Project: Japan/Country
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Location
Japan is an island country in East Asia. It lies in the northwest Pacific Ocean and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north toward the East China Sea, Philippine Sea, and Taiwan in the south. Japan is part of the Ring of Fire and spans an archipelago of 14,125 islands, with the five main islands being Hokkaido, Honshu (the “mainland”), Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa.
See Also: Geography of Japan
Administrative Divisions
Japan’s administrative divisions are structured into three basic levels: national, prefectural, and municipal. The national level is the highest level of administration in Japan and includes the central government, responsible for national policies and governance.
At the second tier of government are the 47 prefectures (todōfuken; 都道府県). These prefectures form the country’s first level of jurisdiction and administrative division. There are 43 proper prefectures or counties (Ken). Osaka and Kyoto are classified as urban prefectures or Fu, while Hokkaido is referred to as a “circuit,” (Dō).
The municipal level is the lowest level of government and comprises 1,718 municipalities. Cities are urban areas with various functions; towns are smaller communities; and villages are rural settlements. The Tokyo metropolis also has 23 special wards.
See Also: Administrative Divisions of Japan
Tokyo is the capital and the most populous city of Japan. Other significant cities include Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Kobe, and Kyoto.
History
The first human inhabitants of Japan were the Jōmon people, who lived there from about 14,000 BC to 300 BC. They were followed by the Yayoi people, who brought rice farming and metalworking from the mainland. The Yayoi period lasted until 250 AD, when Japan became unified under the Yamato dynasty. The Yamato rulers adopted Buddhism and Chinese culture, and established relations with Korea and China. Japan developed a feudal system of shoguns, samurai, and daimyos in the medieval period, and experienced civil wars, invasions, and isolation in the early modern period. Japan became a modern imperial power in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but was defeated in World War II and occupied by the US. Japan recovered from the war and became a democratic and economic leader in the postwar era.
See Also: History of Japan
See Also: Timeline of Japanese History
Ethnicities
Japan has a predominantly homogeneous population, but it also has some ethnic diversity. About 97.5% of the people in Japan are Japanese, while the rest are mainly Chinese, Vietnamese, South Korean, and other groups. However, these statistics do not include some minorities who are Japanese citizens, such as the Ainu, the Ryukyuans, and the descendants of immigrants from Korea and China.
The Ainu are an indigenous people who live mostly in Hokkaido and have a distinct culture and language. The Ryukyuans are the native inhabitants of the Ryukyu Islands, which include Okinawa, and have their own dialects and traditions. The Koreans and Chinese in Japan are mostly the offspring of those who came to Japan during its colonial expansion or as laborers before and during World War II.
See Also: Japanese
Language
The Japanese language is the official language of Japan and belongs to the Altaic language family. It is closely related to Korean, but has borrowed many words from Chinese and other languages. The Ainu language is an isolate language with no known relatives. The Ryukyuan languages are considered either dialects or languages of Japanese, depending on the perspective.
See also: Japanese Language
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Religion
Japan is a country with a rich and diverse religious heritage. The main religions in Japan are Shinto and Buddhism, which most Japanese people practice simultaneously or interchangeably. Shinto is the indigenous religion of Japan, which involves the worship of kami, or spirits, at shrines and festivals. Buddhism was introduced from China in the 6th century, and offers various teachings and practices for attaining enlightenment and escaping the cycle of rebirth. Other religions in Japan include Christianity, which was brought by missionaries in the 16th century, and various new religions that emerged in the modern era, such as Tenrikyo and Soka Gakkai. Japan also has minorities of Muslims, Jews, Hindus, and others who practice their faiths in different ways.
See Also: Religion in Japan
See Also: Demographics of Japan
Japanese Naming Conventions
Japanese names consist of a family name (surname) followed by a given name. They are usually written in kanji, which are Chinese characters that have different pronunciations and meanings depending on the context. The family name comes before the given name, and it is inherited from the father's side. Women usually change their family name to their husband's when they get married. Japanese names do not have middle names, and they may have different readings depending on the kanji used.
See Also: Japanese Names
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