Tanabata Matsuri (Star Festival) in Sendai, Japan.

Cosio/Shostal Associates

cherry blossoms

Japanese students walking among cherry blossoms.

Asahi shimbun headquarters

The headquarters of Asahi shimbun, Tokyo.

Lover of Romance

NKH broadcasting station

Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai (NHK) broadcasting station in Ōsaka, Japan.

Japanese historical sites

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Buddha

The Great Buddha, or Daibutsu, at Kamakura, Japan.

wood-and-stucco pagoda at the Hōryū Temple complex

The five-story wood-and-stucco pagoda, originally built in 607, reconstructed c....

Sybil Sassoon/Robert Harding Picture Library, London

Great Buddha Hall

Great Buddha Hall (Daibutsu-den) of the Tōdai Temple, Nara, Japan. The original Late...

Orion Press—Scala/Art Resource, New York

Shūkongōjin

Shūkongōjin, painted clay, 733; in the Hekkedō (Sangatsudō), Tōdai Temple, Nara,...

Sakamoto Photo Laboratory, Tokyo

Sōtatsu: Genji monogatari: Miotsukushi

Genji monogatari: Miotsukushi, center detail of left screen of a pair of...

The Seikado Bunko Art Museum, Tokyo

Minamoto Yoritomo

Minamoto Yoritomo, color on silk cloth attributed to Fujiwara Takanobu; in the collection...

Minamoto Yoshitsune on horseback

Minamoto Yoshitsune on horseback, illustration by Utagawa Yoshimori, 1886.

Mongol empire

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Kōshō: wood sculpture

The priest Koya (Kuya), wood sculpture by Kōshō, Kamakura period; in the Rokuharamitsuji,...

Asuka-En

Grand Shrine of Kasuga

The middle gate of the Grand Shrine of Kasuga, Nara, Japan.

Milt and Joan Mann—CAMERAMANN INTERNATIONAL

shoin-zukuri interior in the Ginkaku Temple

Shoin-zukuri interior in the Ginkaku Temple, Kyōto, showing a chigai-dana...

Oguro Planning Co.—FPG

Sesshū: Landscape of Four Seasons

Landscape of Four Seasons, ink and light color on paper, detail of a painting...

Bōfu Mori Hōkō-kai, Yamaguchi, Japan

Sesshū: View of Amanohashidate

View of Amanohashidate, detail of an ink painting in the suiboku-ga...

Courtesy of the Kyoto National Museum

Tai-an tea room

The sukiya-style Tai-an tea room, used for the tea ceremony (cha-no-yu);...

Courtesy of Sakamoto Photo Research Laboratory

Himeji Castle

Himeji Castle, Hyōgo prefecture, Japan, built in the 14th century by the Akamatsu...

Katsum Tomita-Orion Press—SCALA/Art Resource, New York

Nijo Castle

Goten (“palace”) of Nijo Castle, Kyōto, an Azuchi-Momoyama-style building constructed...

H. Roger-Viollet

Gate of Sunlight

Gate of Sunlight (Yomei-mon) of the Tōshō Shrine, carved, painted wood decorated...

Orion Press, Tokyo

interior of a Kabuki theater

Interior of a Kabuki theater, colored woodcut triptych by Utagawa Toyokuni, c. 1800;...

Courtesy of the trustees of the British Museum

writing box decorated with cranes in reeds

Writing box decorated with cranes in reeds, black lacquered wood with gold paint,...

Courtesy of the Seattle Art Museum, Washington

inro

Five-case inro with samurai design done in taka-makie (style of high-relief...

From Melvin and Betty Janss, Inro and Other Miniature Forms of Japanese Lacquer Art; Charles E. Tuttle, Inc.

Okumura Masanobu: Hanshozuku Bijin Soroi

Hanshozuku Bijin Soroi, ukiyo-e color woodcut by Okumura Masanobu, Tokugawa...

Courtesy of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, given by Mrs. Anne Archbold

Woodcutter Gazing at Waterfall

Woodcutter Gazing at Waterfall, detail of a paper scroll in ink and color...

Courtesy of the Stanford University Museum of Art, California, Ikeda Collection

Matthew Perry

Matthew Perry, detail of a Japanese watercolor, c. 1853; in the Chrysler Museum of...

The Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Virginia, Norfolk Newspapers' Art Trust Purchase and Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Victor Spark in Memory of their Son Donald, 52.55.2

Japanese expansion

Japanese expansion in the late 19th and 20th centuries.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Battle of Midway

Panoramic combination of two photos depicting the Battle of Midway. The USS Yorktown...

2rd Class William G. Roy—U.S. Navy/NARA

Discover more about the first atomic bombs

The first atomic bomb was detonated on July 16, 1945, in New Mexico as part of the...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Atomic bombing of Hiroshima

A gigantic mushroom cloud rising above Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, 1945, after...

U.S. Air Force photograph

USS Missouri: Japanese surrender

Japanese representatives, including Foreign Minister Shigemitsu Mamoru (with walking...

Army Signal Corps. Collection/U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (Image ID: USA C-2719)

Harajuku Girl

A female dressed in the “Gothic Lolita” or “Harajuku Girl” style of fashion in the...

Pedestrian and automobile traffic competing for space in a busy Japanese intersection.

Japan: bamboo grove

Dense grove of bamboo in Japan.

Mount Fuji

Field of green tea growing near Fuji, Shizuoka prefecture, Japan, with Mount Fuji...

Japanese mon

Japanese mon, or heraldic emblems. The mon is worn as a badge to...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Japan

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Audio

National anthem of Japan

The instrumental version of the national anthem of Japan.

Interactives

Japan: Composition by nationality

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Japan: Permanent immigrants/registered aliens

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Japan: Religious affiliation

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Japan: Urban-rural

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Japan: Age breakdown

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Japan: Renewable energy by source

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Japan: Major export destinations

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Japan: Major import sources

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

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