Prince Hiro Japanese Photo Japan 7X9 1 Year Old Vintage Emperor 1961 Original

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Seller: memorabilia111 ✉️ (808) 100%, Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan, US, Ships to: US & many other countries, Item: 176284773228 PRINCE HIRO JAPANESE PHOTO JAPAN 7X9 1 YEAR OLD VINTAGE EMPEROR 1961 ORIGINAL. A VINTAGE ORIGINAL 7X9 INCH PHOTO FROM 1961 OF PRINCE HIRO AT 1 YEARS OLD IN A SILK KIMONO Naruhito is Emperor of Japan. He acceded to the Chrysanthemum Throne on 1 May 2019, beginning the Reiwa era, following the abdication of his father, Akihito. He is the 126th monarch according to Japan's traditional order of succession. 

Naruhito (徳仁, pronounced [naɾɯꜜçi̥to]; born 23 February 1960) is Emperor of Japan. He acceded to the Chrysanthemum Throne on 1 May 2019, beginning the Reiwa era, following the abdication of his father, Akihito.[1] He is the 126th monarch according to Japan's traditional order of succession. Contents 1 Name 2 Early life 3 Education 4 Personal life 4.1 Marriage and family 4.2 Hobbies and interests 5 Crown Prince of Japan 6 Emperor of Japan 7 Selected works 8 Honours 8.1 National 8.2 Foreign 8.3 Honorary degrees 8.4 Honorary positions 9 Patrilineal ancestry 10 Notes 11 Sources 12 External links Name Before becoming emperor, he was generally referred in the Japanese press by his given name and princely title. Upon succeeding to the throne, he is no longer referred to by his given name, but rather is referred to as "His Majesty the Emperor" (天皇陛下, Tennō Heika) which may be shortened to "His Majesty" (陛下, Heika).[2] In writing, the Emperor is also referred to formally as "The Reigning Emperor" (今上天皇, Kinjō Tennō). The era of Naruhito's reign bears the name "Reiwa" (令和) pronounced [ɾeːɰa] (About this soundlisten), and according to custom he will be renamed Emperor Reiwa (令和天皇, Reiwa Tennō, see "posthumous name") by order of the Cabinet after his death. The name of the next era under his successor will be established after his death or before his abdication.[3] Early life Naruhito in February 1961 Naruhito was born on 23 February 1960 at 4:15 p.m. in the Imperial Household Agency Hospital in Tokyo Imperial Palace.[4] As a prince, he later quipped, "I was born in a barn inside the moat".[5] His parents, Akihito and Michiko, were then crown prince and crown princess of Japan, while his paternal grandfather, Hirohito, reigned as emperor. Reuters reported that Naruhito's paternal grandmother, Empress Kōjun, had driven her daughter-in-law and grandchildren to depression in the 1960s by persistently accusing Michiko of not being suitable for her son.[6] Naruhito's childhood was reported to be happy, and he enjoyed activities such as mountain climbing, riding and learning the violin. He played with the children of the royal chamberlain, and he was a fan of the Yomiuri Giants in the Central League, his favorite player being No. 3, later team manager, Shigeo Nagashima. One day, Naruhito found the remains of an ancient roadway in the palace grounds, sparking a lifelong fascination with the history of transportation, which would provide the subject of his bachelor's and master's degrees in history.[7] He later said, "I have had a keen interest in roads since childhood. On roads you can go to the unknown world. Since I have been leading a life where I have few chances to go out freely, roads are a precious bridge to the unknown world, so to speak."[8] In August 1974, when the prince was 14, he was sent to Melbourne, Australia, for a homestay. Naruhito's father, then the Crown Prince Akihito, had had a positive experience there on a trip the year before, and encouraged his son to go as well.[9] He stayed with the family of businessman Colin Harper.[10] He got along with his host brothers, riding around Point Lonsdale, playing the violin and tennis, and climbing Uluru together.[11] Once he even played the violin for dignitaries at a state dinner at Government House hosted by Governor-General Sir John Kerr.[12] Education When Naruhito was four years old he was enrolled in the prestigious Gakushūin school system, where many of Japan's elite families and narikin (nouveaux riches) send their children.[13] In senior high, Naruhito joined the geography club.[14] Naruhito graduated from Gakushuin University in March 1982 with a Bachelor of Letters degree in history.[15] In July 1983 he entered a three-month intensive English course before entering Merton College, Oxford University, in the United Kingdom,[16] where he studied until 1986. Naruhito did not, however, submit his thesis A Study of Navigation and Traffic on the Upper Thames in the 18th Century until 1989.[17] He later revisited these years in his book, The Thames and I – a Memoir of Two Years at Oxford. He visited some 21 historic pubs, including the Trout Inn.[18] Naruhito joined the Japan Society and the drama society, and became the honorary president of the karate and judo clubs.[19] He played inter-college tennis, seeded number three out of six on the Merton team,[19] and took golf lessons from a pro.[19] In his three years at Merton he also climbed the highest peaks in three of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom: Scotland's Ben Nevis, Wales' Snowdon and Scafell Pike in England.[20] While at Oxford, Naruhito also was able to go sightseeing across Europe and meet much of its royalty, including the British royal family.[20] The relatively relaxed manners of the United Kingdom's royals amazed him: "Queen Elizabeth II, he noted with surprise, poured her own tea and served the sandwiches."[21] He also went skiing with Liechtenstein's Prince Hans-Adam II, holidayed in Mallorca in the Mediterranean with Spain's King Juan Carlos I, and sailed with Norway's Crown Prince Harald and Crown Princess Sonja and Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.[22] Upon his return to Japan, Naruhito enrolled once more in Gakushūin University to earn a Master of Humanities degree in history, successfully earning his degree in 1988.[23] Personal life Naruhito and Masako in May 2019 Marriage ceremony of Prince Naruhito and Masako Owada Marriage and family Naruhito first met Masako Owada (staff working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) at a tea for Infanta Elena of Spain in November 1986,[24][19] during her studies at the University of Tokyo. The prince was immediately captivated by her,[25] and arranged for them to meet several times over the next few weeks.[26] Because of this, they were pursued relentlessly by the press throughout 1987.[27] Despite the Imperial Household Agency's disapproval of Masako Owada, and her attending Balliol College, Oxford, for the next two years, Naruhito remained interested in Masako who worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He proposed to her three times before the Imperial Palace announced their engagement on 19 January 1993. The wedding took place on 9 June the same year at the Imperial Shinto Hall in Tokyo before 800 invited guests, including many of Europe's heads of state and royalty.[28] By the time of their marriage, Naruhito's father had ascended the throne, so Naruhito had been invested as the crown prince with the title Prince Hiro (浩宮, Hiro-no-miya) on 23 February 1991.[29] Masako's first pregnancy was announced in December 1999, but she miscarried.[30] Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako have one daughter, Aiko, Princess Toshi (敬宮愛子内親王, Toshi-no-miya Aiko Naishinnō), born 1 December 2001 at the Imperial Household Agency Hospital in Tokyo Imperial Palace.[31][32] Hobbies and interests Naruhito is interested in water policy and water conservation. In March 2003, in his capacity as honorary president of the Third World Water Forum, he delivered a speech at the forum's opening ceremony titled "Waterways Connecting Kyoto and Local Regions". Visiting Mexico in March 2006, he gave the keynote address at the opening ceremony for the Fourth World Water Forum, "Edo and Water Transport". And in December 2007, he gave a commemorative talk at the opening ceremony for the First Asia-Pacific Water Summit, "Humans and Water: From Japan to the Asia-Pacific Region".[29] Naruhito plays the viola, having switched from the violin because he thought the latter "too much of a leader, too prominent" to suit his musical and personal tastes.[33] He enjoys jogging, hiking, and mountaineering in his spare time.[12] Crown Prince of Japan The Crown Prince was a patron of the Japanese Olympic Games Committee. The prince is also a supporter of the World Organization of the Scout Movement and in 2006 attended the 14th Nippon Jamboree, the Japanese national jamboree organized by the Scout Association of Japan. The crown prince has also been an honorary vice-president of the Japanese Red Cross Society since 1994.[29] For two weeks in 2012, Naruhito temporarily took charge of his father's duties while the Emperor underwent and recovered from heart bypass surgery.[34] Naruhito's birthday was named "Mount Fuji Day" by Shizuoka and Yamanashi Prefectures because of his reported love of the mountain.[35] Emperor of Japan Emperor Naruhito wearing the sokutai at the enthronement ceremony in October 2019 Further information: 2019 Japanese imperial transition and Reiwa On 1 December 2017, the government announced that Naruhito's father, Emperor Akihito, would abdicate on 30 April 2019, and that Naruhito would become the 126th emperor of Japan as of 1 May 2019.[36][37] Following an abdication ceremony on the afternoon of 30 April, Akihito's reign and the Heisei era continued until the end of the day. Naruhito then succeeded him as emperor at the beginning of the day on 1 May, ushering in the Reiwa era. The transition took place at midnight. Naruhito's place as emperor was formalized in a ceremony on the morning of 1 May. In his first statement as emperor, he pledged to reflect deeply on the course followed by his father, and fulfill his constitutional responsibility "as the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people of Japan".[1] Naruhito's enthronement ceremony took place on 22 October 2019,[38] where he was duly enthroned in an ancient-style proclamation ceremony.[39] Selected works This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources. 2006 – A The Thames and I: A Memoir of Two Years at Oxford with Hugh Cortazzi. Folkestone, Kent: Global Oriental. ISBN 978-1-905246-06-9; OCLC 65196090 1993 – Temuzu to tomoni: Eikoku no ninenkan (テムズとともに: 英国の二年間, OCLC 032395987) Honours See also: List of honours of the Japanese imperial family by country Styles of Naruhito Imperial Seal of Japan.svg Reference style His Majesty Spoken style Your Majesty National JPN Daikun'i kikkasho BAR.svg - Collar of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum (1 May 2019)[40] JPN Daikun'i kikkasho BAR.svg - Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum (23 February 1980)[40] JPN Toka-sho BAR.svg - Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers (1 May 2019)[40] JPN Bunka-kunsho BAR.svg - The Order of Culture (1 May 2019)[40] Red Cross Order of Merit (Japan).svg - The Golden Medal of Merit of the Japanese Red Cross[41] Red Cross Order of Merit (Japan).svg - The Golden Medal of Honorary Member of the Japanese Red Cross[41] Foreign  Austria: Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold with Sash for Services to the Republic of Austria (1999) [42]  Belgium: Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold [43]  Denmark: Knight of the Order of the Elephant (2004)[44][45]  Hungary: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (2000) [46]  Malaysia: Honorary Grand Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (2012)[47]  Netherlands: Recipient of the King Willem-Alexander Inauguration Medal (2013)  Philippines: Grand Collar of the Order of Sikatuna, Rank of Raja (3 December 2002)[48]  Portugal: Grand Cross of the Order of Christ (02/12/1993)[49]  Spain: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III (08/11/2008)[50]  Sweden: Knight of the Royal Order of the Seraphim (26/03/2007)[51]  Tonga: Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the Crown of Tonga (01/08/2008)[52] Coronation Medal of H.M. King George Tupou V (01/08/2008)[53]  United Arab Emirates: Member First Class of the Order of Zayed (23/01/1995)[54][55] Honorary degrees University of Oxford, Doctor of Law[56] Honorary positions Golden Pheasant Award of the Scout Association of Japan (1989)[57] Patrilineal ancestry Patrilineal descent[58] Naruhito's patriline is the line from which he is descended father to son. Patrilineal descent is the principle behind membership in royal houses. Imperial House of Japan Descent prior to Keitai is unclear to modern historians, but traditionally traced back patrilineally to Emperor Jimmu Emperor Keitai, ca. 450–534 Emperor Kinmei, 509–571 Emperor Bidatsu, 538–585 Prince Oshisaka, ca. 556–??? Emperor Jomei, 593–641 Emperor Tenji, 626–671 Prince Shiki, ???–716 Emperor Kōnin, 709–786 Emperor Kanmu, 737–806 Emperor Saga, 786–842 Emperor Ninmyō, 810–850 Emperor Kōkō, 830–867 Emperor Uda, 867–931 Emperor Daigo, 885–930 Emperor Murakami, 926–967 Emperor En'yū, 959–991 Emperor Ichijō, 980–1011 Emperor Go-Suzaku, 1009–1045 Emperor Go-Sanjō, 1034–1073 Emperor Shirakawa, 1053–1129 Emperor Horikawa, 1079–1107 Emperor Toba, 1103–1156 Emperor Go-Shirakawa, 1127–1192 Emperor Takakura, 1161–1181 Emperor Go-Toba, 1180–1239 Emperor Tsuchimikado, 1196–1231 Emperor Go-Saga, 1220–1272 Emperor Go-Fukakusa, 1243–1304 Emperor Fushimi, 1265–1317 Emperor Go-Fushimi, 1288–1336 Emperor Kōgon, 1313–1364 Emperor Sukō, 1334–1398 Prince Yoshihito Fushimi, 1351–1416 Prince Sadafusa Fushimi, 1372–1456 Emperor Go-Hanazono, 1419–1471 Emperor Go-Tsuchimikado, 1442–1500 Emperor Go-Kashiwabara, 1464–1526 Emperor Go-Nara, 1495–1557 Emperor Ōgimachi, 1517–1593 Prince Masahito, 1552–1586 Emperor Go-Yōzei, 1572–1617 Emperor Go-Mizunoo, 1596–1680 Emperor Reigen, 1654–1732 Emperor Higashiyama, 1675–1710 Prince Naohito Kanin, 1704–1753 Prince Sukehito Kanin, 1733–1794 Emperor Kōkaku, 1771–1840 Emperor Ninkō, 1800–1846 Emperor Kōmei, 1831–1867 Emperor Meiji, 1852–1912 Emperor Taishō, 1879–1926 Emperor Shōwa, 1901–1989 Emperor Emeritus Akihito, b. 1933 Emperor Naruhito, b. 1960 At birth, Naruhito became heir presumptive to the Japanese imperial throne, being the eldest son of Akihito, then the crown prince, and his wife, Michiko, and grandson of the emperor Hirohito. His status was elevated to that of crown prince in 1989 (formally invested on February 23, 1991), following the death of his grandfather and the ascension of his father to the throne. Naruhito was raised in the imperial palace in central Tokyo and attended Gakushuin University in the city, graduating in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in history. He enrolled in a graduate program at Gakushuin but interrupted his studies to spend two years (1983–85) in England researching marine transportation at Merton College, Oxford. Naruhito was the first heir to the Japanese throne to study abroad, and, in addition to pursuing his schoolwork, he was exposed to such ordinary activities as doing his own laundry and using a credit card. Upon returning to Japan, he completed part of a doctoral program in Japanese history at Gakushuin in 1988. He maintained ties with the university, becoming a guest researcher in 1992 and teaching the occasional class there. Naruhito first met Owada Masako, his future bride, in 1986. He reportedly was quickly attracted to her, but she hesitated at engaging in a courtship. At that time Owada, a commoner, was a diplomat with the government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and she was reluctant to give up her successful career. She finally accepted the now-crown prince’s proposal in late 1992, and the two were married in June 1993 in a highly publicized ceremony that was broadcast worldwide. The couple’s one child, Princess Aiko, was born in 2001. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Subscribe Now Naruhito had hoped that the couple would be less bound by the reclusive and traditional strictures of the Imperial Household Agency, and in their first years of marriage he and his wife were able to travel together. However, the increasing pressure for Masako to bear a male heir—especially after the birth of their daughter—and life in the imperial palace contributed to the crown princess’s developing a stress-related ailment, which was publicly announced in 2004. Masako largely stayed out of the public eye during much of that time, and Naruhito continued to travel and make public appearances by himself. There was some discussion in the Japanese government about changing the order of imperial succession to allow Aiko to become empress, but that debate was ended by the birth of a son, Prince Hisahito, to Prince Akishino (Naruhito’s younger brother) in 2006. As a result, the imperial succession would pass to Akishino’s branch of the family after Naruhito. In August 2016 Akihito made public his desire to abdicate due to his advancing age, and the following year the Diet modified the Imperial Household Law of 1947, which had allowed for imperial succession to take place only upon the death of the emperor. Akihito formally declared his intention to abdicate in December 2017, and the Japanese government began making preparations for the first imperial abdication in some two centuries. On April 30, 2019, Akihito stepped down, and Naruhito became the emperor of Japan at midnight on May 1. That transition marked the beginning of the Reiwa period, as Naruhito’s reign would be known; the official English translation of Reiwa is “Beautiful Harmony.” Japan's Naruhito declares himself emperor The reign of Japan's 126th emperor, Naruhito, has begun following a series of ancient ceremonies at the Imperial Palace. He succeeded his father, who became the first emperor to abdicate in over two centuries.      Japan's new emperor Naruhito appears at his enthronement ceremony at the imperial palace. THE ENTHRONEMENT OF JAPAN'S NEW EMPEROR NARUHITO — IN PICTURES A son takes over Japan's new emperor Naruhito appears at his enthronement ceremony at the imperial palace. Naruhito succeeded his father, Akihito, who on May 1 became the first emperor to abdicate in over two centuries. 123456 Japan's new emperor, Naruhito, has completed his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne following a series of ritual ceremonies attended by foreign dignitaries from more than 180 countries. Naruhito declared his enthronement wearing a ceremonial outfit featuring a draped copper outer robe — a color worn only by the emperor. "I swear that I will act according to the constitution and fulfil my responsibility as the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people," he said to the crowd. "I sincerely hope that Japan will develop further and contribute to the friendship and peace of the international community, and to the welfare and prosperity of human beings through the people's wisdom and ceaseless efforts." After he finished speaking, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe led three "banzai" ("long live the emperor") cheers for the emperor, completing the process. Naruhito, Japan's 126th emperor, acceded to the throne following the abdication of his father, Akihito, on May 1. But the transition was not complete without the Sokui no Rei, a brief ceremony during which Naruhito officially proclaimed his status as emperor to the world. In attendance are dignitaries from more than 170 countries and international organizations, including German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Britain's Prince Charles and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini. Local media also reported Tuesday that Japan's government had pardoned around 550,000 people convicted of petty crimes, as is custom at the time of a new enthronement. Many have criticized the tradition, which absolves small cases like traffic violations, for being undemocratic.   Watch video03:08 Japan's Emperor Akihito abdicates Smaller ceremony Festivities were scaled back following Typhoon Hagibis, which devastated parts of Japan just over a week ago and killed more than 80 people. With search and rescue operations ongoing, the government postponed a parade that had been intended to introduce the 59-year-old Naruhito and his wife, Masako, to the Japanese public. The parade has been rescheduled to November 10. The new emperor began Tuesday's ceremonies by "reporting" his enthronement to his imperial ancestors at one of three shrines on the palace grounds. Before Naruhito arrived at the palace in Tokyo, small groups of people waited in the pouring rain at the palace gate, waving Japanese flags and cheering at the smiling emperor as he arrived by car. Japan (Japanese: 日本, Nippon or Nihon,[nb 1] and formally 日本国, Nihonkoku[nb 2]) is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north toward the East China Sea, Philippine Sea, and Taiwan in the south. Japan is a part of the Ring of Fire, and spans an archipelago of 6852 islands covering 377,975 square kilometers (145,937 sq mi); the five main islands are Hokkaido, Honshu (the "mainland"), Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa. Tokyo is the nation's capital and largest city, followed by Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Kobe, and Kyoto. Japan is the eleventh most populous country in the world, as well as one of the most densely populated and urbanized. About three-fourths of the country's terrain is mountainous, concentrating its population of 125.5 million on narrow coastal plains. Japan is divided into 47 administrative prefectures and eight traditional regions. The Greater Tokyo Area is the most populous metropolitan area in the world, with more than 37.4 million residents. Japan has been inhabited since the Upper Paleolithic period (30,000 BC), though the first written mention of the archipelago appears in a Chinese chronicle (the Book of Han) finished in the 2nd century AD. Between the 4th and 9th centuries, the kingdoms of Japan became unified under an emperor and the imperial court based in Heian-kyō. Beginning in the 12th century, political power was held by a series of military dictators (shōgun) and feudal lords (daimyō) and enforced by a class of warrior nobility (samurai). After a century-long period of civil war, the country was reunified in 1603 under the Tokugawa shogunate, which enacted an isolationist foreign policy. In 1854, a United States fleet forced Japan to open trade to the West, which led to the end of the shogunate and the restoration of imperial power in 1868. In the Meiji period, the Empire of Japan adopted a Western-modeled constitution and pursued a program of industrialization and modernization. Amidst a rise in militarism and overseas colonization, Japan invaded China in 1937 and entered World War II as an Axis power in 1941. After suffering defeat in the Pacific War and two atomic bombings, Japan surrendered in 1945 and came under a seven-year Allied occupation, during which it adopted a new constitution and began a military alliance with the United States. Under the 1947 constitution, Japan has maintained a unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy with a bicameral legislature, the National Diet. Japan is a great power and a member of numerous international organizations, including the United Nations (since 1956), OECD, G20 and Group of Seven. Although it has renounced its right to declare war, the country maintains Self-Defense Forces that rank as one of the world's strongest militaries. After World War II, Japan experienced record growth in an economic miracle, becoming the second-largest economy in the world by 1972 but has stagnated since 1995 in what is referred to as the Lost Decades. As of 2021, the country's economy is the third-largest by nominal GDP and the fourth-largest by PPP. Ranked "very high" on the Human Development Index, Japan has one of the world's highest life expectancies, though it is experiencing a decline in population. A global leader in the automotive, robotics and electronics industries, Japan has made significant contributions to science and technology. 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. Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 2.1 Prehistoric to classical history 2.2 Feudal era 2.3 Modern era 3 Geography 3.1 Climate 3.2 Biodiversity 3.3 Environment 4 Government and politics 4.1 Administrative divisions 4.2 Foreign relations 4.3 Military 4.4 Domestic law enforcement 5 Economy 5.1 Agriculture and fishery 5.2 Industry 5.3 Services and tourism 5.4 Science and technology 6 Infrastructure 6.1 Transportation 6.2 Energy 6.3 Water supply and sanitation 7 Demographics 7.1 Religion 7.2 Languages 7.3 Education 7.4 Health 8 Culture 8.1 Art and architecture 8.2 Literature and philosophy 8.3 Performing arts 8.4 Holidays 8.5 Cuisine 8.6 Media 8.7 Sports 9 See also 10 Notes 11 References 12 External links Etymology Main article: Names of Japan Japan Japanese name Kanji 日本国 Hiragana にっぽんこく にほんこく Katakana ニッポンコク ニホンコク Kyūjitai 日本國 Transcriptions   The name for Japan in Japanese is written using the kanji 日本 and is pronounced Nippon or Nihon.[9] Before 日本 was adopted in the early 8th century, the country was known in China as Wa (倭, changed in Japan around 757 to 和) and in Japan by the endonym Yamato.[10] Nippon, the original Sino-Japanese reading of the characters, is favored for official uses, including on banknotes and postage stamps.[9] Nihon is typically used in everyday speech and reflects shifts in Japanese phonology during the Edo period.[10] The characters 日本 mean "sun origin",[9] which is the source of the popular Western epithet "Land of the Rising Sun".[11] The name "Japan" is based on Chinese pronunciations of 日本 and was introduced to European languages through early trade. In the 13th century, Marco Polo recorded the early Mandarin or Wu Chinese pronunciation of the characters 日本國 as Cipangu.[12] The old Malay name for Japan, Japang or Japun, was borrowed from a southern coastal Chinese dialect and encountered by Portuguese traders in Southeast Asia, who brought the word to Europe in the early 16th century.[13] The first version of the name in English appears in a book published in 1577, which spelled the name as Giapan in a translation of a 1565 Portuguese letter.[14][15] History Main article: History of Japan ‹ The template below (For timeline) is being considered for merging. See templates for discussion to help reach a consensus. › For a chronological guide, see Timeline of Japanese history. Prehistoric to classical history Legendary Emperor Jimmu (神武天皇, Jinmu-tennō) A Paleolithic culture from around 30,000 BC constitutes the first known habitation of the islands of Japan.[16] This was followed from around 14,500 BC (the start of the Jōmon period) by a Mesolithic to Neolithic semi-sedentary hunter-gatherer culture characterized by pit dwelling and rudimentary agriculture.[17] Clay vessels from the period are among the oldest surviving examples of pottery.[18] From around 1000 BC, Yayoi people began to enter the archipelago from Kyushu, intermingling with the Jōmon;[19] the Yayoi period saw the introduction of practices including wet-rice farming,[20] a new style of pottery,[21] and metallurgy from China and Korea.[22] According to legend, Emperor Jimmu (grandson of Amaterasu) founded a kingdom in central Japan in 660 BC, beginning a continuous imperial line.[23] Japan first appears in written history in the Chinese Book of Han, completed in 111 AD. Buddhism was introduced to Japan from Baekje (a Korean kingdom) in 552, but the development of Japanese Buddhism was primarily influenced by China.[24] Despite early resistance, Buddhism was promoted by the ruling class, including figures like Prince Shōtoku, and gained widespread acceptance beginning in the Asuka period (592–710).[25] The far-reaching Taika Reforms in 645 nationalized all land in Japan, to be distributed equally among cultivators, and ordered the compilation of a household registry as the basis for a new system of taxation.[26] The Jinshin War of 672, a bloody conflict between Prince Ōama and his nephew Prince Ōtomo, became a major catalyst for further administrative reforms.[27] These reforms culminated with the promulgation of the Taihō Code, which consolidated existing statutes and established the structure of the central and subordinate local governments.[26] These legal reforms created the ritsuryō state, a system of Chinese-style centralized government that remained in place for half a millennium.[27] The Nara period (710–784) marked the emergence of a Japanese state centered on the Imperial Court in Heijō-kyō (modern Nara). The period is characterized by the appearance of a nascent literary culture with the completion of the Kojiki (712) and Nihon Shoki (720), as well as the development of Buddhist-inspired artwork and architecture.[28][29] A smallpox epidemic in 735–737 is believed to have killed as much as one-third of Japan's population.[29][30] In 784, Emperor Kanmu moved the capital, settling on Heian-kyō (modern-day Kyoto) in 794.[29] This marked the beginning of the Heian period (794–1185), during which a distinctly indigenous Japanese culture emerged. Murasaki Shikibu's The Tale of Genji and the lyrics of Japan's national anthem "Kimigayo" were written during this time.[31] Feudal era Samurai warriors battling Mongols during the Mongol invasions of Japan, depicted in the Mōko Shūrai Ekotoba Japan's feudal era was characterized by the emergence and dominance of a ruling class of warriors, the samurai.[32] In 1185, following the defeat of the Taira clan in the Genpei War, samurai Minamoto no Yoritomo established a military government at Kamakura.[33] After Yoritomo's death, the Hōjō clan came to power as regents for the shōgun.[29] The Zen school of Buddhism was introduced from China in the Kamakura period (1185–1333) and became popular among the samurai class.[34] The Kamakura shogunate repelled Mongol invasions in 1274 and 1281 but was eventually overthrown by Emperor Go-Daigo.[29] Go-Daigo was defeated by Ashikaga Takauji in 1336, beginning the Muromachi period (1336–1573).[35] The succeeding Ashikaga shogunate failed to control the feudal warlords (daimyō) and a civil war began in 1467, opening the century-long Sengoku period ("Warring States").[36] During the 16th century, Portuguese traders and Jesuit missionaries reached Japan for the first time, initiating direct commercial and cultural exchange between Japan and the West.[29][37] Oda Nobunaga used European technology and firearms to conquer many other daimyō;[38] his consolidation of power began what was known as the Azuchi–Momoyama period.[39] After the death of Nobunaga in 1582, his successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, unified the nation in the early 1590s and launched two unsuccessful invasions of Korea in 1592 and 1597.[29] Tokugawa Ieyasu served as regent for Hideyoshi's son Toyotomi Hideyori and used his position to gain political and military support.[40] When open war broke out, Ieyasu defeated rival clans in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. He was appointed shōgun by Emperor Go-Yōzei in 1603 and established the Tokugawa shogunate at Edo (modern Tokyo).[41] The shogunate enacted measures including buke shohatto, as a code of conduct to control the autonomous daimyō,[42] 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 (1603–1868).[41][43] Modern Japan's economic growth began in this period, resulting in roads and water transportation routes, as well as financial instruments such as futures contracts, banking and insurance of the Osaka rice brokers.[44] The study of Western sciences (rangaku) continued through contact with the Dutch enclave in Nagasaki.[41] The Edo period gave rise to kokugaku ("national studies"), the study of Japan by the Japanese.[45] Modern era Emperor Meiji (明治天皇, Meiji-tennō); 1852–1912 In 1854, Commodore Matthew C. Perry and the "Black Ships" of the United States Navy forced the opening of Japan to the outside world with the Convention of Kanagawa.[41] Subsequent similar treaties with other Western countries brought economic and political crises.[41] The resignation of the shōgun led to the Boshin War and the establishment of a centralized state nominally unified under the emperor (the Meiji Restoration).[46] Adopting Western political, judicial, and military institutions, the Cabinet organized the Privy Council, introduced the Meiji Constitution, and assembled the Imperial Diet.[47] During the Meiji period (1868–1912), the Empire of Japan emerged as the most developed nation in Asia and as an industrialized world power that pursued military conflict to expand its sphere of influence.[48][49][50] After victories in the First Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895) and the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905), Japan gained control of Taiwan, Korea and the southern half of Sakhalin.[51][47] The Japanese population doubled from 35 million in 1873 to 70 million by 1935, with a significant shift to urbanization.[52][53] The early 20th century saw a period of Taishō democracy (1912–1926) overshadowed by increasing expansionism and militarization.[54][55] World War I allowed Japan, which joined the side of the victorious Allies, to capture German possessions in the Pacific and in China.[55] The 1920s saw a political shift towards statism, a period of lawlessness following the 1923 Great Tokyo Earthquake, the passing of laws against political dissent, and a series of attempted coups.[53][56][57] This process accelerated during the 1930s, spawning a number of radical nationalist groups that shared a hostility to liberal democracy and a dedication to expansion in Asia. In 1931, Japan invaded and occupied Manchuria; following international condemnation of the occupation, it resigned from the League of Nations two years later.[58] In 1936, Japan signed the Anti-Comintern Pact with Nazi Germany; the 1940 Tripartite Pact made it one of the Axis Powers.[53] Japan's imperial ambitions ended on September 2, 1945, with the country's surrender to the Allies. The Empire of Japan invaded other parts of China in 1937, precipitating the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945).[59] In 1940, the Empire invaded French Indochina, after which the United States placed an oil embargo on Japan.[53][60] On December 7–8, 1941, Japanese forces carried out surprise attacks on Pearl Harbor, as well as on British forces in Malaya, Singapore, and Hong Kong, among others, beginning World War II in the Pacific.[61] Throughout areas occupied by Japan during the war, numerous abuses were committed against local inhabitants, with many forced into sexual slavery.[62] After Allied victories during the next four years, which culminated in the Soviet invasion of Manchuria and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, Japan agreed to an unconditional surrender.[63] The war cost Japan its colonies and millions of lives.[53] The Allies (led by the United States) repatriated millions of Japanese settlers from their former colonies and military camps throughout Asia, largely eliminating the Japanese empire and its influence over the territories it conquered.[64][65] The Allies convened the International Military Tribunal for the Far East to prosecute Japanese leaders for war crimes.[65] In 1947, Japan adopted a new constitution emphasizing liberal democratic practices.[65] The Allied occupation ended with the Treaty of San Francisco in 1952,[66] and Japan was granted membership in the United Nations in 1956.[65] A period of record growth propelled Japan to become the second-largest economy in the world;[65] this ended in the mid-1990s after the popping of an asset price bubble, beginning the "Lost Decade".[67] On March 11, 2011, Japan suffered one of the largest earthquakes in its recorded history, triggering the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.[68] On May 1, 2019, after the historic abdication of Emperor Akihito, his son Naruhito became Emperor, beginning the Reiwa era.[69] Geography Main articles: Geography of Japan and Geology of Japan The Japanese archipelago Japan comprises 6852 islands extending along the Pacific coast of Asia. It stretches over 3000 km (1900 mi) northeast–southwest from the Sea of Okhotsk to the East China Sea.[70][71] The country's five main islands, from north to south, are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu and Okinawa.[72] The Ryukyu Islands, which include Okinawa, are a chain to the south of Kyushu. The Nanpō Islands are south and east of the main islands of Japan. Together they are often known as the Japanese archipelago.[73] As of 2019, Japan's territory is 377,975.24 km2 (145,937.06 sq mi).[1] Japan has the sixth-longest coastline in the world at 29,751 km (18,486 mi). Because of its far-flung outlying islands, Japan has the eighth largest Exclusive Economic Zone in the world, covering 4,470,000 km2 (1,730,000 sq mi).[74][75] The Japanese archipelago is 66.4% forests, 12.8% agricultural and 4.8% residential (2002).[76] The primarily rugged and mountainous terrain is restricted for habitation.[77] Thus the habitable zones, mainly in the coastal areas, have very high population densities: Japan is the 40th most densely populated country.[78][79] Honshu has the highest population density at 450 persons/km2 (1200/sq mi) as of 2010, while Hokkaido has the lowest density of 64.5 persons/km2 as of 2016.[80] As of 2014, approximately 0.5% of Japan's total area is reclaimed land (umetatechi).[81] Lake Biwa is an ancient lake and the country's largest freshwater lake.[82] Japan is substantially prone to earthquakes, tsunami and volcanic eruptions because of its location along the Pacific Ring of Fire.[83] It has the 17th highest natural disaster risk as measured in the 2016 World Risk Index.[84] Japan has 111 active volcanoes.[85] Destructive earthquakes, often resulting in tsunami, occur several times each century;[86] the 1923 Tokyo earthquake killed over 140,000 people.[87] More recent major quakes are the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake and the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake, which triggered a large tsunami.[68] Climate Main article: Geography of Japan § Climate Mount Fuji in Spring, view from Arakurayama Sengen Park The climate of Japan is predominantly temperate but varies greatly from north to south. The northernmost region, 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.[88] In the Sea of Japan region on Honshu's west coast, northwest winter winds bring heavy snowfall during winter. In the summer, the region sometimes experiences extremely hot temperatures because of the foehn.[89] The Central Highland has a typical inland humid continental climate, with large temperature differences between summer and winter. The mountains of the Chūgoku and Shikoku regions shelter the Seto Inland Sea from seasonal winds, bringing mild weather year-round.[88] 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 and Nanpō Islands have a subtropical climate, with warm winters and hot summers. Precipitation is very heavy, especially during the rainy season.[88] The main rainy season begins in early May in Okinawa, and the rain front gradually moves north. In late summer and early autumn, typhoons often bring heavy rain.[90] According to the Environment Ministry, heavy rainfall and increasing temperatures have caused problems in the agricultural industry and elsewhere.[91] The highest temperature ever measured in Japan, 41.1 °C (106.0 °F), was recorded on July 23, 2018,[92] and repeated on August 17, 2020.[93] Biodiversity Main article: Wildlife of Japan Japan has nine forest ecoregions which reflect the climate and geography of the islands. They range from subtropical moist broadleaf forests in the Ryūkyū 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.[94] Japan has over 90,000 species of wildlife as of 2019,[95] including the brown bear, the Japanese macaque, the Japanese raccoon dog, the small Japanese field mouse, and the Japanese giant salamander.[96] A large network of national parks has been established to protect important areas of flora and fauna as well as 52 Ramsar wetland sites.[97][98] Four sites have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List for their outstanding natural value.[99] Environment Main articles: Environmental issues in Japan and Climate change in Japan Autumn maple leaves (momiji) at Kongōbu-ji on Mount Kōya, a UNESCO World Heritage Site 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, the government introduced environmental protection laws in 1970.[100] The oil crisis in 1973 also encouraged the efficient use of energy because of Japan's lack of natural resources.[101] Japan ranks 20th in the 2018 Environmental Performance Index, which measures a nation's commitment to environmental sustainability.[102] Japan is the world's fifth largest emitter of carbon dioxide.[91] As the host and signatory of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, Japan is under treaty obligation to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions and to take other steps to curb climate change.[103] In 2020 the government of Japan announced a target of carbon-neutrality by 2050.[104] 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.[105] Government and politics Main articles: Government of Japan and Politics of Japan Japan is a unitary state and constitutional monarchy in which the power of the Emperor is limited to a ceremonial role.[106] Executive power is instead wielded by the Prime Minister of Japan and his Cabinet, whose sovereignty is vested in the Japanese people.[107] Naruhito is the Emperor of Japan, having succeeded his father Akihito upon his accession to the Chrysanthemum Throne in 2019.[106] The National Diet Building Japan's legislative organ is the National Diet, a bicameral parliament.[106] It consists of a lower House of Representatives with 465 seats, elected by popular vote every four years or when dissolved, and an upper House of Councillors with 245 seats, whose popularly-elected members serve six-year terms.[108] There is universal suffrage for adults over 18 years of age,[109] with a secret ballot for all elected offices.[107] 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.[108] Fumio Kishida is Japan's prime minister; he took office after winning the 2021 Liberal Democratic Party leadership election.[110] Historically influenced by Chinese law, the Japanese legal system developed independently during the Edo period through texts such as Kujikata Osadamegaki.[111] 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–World War II modifications.[112] The Constitution of Japan, adopted in 1947, is the oldest unamended constitution in the world.[113] Statutory law originates in the legislature, and the constitution requires that the emperor promulgate legislation passed by the Diet without giving him the power to oppose legislation. The main body of Japanese statutory law is called the Six Codes.[111] Japan's court system is divided into four basic tiers: the Supreme Court and three levels of lower courts.[114] Administrative divisions Main articles: Administrative divisions of Japan and Prefectures of Japan Japan is divided into 47 prefectures, each overseen by an elected governor and legislature.[106] In the following table, the prefectures are grouped by region:[115] Prefectures of Japan with colored regions   Hokkaido 1. Hokkaido   Tōhoku 2. Aomori 3. Iwate 4. Miyagi 5. Akita 6. Yamagata 7. Fukushima   Kantō 8. Ibaraki 9. Tochigi 10. Gunma 11. Saitama 12. Chiba 13. Tokyo 14. Kanagawa   Chūbu 15. Niigata 16. Toyama 17. Ishikawa 18. Fukui 19. Yamanashi 20. Nagano 21. Gifu 22. Shizuoka 23. Aichi   Kansai 24. Mie 25. Shiga 26. Kyoto 27. Osaka 28. Hyōgo 29. Nara 30. Wakayama   Chūgoku 31. Tottori 32. Shimane 33. Okayama 34. Hiroshima 35. Yamaguchi   Shikoku 36. Tokushima 37. Kagawa 38. Ehime 39. Kōchi   Kyūshū 40. Fukuoka 41. Saga 42. Nagasaki 43. Kumamoto 44. Ōita 45. Miyazaki 46. Kagoshima 47. Okinawa Foreign relations Main article: Foreign relations of Japan Japan is a member of both the G7 and the G20. A member state of the United Nations since 1956, Japan is one of the G4 nations seeking reform of the Security Council.[116] Japan is a member of the G7, APEC, and "ASEAN Plus Three", and is a participant in the East Asia Summit.[117] It is the world's fifth largest donor of official development assistance, donating US$9.2 billion in 2014.[118] In 2019, Japan had the fourth-largest diplomatic network in the world.[119] Japan has close economic and military relations with the United States, with which it maintains a security alliance.[120] The United States is a major market for Japanese exports and a major source of Japanese imports, and is committed to defending the country, with military bases in Japan.[120] Japan is also a member of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (more commonly "the Quad"), a multilateral security collaboration reformed in 2017 aiming to limit Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific region, along with the United States, Australia and India, reflecting existing relations and patterns of cooperation.[121][122] Japan's relationship with South Korea had historically been strained because of Japan's treatment of Koreans during Japanese colonial rule, particularly over the issue of comfort women. In 2015, Japan agreed to settle the comfort women dispute with South Korea by issuing a formal apology and paying money to the surviving comfort women.[123] As of 2019 Japan is a major importer of Korean music (K-pop), television (K-dramas), and other cultural products.[124][125] Japan is engaged in several territorial disputes with its neighbors. Japan contests Russia's control of the Southern Kuril Islands, which were occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945.[126] South Korea's control of the Liancourt Rocks is acknowledged but not accepted as they are claimed by Japan.[127] Japan has strained relations with China and Taiwan over the Senkaku Islands and the status of Okinotorishima.[128] In 2022, Japan agreed to defense agreements with Thailand[129] and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland[130] Military Main article: Japan Self-Defense Forces JMSDF Kongō class destroyer Japan is the second-highest-ranked Asian country in the Global Peace Index 2020.[131] Japan maintains one of the largest military budgets of any country in the world.[132] The country's military (the Japan Self-Defense Forces) is restricted by Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, which renounces Japan's right to declare war or use military force in international disputes.[133] The military is governed by the Ministry of Defense, and primarily consists of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. The deployment of troops to Iraq and Afghanistan marked the first overseas use of Japan's military since World War II.[134] The Government of Japan has been making changes to its security policy which include the establishment of the National Security Council, the adoption of the National Security Strategy, and the development of the National Defense Program Guidelines.[135] In May 2014, Prime Minister Shinzō Abe said Japan wanted to shed the passiveness it has maintained since the end of World War II and take more responsibility for regional security.[136] Recent tensions, particularly with North Korea and China, have reignited the debate over the status of the JSDF and its relation to Japanese society.[137][138][139] Domestic law enforcement Main articles: Law enforcement in Japan and Crime in Japan Domestic security in Japan is provided mainly by the prefectural police departments, under the oversight of the National Police Agency.[140] As the central coordinating body for the Prefectural Police Departments, the National Police Agency is administered by the National Public Safety Commission.[141] The Special Assault Team comprises national-level counter-terrorism tactical units that cooperate with territorial-level Anti-Firearms Squads and Counter-NBC Terrorism Squads.[142] The Japan Coast Guard guards territorial waters surrounding Japan and uses surveillance and control countermeasures against smuggling, marine environmental crime, poaching, piracy, spy ships, unauthorized foreign fishing vessels, and illegal immigration.[143] The Firearm and Sword Possession Control Law strictly regulates the civilian ownership of guns, swords and other weaponry.[144][145] According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, among the member states of the UN that report statistics as of 2018, the incidence rates of violent crimes such as murder, abduction, sexual violence and robbery are very low in Japan.[146][147][148][149] Economy Main article: Economy of Japan The Tokyo Stock Exchange Japan is the third-largest national economy in the world, after the United States and China, in terms of nominal GDP,[150] and the fourth-largest national economy in the world, after the United States, China and India, in terms of purchasing power parity as of 2019.[151] As of 2019, Japan's labor force consisted of 67 million workers.[108] Japan has a low unemployment rate of around 2.4 percent.[108] Around 16 percent of the population were below the poverty line in 2017.[152] Japan today has the highest ratio of public debt to GDP of any developed nation,[153][154] with national debt at 236% relative to GDP as of 2017.[155][156] The Japanese yen is the world's third-largest reserve currency (after the US dollar and the euro).[157] Japan's exports amounted to 18.5% of GDP in 2018.[158] As of 2019, Japan's main export markets were the United States (19.8 percent) and China (19.1 percent).[108] Its main exports are motor vehicles, iron and steel products, semiconductors and auto parts.[74] Japan's main import markets as of 2019 were China (23.5 percent), the United States (11 percent), and Australia (6.3 percent).[108] Japan's main imports are machinery and equipment, fossil fuels, foodstuffs, chemicals, and raw materials for its industries.[108] The Japanese variant of capitalism has many distinct features: keiretsu enterprises are influential, and lifetime employment and seniority-based career advancement are common in the Japanese work environment.[159][160] Japan has a large cooperative sector, with three of the ten largest cooperatives in the world, including the largest consumer cooperative and the largest agricultural cooperative in the world as of 2018.[161] Japan ranks highly for competitiveness and economic freedom. It is ranked sixth in the Global Competitiveness Report for 2015–2016.[162][163] Agriculture and fishery Main article: Agriculture, forestry, and fishing in Japan A rice paddy in Aizu, Fukushima Prefecture The Japanese agricultural sector accounts for about 1.2% of the total country's GDP as of 2018.[108] Only 11.5% of Japan's land is suitable for cultivation.[164] Because of this lack of arable land, a system of terraces is used to farm in small areas.[165] This results in one of the world's highest levels of crop yields per unit area, with an agricultural self-sufficiency rate of about 50% as of 2018.[166] Japan's small agricultural sector is highly subsidized and protected.[167] There has been a growing concern about farming as farmers are aging with a difficult time finding successors.[168] Japan ranked seventh in the world in tonnage of fish caught and captured 3,167,610 metric tons of fish in 2016, down from an annual average of 4,000,000 tons over the previous decade.[169] Japan maintains one of the world's largest fishing fleets and accounts for nearly 15% of the global catch,[74] prompting critiques that Japan's fishing is leading to depletion in fish stocks such as tuna.[170] Japan has sparked controversy by supporting commercial whaling.[171] Industry Main articles: Manufacturing in Japan, Electronics industry in Japan, and Automotive industry in Japan A plug-in hybrid car manufactured by Toyota. Japan is the third-largest maker of motor vehicles in the world.[172] Japan has a large industrial capacity and is home to some of the "largest and most technologically advanced producers of motor vehicles, machine tools, steel and nonferrous metals, ships, chemical substances, textiles, and processed foods".[74] Japan's industrial sector makes up approximately 27.5% of its GDP.[74] The country's manufacturing output is the third highest in the world as of 2019.[173] Japan is the third-largest automobile producer in the world as of 2017 and is home to Toyota, the world's largest automobile company.[172][174] The Japanese shipbuilding industry faces competition from South Korea and China; a 2020 government initiative identified this sector as a target for increasing exports.[175] Services and tourism Main articles: Trade and services in Japan and Tourism in Japan Japan's service sector accounts for about 70% of its total economic output as of 2019.[176] Banking, retail, transportation, and telecommunications are all major industries, with companies such as Toyota, Mitsubishi UFJ, -NTT, ÆON, Softbank, Hitachi, and Itochu listed as among the largest in the world.[177][178] Japan attracted 31.9 million international tourists in 2019.[179] For inbound tourism, Japan was ranked 11th in the world in 2019.[180] The 2017 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report ranked Japan 4th out of 141 countries, which was the highest in Asia.[181] Science and technology Main articles: History of science and technology in Japan, Science and technology in Japan, Video gaming in Japan, and List of Japanese inventions and discoveries The Japanese Experiment Module (Kibō) at the International Space Station Japan is a leading nation in scientific research, particularly in the natural sciences and engineering. The country ranks twelfth among the most innovative countries in the 2020 Bloomberg Innovation Index and 13th in the Global Innovation Index in 2021, up from 15th in 2019.[182][183] Relative to gross domestic product, Japan's research and development budget is the second highest in the world,[184] with 867,000 researchers sharing a 19-trillion-yen research and development budget as of 2017.[185] The country has produced twenty-two Nobel laureates in either physics, chemistry or medicine,[186] and three Fields medalists.[187] Japan leads the world in robotics production and use, supplying 55% of the world's 2017 total.[188] Japan has the second highest number of researchers in science and technology per capita in the world with 14 per 1000 employees.[189] The Japanese consumer electronics industry, once considered the strongest in the world, is in a state of decline as competition arises in countries like South Korea and China.[190] However, video gaming in Japan remains a major industry. In 2014, Japan's consumer video game market grossed $9.6 billion, with $5.8 billion coming from mobile gaming.[191] By 2015, Japan had become the world's fourth largest PC game market, behind only China, the United States, and South Korea.[192] The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency is Japan's national space agency; it conducts space, planetary, and aviation research, and leads development of rockets and satellites.[193] It is a participant in the International Space Station: the Japanese Experiment Module (Kibō) was added to the station during Space Shuttle assembly flights in 2008.[194] The space probe Akatsuki was launched in 2010 and achieved orbit around Venus in 2015.[195] Japan's plans in space exploration include building a moon base and landing astronauts by 2030.[196] In 2007, it launched lunar explorer SELENE (Selenological and Engineering Explorer) from Tanegashima Space Center. The largest lunar mission since the Apollo program, its purpose was to gather data on the moon's origin and evolution. The explorer entered a lunar orbit on October 4, 2007,[197][198] and was deliberately crashed into the Moon on June 11, 2009.[199] Infrastructure Transportation Main article: Transport in Japan Japan Airlines, the flag carrier of Japan Japan has invested heavily in transportation infrastructure.[200] The country has approximately 1,200,000 kilometers (750,000 miles) of roads made up of 1,000,000 kilometers (620,000 miles) of city, town and village roads, 130,000 kilometers (81,000 miles) of prefectural roads, 54,736 kilometers (34,011 miles) of general national highways and 7641 kilometers (4748 miles) of national expressways as of 2017.[201] Since privatization in 1987,[202] dozens of Japanese railway companies compete in regional and local passenger transportation markets; major companies include seven JR enterprises, Kintetsu, Seibu Railway and Keio Corporation. The high-speed Shinkansen (bullet trains) that connect major cities are known for their safety and punctuality.[203] There are 175 airports in Japan as of 2013.[74] The largest domestic airport, Haneda Airport in Tokyo, was Asia's second-busiest airport in 2019.[204] The Keihin and Hanshin superport hubs are among the largest in the world, at 7.98 and 5.22 million TEU respectively as of 2017.[205] Energy Main article: Energy in Japan The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant As of 2019, 37.1% of energy in Japan was produced from petroleum, 25.1% from coal, 22.4% from natural gas, 3.5% from hydropower and 2.8% from nuclear power, among other sources. Nuclear power was down from 11.2 percent in 2010.[206] By 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 in March 2011, though government officials continued to try to sway public opinion in favor of returning at least some to service.[207] The Sendai Nuclear Power Plant restarted in 2015,[208] and since then several other nuclear power plants have been restarted.[209] Japan lacks significant domestic reserves and has a heavy dependence on imported energy.[210] The country has therefore aimed to diversify its sources and maintain high levels of energy efficiency.[211] Water supply and sanitation Main article: Water supply and sanitation in Japan Responsibility for the water and sanitation sector is shared between the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, in charge of water supply for domestic use; the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, in charge of water resources development as well as sanitation; the Ministry of the Environment, in charge of ambient water quality and environmental preservation; and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, in charge of performance benchmarking of utilities.[212] Access to an improved water source is universal in Japan. About 98% of the population receives piped water supply from public utilities.[213] Demographics Main articles: Demographics of Japan, Japanese people, Ethnic groups of Japan, List of metropolitan areas in Japan, and List of cities in Japan The Greater Tokyo Area is ranked as the most populous metropolitan area in the world. Japan has a population of 125.4 million, of which 122.8 million are Japanese nationals (2021 estimates).[214] A small population of foreign residents makes up the remainder.[215] In 2019, 92% of the total Japanese population lived in cities.[216] The capital city Tokyo has a population of 13.9 million (2022).[217] It is part of the Greater Tokyo Area, the biggest metropolitan area in the world with 38,140,000 people (2016).[218] Ethnic minority groups in Japan include the indigenous Ainu and Ryukyuan people.[219] Zainichi Koreans,[220] Chinese,[221] Filipinos,[222] Brazilians mostly of Japanese descent,[223] and Peruvians mostly of Japanese descent are also among Japan's small minority groups.[224] Burakumin make up a social minority group.[225] Japan has the second-longest overall life expectancy at birth of any country in the world, at 84 years as of 2019.[226] The Japanese population is rapidly aging as a result of a post–World War II baby boom followed by a decrease in birth rates.[227] As of 2019 over 20 percent of the population is over 65, and this is projected to rise to one in three by 2030.[228] The changes in demographic structure have created a number of social issues, particularly a decline in workforce population and increase in the cost of social security benefits.[228] A growing number of younger Japanese are not marrying or remain childless.[228][229] Japan's population is expected to drop to around 100 million by 2060.[230] Immigration and birth incentives are sometimes suggested as a solution to provide younger workers to support the nation's aging population.[231][232] On April 1, 2019, Japan's revised immigration law was enacted, protecting the rights of foreign workers to help reduce labor shortages in certain sectors.[233] Religion Main article: Religion in Japan The torii of Itsukushima Shinto Shrine near Hiroshima Japan's constitution guarantees full religious freedom.[234] Upper estimates suggest that 84–96 percent of the Japanese population subscribe to Shinto as its indigenous religion.[235] However, these estimates are based on people affiliated with a temple, rather than the number of true believers. Many Japanese people practice both Shinto and Buddhism; they can either identify with both religions or describe themselves as non-religious or spiritual.[236] The level of participation in religious ceremonies as a cultural tradition remains high, especially during festivals and occasions such as the first shrine visit of the New Year.[237] Taoism and Confucianism from China have also influenced Japanese beliefs and customs.[238] Christianity was first introduced into Japan by Jesuit missions starting in 1549. Today, 1%[239] to 1.5% of the population are Christians.[240] Throughout the latest century, Western customs originally related to Christianity (including Western style weddings, Valentine's Day and Christmas) have become popular as secular customs among many Japanese.[241] About 90% of those practicing Islam in Japan are foreign-born migrants as of 2016.[242] As of 2018 there were an estimated 105 mosques and 200,000 Muslims in Japan, 43,000 of which were ethnically Japanese.[243] Other minority religions include Hinduism, Judaism, and Baháʼí Faith, as well as the animist beliefs of the Ainu.[244] Languages Main article: Languages of Japan Kanji and hiragana signs The Japanese language is Japan's de facto national language and the primary language of most people in the country.[245] Japanese writing uses kanji (Chinese characters) and two sets of kana (syllabaries based on cursive script and radicals used by kanji), as well as the Latin alphabet and Arabic numerals.[246] English has taken a major role in Japan as a business and international link language. As a result, the prevalence of English in the educational system has increased, with English classes becoming mandatory at all levels of the Japanese school system by 2020.[245][247] Japanese Sign Language is the primary sign language used by hearing-impaired communities in Japan and has gained some official recognition, but its usage has been historically hindered by discriminatory policies and a lack of educational support.[245] Besides Japanese, the Ryukyuan languages (Amami, Kunigami, Okinawan, Miyako, Yaeyama, Yonaguni), part of the Japonic language family, are spoken in the Ryukyu Islands chain.[248] Few children learn these languages,[249] but local governments have sought to increase awareness of the traditional languages.[250] The Ainu language, which is a language isolate, is moribund, with only a few native speakers remaining as of 2014.[251] Additionally, a number of other languages are taught and used by ethnic minorities, immigrant communities, and a growing number of foreign-language students, such as Korean (including a distinct Zainichi Korean dialect), Chinese and Portuguese.[245] Education Main article: Education in Japan Students celebrating after the announcement of the results of the entrance examinations to the University of Tokyo Since the 1947 Fundamental Law of Education, compulsory education in Japan comprises elementary and junior high school, which together last for nine years.[252] Almost all children continue their education at a three-year senior high school.[253] The two top-ranking universities in Japan are the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University.[254] Starting in April 2016, various schools began the academic year with elementary school and junior high school integrated into one nine-year compulsory schooling program; MEXT plans for this approach to be adopted nationwide.[255] The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) coordinated by the OECD ranks the knowledge and skills of Japanese 15-year-olds as the third best in the world.[256] Japan is one of the top-performing OECD countries in reading literacy, math and sciences with the average student scoring 529 and has one of the world's highest-educated labor forces among OECD countries.[257][256][258] As of 2017, Japan's public spending on education amounted to just 3.3 percent of its GDP, below the OECD average of 4.9 percent.[259] In 2017, the country ranked third for the percentage of 25- to 64-year-olds that have attained tertiary education with 51 percent.[260] Approximately 60 percent of Japanese aged 25 to 34 have some form of tertiary education qualification, and bachelor's degrees are held by 30.4 percent of Japanese aged 25 to 64, the second most in the OECD after South Korea.[260] Health Main articles: Health in Japan and Health care system 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.[261] Since 1973, all elderly persons have been covered by government-sponsored insurance.[262] Japan has one of the world's highest suicide rates.[263] Another significant public health issue is smoking among Japanese men.[264] Japan has the lowest rate of heart disease in the OECD, and the lowest level of dementia in the developed world.[265] Culture Main article: Culture of Japan See also: Japanese popular culture Contemporary Japanese culture combines influences from Asia, Europe and North America.[266] 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.[267] Twenty-two sites have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, eighteen of which are of cultural significance.[99] Art and architecture Main article: Japanese art Further information: Japanese architecture, Japanese garden, Japanese esthetics, Japanese painting, and Japanese sculpture Hokusai's 19th-century ukiyo-e woodblock print The Great Wave off Kanagawa Ritsurin Garden, one of the most famous strolling gardens in Japan The history of Japanese painting exhibits synthesis and competition between native Japanese esthetics and imported ideas.[268] 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.[268] Japanese architecture is a combination between local and other influences. It has traditionally been typified by wooden or mud plaster structures, elevated slightly off the ground, with tiled or thatched roofs.[269] The Shrines of Ise have been celebrated as the prototype of Japanese architecture.[270] 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.[271] Since the 19th century, Japan has incorporated much of Western modern architecture into construction and design.[272] It was not until after World War II that Japanese architects made an impression on the international scene, firstly with the work of architects like Kenzō Tange and then with movements like Metabolism.[273] Literature and philosophy Main articles: Japanese literature, Japanese poetry, and Japanese philosophy 12th-century illustrated handscroll of The Tale of Genji, a National Treasure The earliest works of Japanese literature include the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki chronicles and the Man'yōshū poetry anthology, all from the 8th century and written in Chinese characters.[274][275] In the early Heian period, the system of phonograms known as kana (hiragana and katakana) was developed.[276] The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter is considered the oldest extant Japanese narrative.[277] An account of court life is given in The Pillow Book by Sei Shōnagon, while The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu is often described as the world's first novel.[278][279] During the Edo period, the chōnin ("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 Bashō revivified the poetic tradition of the Kokinshū with his haikai (haiku) and wrote the poetic travelogue Oku no Hosomichi.[280] The Meiji era saw the decline of traditional literary forms as Japanese literature integrated Western influences. Natsume Sōseki and Mori Ōgai were significant novelists in the early 20th century, followed by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, Jun'ichirō Tanizaki, Kafū Nagai and, more recently, Haruki Murakami and Kenji Nakagami. Japan has two Nobel Prize-winning authors – Yasunari Kawabata (1968) and Kenzaburō Ōe (1994).[281] Japanese philosophy has historically been a fusion of both foreign, particularly Chinese and Western, and uniquely Japanese elements. In its literary forms, Japanese philosophy began about fourteen centuries ago. Confucian ideals remain evident in the Japanese concept of society and the self, and in the organization of the government and the structure of society.[282] Buddhism has profoundly impacted Japanese psychology, metaphysics, and esthetics.[283] Performing arts Main articles: Music of Japan and Theatre of Japan Noh performance at a Shinto shrine Japanese music is eclectic and diverse. Many instruments, such as the koto, were introduced in the 9th and 10th centuries. The popular folk music, with the guitar-like shamisen, dates from the 16th century.[284] Western classical music, introduced in the late 19th century, forms an integral part of Japanese culture.[285] Kumi-daiko (ensemble drumming) was developed in postwar Japan and became very popular in North America.[286] Popular music in post-war Japan has been heavily influenced by American and European trends, which has led to the evolution of J-pop.[287] Karaoke is a significant cultural activity.[288] The four traditional theaters from Japan are noh, kyōgen, kabuki, and bunraku.[289] Noh is one of the oldest continuous theater traditions in the world.[290] Holidays Main articles: Public holidays in Japan and Japanese festivals Young ladies celebrate Coming of Age Day (成人の日, Seijin no Hi) in Harajuku, Tokyo Officially, Japan has 16 national, government-recognized holidays. Public holidays in Japan are regulated by the Public Holiday Law (国民の祝日に関する法律, Kokumin no Shukujitsu ni Kansuru Hōritsu) of 1948.[291] Beginning in 2000, Japan implemented the Happy Monday System, which moved a number of national holidays to Monday in order to obtain a long weekend.[292] The national holidays in Japan are New Year's Day on January 1, Coming of Age Day on the second Monday of January, National Foundation Day on February 11, The Emperor's Birthday on February 23, Vernal Equinox Day on March 20 or 21, Shōwa Day on April 29, Constitution Memorial Day on May 3, Greenery Day on May 4, Children's Day on May 5, Marine Day on the third Monday of July, Mountain Day on August 11, Respect for the Aged Day on the third Monday of September, Autumnal Equinox on September 23 or 24, Health and Sports Day on the second Monday of October, Culture Day on November 3, and Labor Thanksgiving Day on November 23.[293] Cuisine Main article: Japanese cuisine A plate of nigiri-zushi Japanese cuisine offers a vast array of regional specialties that use traditional recipes and local ingredients.[294] Seafood and Japanese rice or noodles are traditional staples.[295] Japanese curry, since its introduction to Japan from British India, is so widely consumed that it can be termed a national dish, alongside ramen and sushi.[296][297][298] Traditional Japanese sweets are known as wagashi.[299] Ingredients such as red bean paste and mochi are used. More modern-day tastes includes green tea ice cream.[300] Popular Japanese beverages include sake, which is a brewed rice beverage that typically contains 14–17% alcohol and is made by multiple fermentation of rice.[301] Beer has been brewed in Japan since the late 17th century.[302] Green tea is produced in Japan and prepared in forms such as matcha, used in the Japanese tea ceremony.[303] Media Main articles: Cinema of Japan, Manga, Anime, and Media of Japan According to the 2015 NHK survey on television viewing in Japan, 79 percent of Japanese watch television daily.[304] Japanese television dramas are viewed both within Japan and internationally;[305] other popular shows are in the genres of variety shows, comedy, and news programs.[306] Japanese newspapers are among the most circulated in the world as of 2016.[307] Japanese comics, known as manga, developed in the mid-20th century and have become popular worldwide.[308][309] A large number of manga series have become some of the best-selling comics series of all time, rivalling the American comics industry.[310] Japan has one of the oldest and largest film industries globally.[311] Ishirō Honda's Godzilla became an international icon of Japan and spawned an entire subgenre of kaiju films, as well as the longest-running film franchise in history.[312][313] Japanese animated films and television series, known as anime, were largely influenced by Japanese manga and have become highly popular internationally.[314][315][316][317] Many Japanese media franchises such as Dragon Ball, One Piece, Naruto, and Demon Slayer have gained considerable global popularity, and are among the world's highest-grossing media franchises. Pokémon in particular is estimated to be the highest-grossing media franchise of all time.[318] Sports Main article: Sport in Japan Sumo wrestlers form around the referee during the ring-entering ceremony Traditionally, sumo is considered Japan's national sport.[319] Japanese martial arts such as judo and kendo are taught as part of the compulsory junior high school curriculum.[320] Baseball is the most popular spectator sport in the country.[321] Japan's top professional league, Nippon Professional Baseball, was established in 1936.[322] Since the establishment of the Japan Professional Football League in 1992, association football has gained a wide following.[323] The country co-hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup with South Korea.[324] Japan has one of the most successful football teams in Asia, winning the Asian Cup four times,[325] and the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2011.[326] Golf is also popular in Japan.[327] In motorsport, Japanese automotive manufacturers have been successful in multiple different categories, with titles and victories in series such as Formula One, MotoGP, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, World Endurance Championship, World Touring Car Championship, British Touring Car Championship and the IMSA SportsCar Championship.[328][329][330] Three Japanese drivers have achieved podium finishes in Formula One, and drivers from Japan have victories at the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in addition to success in domestic championships.[331][332] Super GT is the most popular national series in Japan, while Super Formula is the top level domestic open-wheel series.[333] The country hosts major races such as the Japanese Grand Prix.[334] Japan hosted the Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 1964 and the Winter Olympics in Sapporo in 1972 and Nagano in 1998.[335] The country hosted the official 2006 Basketball World Championship[336] and will co-host the 2023 Basketball World Championship.[337] Tokyo hosted the 2020 Summer Olympics in 2021, making Tokyo the first Asian city to host the Olympics twice.[338] The country gained the hosting rights for the official Women's Volleyball World Championship on five occasions, more than any other nation.[339] Japan is the most successful Asian Rugby Union country[340] and hosted the 2019 IRB Rugby World Cup.[341]
  • Country/Region of Manufacture: Japan
  • Original/Facsimile: Original
  • Language: Japanese

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