Country	Japan
Capital	Tokyo
Continent	Asia
Currency	Yen(JPY)
Languages	Japanese, Aynu itak, Ryukyuan languages, Eastern Japanese & Western Japanese

Locaion

Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula

Geographic Co ordinates

36 00 N, 138 00 E

Land Boundries

0 km

Geography - note

strategic location in northeast Asia

Population

126,804,433 (July 2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world:10

Nationality

Noun:Japanese (singular and plural)
Adjective:Japanese

Ethnic groups

Japanese 98.5%, Koreans 0.5%, Chinese 0.4%, other 0.6%
note: up to 230,000 Brazilians of Japanese origin migrated to Japan in the 1990s to work in industries; some have returned to Brazil (2004)

Religions

Shintoism 83.9%, Buddhism 71.4%, Christianity 2%, other 7.8%
note: total adherents exceeds 100% because many people belong to both Shintoism and Buddhism (2005)

Languages

Japanese

Country Name

Conventional long form:none
Conventional short form:Japan
Local long form:Nihon-koku/Nippon-koku
Local short form: Nihon/Nippon

Government Type

a parliamentary government with a constitutional monarchy

Capital

Name: Tokyo
Geographic coordinates: 35 41 N, 139 45 E
Time difference:UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions

47 prefectures; Aichi, Akita, Aomori, Chiba, Ehime, Fukui, Fukuoka, Fukushima, Gifu, Gunma, Hiroshima, Hokkaido, Hyogo, Ibaraki, Ishikawa, Iwate, Kagawa, Kagoshima, Kanagawa, Kochi, Kumamoto, Kyoto, Mie, Miyagi, Miyazaki, Nagano, Nagasaki, Nara, Niigata, Oita, Okayama, Okinawa, Osaka, Saga, Saitama, Shiga, Shimane, Shizuoka, Tochigi, Tokushima, Tokyo, Tottori, Toyama, Wakayama, Yamagata, Yamaguchi, Yamanashi

Independence

660 B.C. (traditional date of the founding of the nation by Emperor JIMMU; first recognized by Emperor Meiji in 1873)

National Holiday

Birthday of Emperor AKIHITO, 23 December (1933)

Constitution

3 May 1947

Legal system

modeled after European civil law systems with English-American influence; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage

20 years of age; universal

Executive branch

Chief of state:Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989)
Head of government:Prime Minister Yukio HATOYAMA (since 16 September 2009); Deputy Prime Minister Naoto KAN (since 16 September 2009)
Cabinet:Cabinet is appointed by the prime minister
(For more information visit the World Leaders website)
Elections:Diet designates the prime minister; constitution requires that the prime minister commands parliamentary majority; following legislative elections, the leader of majority party or leader of majority coalition in House of Representatives usually becomes prime minister; the monarchy is hereditary

Legislative branch

bicameral Diet or Kokkai consists of the House of Councillors or Sangi-in (242 seats - members elected for fixed six-year terms; half reelected every three years; 146 members in multi-seat constituencies and 96 by proportional representation) and the House of Representatives or Shugi-in (480 seats - members elected for maximum four-year terms; 300 in single-seat constituencies; 180 members by proportional representation in 11 regional blocs); the prime minister has the right to dissolve the House of Representatives at any time with the concurrence of the cabinet
Elections:House of Councillors - last held on 29 July 2007 (next to be held in July 2010); House of Representatives - last held on 30 August 2009 (next to be held by August 2013)
Election results:House of Councillors - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - DPJ 109, LDP 83, Komeito 20, JCP 7, SDP 5, others 18

House of Representatives - percent of vote by party (by proportional representation) - DPJ 42.4%, LDP 26.7%, Komeito 11.5%, JCP 7.0%, SDP 4.3%, others 8.1%; seats by party - DPJ 308, LDP 119, Komeito 21, JCP 9, SDP 7, others 16 (2009)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the monarch after designation by the cabinet; all other justices are appointed by the cabinet)

Political Parties and Leaders

Democratic Party of Japan or DPJ [Yukio HATOYAMA]; Japan Communist Party or JCP [Kazuo SHII]; Komeito [Natsuo YAMAGUCHI]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Sadakazu TANIGAKI]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Mizuho FUKUSHIMA]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Other:business groups; trade unions

International organization participation

ADB, AfDB (nonregional member), APEC, APT, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, CE (observer), CERN (observer), CICA (observer), CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, FATF, G-20, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAIA, MIGA, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE (partner), Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC (observer), SECI (observer), UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US

Chief of mission:Ambassador Ichiro FUJISAKI
Chancery:2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
Telephone:[1] (202) 238-6700
FAX: [1] (202) 328-2187
Consulate(s) general:Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Agana (Guam), Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Portland (Oregon), San Francisco, Seattle
consulate(s): Anchorage, Nashville

Diplomatic representation from the US

Chief of mission:Ambassador John V. ROOS
Embassy:1-10-5 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420
Mailing address:Unit 9800, Box 300, APO AP 96303-0300
Telephone: [81] (03) 3224-5000
FAX:[81] (03) 3505-1862
consulate(s) general: Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, Sapporo
consulate(s): Fukuoka, Nagoya

Flag description

white with a large red disk (representing the sun without rays) in the center

Video

View Larger Map

Government - Prime Minister's official residence Ministry of Foreign Affairs
                              Ministry of Education
Newspapers -  The Japan Times The Daily Yomiuri FujiSankei Business
                              The Yamagata Shimbun The Sekai Nippo Chunichi Web Kyodo News
                              Nikkan Berita Nikkei The Asahi Shimbun The Asahi Shimbun
                              The Mainichi Sankei-Kansai Agara
Tourism -         Ministry of Tourism

Google News

This RSS feed URL is deprecatedThis RSS feed URL is deprecated, please update. New URLs can be found in the footers at https://news.google.com/news Japan woman arrested for leaving baby's body in locker - BBC News BBC News Japan woman arrested for leaving baby's body in locker BBC News Tokyo police have arrested a 49-year-old woman suspected of leaving her stillborn baby in a coin locker for several years. Emiri Suzaki turned herself in to the police and confessed that she had stored the body since suffering a stillbirth "four or ... Japan woman held over keeping dead baby in lockers 'for years'Channel NewsAsia all 57 news articles » Why Japan is landing hopping robots on an asteroid - Business Insider Business Insider Why Japan is landing hopping robots on an asteroid Business Insider Japan has landed two hopping robots onto asteroid Ryugu as part of the Hayabusa2 mission. It's Japan's second mission to an asteroid, where it plans to return some samples of Ryugu to Earth by the early 2020s. So that scientists can study the samples ... Japan's space agency releases first images of asteroid surfaceNew York Post How Japan's hopping rover nailed the first ever asteroid landingWired.co.uk Japanese robot sends astonishing photos after landing on asteroidIndia Today all 43 news articles » Japanese magazine to close after Abe ally's 'homophobic' article - The Guardian The Guardian Japanese magazine to close after Abe ally's 'homophobic' article The Guardian A prominent magazine in Japan is to close after an outcry over an allegedly homophobic article written by a rightwing MP from the ruling Liberal Democratic party. The Shincho 45 said it would halt publication amid the continuing controversy over the ... and more » Japan's Abe says willing to meet with North Korea's Kim - FRANCE 24 FRANCE 24 Japan's Abe says willing to meet with North Korea's Kim FRANCE 24 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a longtime hardliner on North Korea, said Tuesday he was willing to meet Kim Jong Un after the once reclusive leader's historic summit with US President Donald Trump. NK media demands 'compensation' from JapanNEWS.com.au Japan's Abe open to summit with N. Korea's KimABS-CBN News Japan's Shinzo Abe says he could meet Kim Jong-un face-to-face and 'break the shell of distrust' with North KoreaThe Independent Deutsche Welle all 188 news articles » India set to overtake Japan as No. 3 economy by 2030 - Economic Times Economic Times India set to overtake Japan as No. 3 economy by 2030 Economic Times 3 spot by 2030, according to a report by HSBC Holdings Plc. The South Asian giant was seen as “among the most striking” gainers in the bank's long-term rankings, leap-frogging Germany and Japan largely on account of the economy's rapid growth and a ... India Set To Overtake Japan As No. 3 Economy By 2030: ReportNDTV Indian Economy Will Overtake Japan to be No.3 by 2030: ReportNews18 all 12 news articles » Elaborate throne for Japan's next emperor arrives in Tokyo - Miami Herald Miami Herald Elaborate throne for Japan's next emperor arrives in Tokyo Miami Herald The monumental imperial throne for the coronation of Japan's new emperor has arrived in Tokyo from an ancient imperial palace in Kyoto more than a year ahead of time, officials said Wednesday. Crown Prince Naruhito will become Japan's next emperor on ... Special throne for Japan's next emperor arrives in TokyoABC News all 169 news articles » Japan is developing a hard-to-intercept supersonic bomb to stop a Chinese island invasion - Business Insider Business Insider Japan is developing a hard-to-intercept supersonic bomb to stop a Chinese island invasion Business Insider Involved in several territorial disputes with its neighbors, Japan is developing a new hard-to-intercept standoff supersonic glide bomb to defend the islands it presently controls. Given tensions in the East China Sea over the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands ... Japan Eyes Supersonic Glide Bombs to Protect Disputed Islands from ChinaSputnik International all 3 news articles » Japan to change ASWJ noodle wheat blend from Jan 2019: sources - S&P Global Platts Japan to change ASWJ noodle wheat blend from Jan 2019: sources S&P Global Platts Singapore — Japan Flour Millers' Association decided to change the ASWJ noodle blend ratio to 80% Australian Noodle Wheat 1 or ANW2 and 20% Australian Premium White Noodle for the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries tender specifications ... Super Typhoon Trami: Images show storm from space as it heads for Japan - CNN The Weather Network Super Typhoon Trami: Images show storm from space as it heads for Japan CNN The storm is expected to lose some strength before making landfall in southern Japan in about four days, if it continues to track in that direction. Even after losing power, it's likely to be the equivalent in strength to a category 4 hurricane, adding ... Super Typhoon Trami changes course, aims at Southern JapanThe Weather Network Dangerous Super Typhoon Trami may slam into Japan this weekendWashington Post Super Typhoon Trami Track, Path Update As Japan, Taiwan Brace For StormNewsweek Axios all 82 news articles » Typhoon Trami weakens as it heads to Japan - CNN CNN Typhoon Trami weakens as it heads to Japan CNN By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. Breaking News. Home+. Typhoon Trami weakens as it heads to Japan. U.S.WorldPoliticsMoneyOpinionHealthEntertainmentTechStyleTravelSportsVideoVR · Live TV. Search ».