Japan

JP / JPN 35.0°, 136.0°

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asian mainland, it is bordered to the west by the Sea of Japan, the Sea of Okhotsk in the north, and the East China Sea in the south. The Japanese archipelago consists of four major islands alongside over 14,000 smaller islands. Japan is divided into 47 administrative prefectures and eight traditional regions, and around 75% of its terrain is mountainous and heavily forested, concentrating its agriculture and highly urbanized population along its eastern coastal plains. With a population of almost 123 million as of 2026, it is the world's 11th most populous country. Tokyo is the country's capital and largest city.

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Capital

Tokyo

Population

123,802,000

Area

377,972 km2

Climate

Tropical

Government

Parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Currency

yen

Languages

Japanese

Sells

cars, integrated circuits, machinery, vehicle parts/accessories

Sells to

USA 19%, China 18%, Taiwan 6%

Land borders

None

Drives on the

left

Calling code

+81

Founded

1947

Hemisphere

Northern

Where it is

Languages

Share of the population that speaks each. Click one to see every country that speaks it.

Japaneseofficial

—

What it sells, and to whom

Every line is a thread: click a commodity or a partner to see who else trades in it.

Farms and fisheries

rice
milk
sugar beets
vegetables
eggs
chicken

Largest cities

Tokyo capital	9,733,276
Yokohama	3,777,491
Osaka	2,753,862
Nagoya	2,332,176
Sapporo	1,973,832

Wars and conflicts

Click one to see everyone else who fought in it.

World War II1939–1945 World War I1914–1918 Russo-Japanese War1904–1905 Second Sino-Japanese War1937–1945 Iraq War2003–2011 Japanese–Montenegro War1904–2006

Form of government

Parliamentary constitutional monarchy.

hereditary monarchy-065–now unitary state constitutional monarchy1947–now

Money, belief and alliances

Money

yen

Belief

Buddhism Christianity Shinto

Belongs to

United Nations World Meteorological Organization International Energy Agency Antarctic Treaty System International Development Association Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Australia Group Asian Development Bank Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Missile Technology Control Regime UNESCO International Bank for Reconstruction and Development Nuclear Suppliers Group

Climate and geography

varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north

Climate zone

Tropical

Highest point

Mount Fuji

Landmarks and landscapes

Fushimi Inari-taisha Itsukushima Shrine Kinkaku-ji

Northern hemisphere.

In charge right now

Naruhito Head of state

Sanae Takaichi Head of government

Figures from its history

Emperor Meiji Presided over Japan's modernisation Emperor Meiji, personal name Mutsuhito, was Emperor of Japan from 30 January 1867 until his death in 1912.

Hirohito Emperor through the war years Emperor Shōwa, personal name Hirohito, was Emperor of Japan from 25 December 1926 until his death on 7 January 1989.

Tokugawa Ieyasu Founder of the shogunate Tokugawa Ieyasu was a Japanese samurai, daimyo and the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, which ruled from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868.

Shinzo Abe Longest-serving prime minister Shinzo Abe was a Japanese statesman and politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020.