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This article is about the country in East Asia. For other uses, see Japan (disambiguation).
日本国
Nippon-koku / Nihon-koku
Japan
Flag of Japan Imperial Seal of Japan
Flag Imperial Seal
Anthem
Kimi ga Yo (君が代)
Imperial Reign
Location of Japan
Capital
(and largest city) Tokyo1
[show location on an interactive map] 35°41′N, 139°46′E
Official languages Japanese
Demonym Japanese
Government Constitutional monarchy
- Emperor HIM Emperor Akihito
- Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (LDP) (Resigned)
Formation
- National Foundation Day February 11, 660 BC3
- Meiji Constitution November 29, 1890
- Current constitution May 3, 1947
- Treaty of
San Francisco
April 28, 1952
Area
- Total 377,873 km² (62nd)
sq mi
- Water (%) 0.8
Population
- 2007 estimate 127,433,494 (10th)
- 2004 census 127,333,002
- Density 337 /km² (30th)
/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2006 estimate
- Total $4.220 trillion2 (3rd)
- Per capita $33,1002 (12th)
GDP (nominal) 2006 estimate
- Total $4.911 trillion2 (2nd)
- Per capita $38,341 (14th)
HDI (2004) 0.949 (high) (7th)
Currency International Symbol ¥ Pronounced (Yen)
Japanese Symbol 円 Pronounced (En)
(JPY)
Time zone JST (UTC+9)
Internet TLD .jp
Calling code +81
1 Yokohama is the largest incorporated city.
2 World Factbook; Japan—Economy. CIA (2006-12-19). Retrieved on 2006-12-28.
3 According to legend, Japan was founded on this date by the Emperor Jimmu, first emperor of Japan; it is seen as largely symbolic.

Japan (help·info) (日本 Nihon or Nippon?, officially 日本国 Nihon-koku or Nippon-koku) is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of China, Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea in the south. The characters that make up Japan's name mean "sun-origin", which is why Japan is sometimes identified as the "Land of the Rising Sun".

Japan comprises over three thousand islands,[1] the largest of which are Honshū, Hokkaidō, Kyūshū and Shikoku, together accounting for 97% of land area. Most of the islands are mountainous, many volcanic; for example, Japan’s highest peak, Mount Fuji, is a volcano. Japan has the world's tenth largest population, with about 128 million people. The Greater Tokyo Area, which includes the capital city of Tokyo and several surrounding prefectures, is the largest metropolitan area in the world, with over 30 million residents.

Archaeological research indicates that people were living on the islands of Japan as early as the Upper Paleolithic period. The first written mention of Japan begins with brief appearances in Chinese history texts from the first century AD. Influence from the outside world followed by long periods of isolation has characterized Japan's history. Thus, its culture today is a mixture of outside influences and internal developments. Since adopting its constitution in 1947, Japan has maintained a unitary constitutional monarchy with an emperor and an elected parliament, the Diet.

A great power,[2] Japan's economy is the world's second largest by nominal GDP after the United States. It is a member of the United Nations, G8, G4 and APEC, with the world's fifth largest defense budget. It is the world's fourth largest exporter and sixth largest importer.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan