Portal:Japan

The Japan Portal

Imperial Seal of Japan

Japan (Japanese: 日本, [ɲihoɴ] ^ⓘ, Nippon or Nihon, and formally 日本国, Nippon-koku or Nihon-koku) is an island country in East Asia. It is 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 a 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. Tokyo is the nation's capital and largest city, followed by Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Kobe, and Kyoto.

Japan has over 125 million inhabitants and is the 11th most populous country in the world, as well as one of the most densely populated. About three-fourths of the country's terrain is mountainous, concentrating its highly urbanized population 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. Japan has the world's highest life expectancy, although it is experiencing a population decline due to its very low birth rate.

Japan has been inhabited since the Upper Paleolithic period (30,000 BC). Between the fourth and ninth 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.

Under the 1947 constitution, Japan has maintained a unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy with a bicameral legislature, the National Diet. Japan is a developed country and a great power, with one of the largest economies by nominal GDP. Japan has renounced its right to declare war, though it maintains a Self-Defense Force that ranks as one of the world's strongest militaries. A global leader in the automotive, robotics, and electronics industries, the country has made significant contributions to science and technology, and is one of the world's largest exporters and importers. It is part of multiple major international and intergovernmental institutions. (Full article...)

Selected article –

Japanese officers and petty officers of the 3rd Kure Special Naval Landing Force that seized Tulagi in May, 1942.

The invasion of Tulagi, on May 3 and May 4, 1942, was part of Operation Mo, the Empire of Japan's strategy in the South Pacific and South West Pacific Area in 1942. The plan called for Imperial Japanese Navy troops to capture Tulagi and nearby islands in the Solomon Islands Protectorate. The occupation of Tulagi by the Japanese was intended to cover the flank of Japanese forces that were advancing on Port Moresby in New Guinea as well as to provide a base for Japanese forces to threaten and interdict the supply and communication routes between the United States and Australia and New Zealand. Without the means to capably resist the Japanese offensive in the Solomons, the British Resident Commissioner of the Solomon Islands protectorate and the few Australian troops assigned to defend Tulagi evacuated the island just before the Japanese forces arrived on May 3. The next day, however, a U.S. aircraft carrier task force en route to resist the Japanese forces advancing on Port Moresby (that resulted in the Battle of the Coral Sea) struck the Japanese Tulagi landing force in an air attack, destroying or damaging several of the Japanese ships and aircraft involved in the landing operation. Nevertheless, the Japanese troops successfully occupied Tulagi and began the construction of a small naval base. Over the next several months, the Japanese established a naval refueling, communications, and seaplane base on Tulagi and the nearby islets of Gavutu and Tanambogo and, in July 1942, began to build a large airfield on nearby Guadalcanal. The Japanese activities on Tulagi and Guadalcanal were observed by Allied reconnaissance aircraft, as well as by Australian coastwatcher personnel stationed in the area. (Full article...)

More selected articles

Selected pictures

Image 1
Siege of Osaka
Painting credit: unknown
The siege of Osaka was a series of battles undertaken by the Japanese Tokugawa shogunate against the Toyotomi clan, and ending in the clan's dissolution. Divided into two stages (the winter campaign and the summer campaign), and lasting from 1614 to 1615, the siege put an end to the last major armed opposition to the shogunate's establishment. This eight-metre-long (26 ft) painting, titled The Summer Battle of Osaka Castle and executed on a Japanese folding screen, illustrates Osaka Castle under siege, and was commissioned by the daimyo Kuroda Nagamasa, who took a team of painters with him to the battlefield to record the event. The painting depicts 5071 people and 21 generals, and is held in the collection of Osaka Castle.
Image 2
Asahi Breweries
Photograph credit: Basile Morin
Asahi Breweries is a Japanese global beer, spirits, soft drinks and food business group. This photograph, taken during the blue hour with a full moon, shows the headquarters of Asahi Breweries in Sumida, Tokyo, as viewed from the wharf on the Sumida River near Azuma Bridge. The Asahi Beer Hall, topped by the Asahi Flame, designed by Philippe Starck, is visible on the right, with the Tokyo Skytree in the background on the left.
Image 3
Japanese government-issued currency in the Dutch East Indies
Banknotes: Empire of Japan. Reproduction: National Numismatic Collection, National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institution
The Japanese-issued Netherlands Indies gulden was the currency issued by the Japanese Empire when it occupied the Dutch East Indies during World War II. Following the Dutch capitulation in March 1942, the Japanese closed all banks, seized assets and currency, and assumed control of the economy in the territory. They began issuing military banknotes, as had previously been done in other occupied territories. These were printed in Japan, but retained the name of the pre-war currency and replaced the Dutch gulden at par. From 1943 the military banknotes were replaced by identical bank-issued notes printed within the territory, and the currency was renamed the roepiah from 1944. The currency was replaced by the Indonesian rupiah in 1946, one year after the Japanese surrender and the country's independence.

This note, denominated half gulden, is part of the 1942 series.

See other denominations: One cent · Five cents · Ten cents · Half gulden · One gulden, Five gulden, Ten gulden
Image 4
Fireworks at the Nagaoka Matsuri
Nagaoka, Niigata
Credit: Kropsoq
In early August, during the three-day festival known as Nagaoka Matsuri, tens of thousands of fireworks are launched near the Shinano River in Nagaoka in Niigata Prefecture.
Image 5
A Japanese archer with targets. Ink on paper, 1878.
Kyūdō
Credit: Library of Congress
A Japanese archer practicing the martial art of Kyūdō
Image 6
Japanese battleship Yamato
Image: Alexpl
A line drawing of the Japanese battleship Yamato, the lead ship of the Yamato class of battleships that served with the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Named after the ancient Japanese Yamato Province, she was launched on 8 August 1940 and served as the flagship of the Japanese Combined Fleet in 1942.
Image 7
A Buddhist temple ruined after the atomic bomb attack on Nagasaki
Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki#Nagasaki
Credit: Cpl. Lynn P. Walker, Jr
The destroyed remains of a Buddhist temple in Nagasaki, Japan. This picture was taken on September 24, 1945, six weeks after the city was destroyed by the world's second atomic bomb attack.
Image 8
Japanese government-issued rupee in Burma
Banknote design credit: Empire of Japan; photographed by Andrew Shiva
The Japanese government-issued rupee in Burma was Japanese invasion money issued as a replacement for the local currency during the Japanese occupation of Burma in the Second World War. Like most Japanese colonial currency from this period, a letter code was used on the notes; the first or top letter "B" indicates that the note was printed in and issued for the State of Burma; the second letter or letters indicate the block (or printing batch) of the note. The higher-value notes depict Ananda Temple in Bagan on the obverse. This ten-rupee banknote is part of the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution.

Other denominations:
'"`UNIQ--templatestyles-0000000F-QINU`"'

* 1 cent
* 5 cents
* 10 cents
*
'"`UNIQ--templatestyles-00000010-QINU`"'
1⁄4 rupee
*
'"`UNIQ--templatestyles-00000011-QINU`"'
1⁄2 rupee
* 1 rupee
* 5 rupees
* 100 rupees
Image 9
Japanese squirrel
Japanese Squirrel
Credit: Ma2bara
The Japanese Squirrel (Sciurus lis) is a species of rodent that is endemic to Japan. They are reddish grey and have tufted ears and bushy tails.
Image 10
Japanese government-issued dollar in Malaya and Borneo
Banknote design credit: Empire of Japan; photographed by Andrew Shiva
The Japanese government-issued dollar was a form of currency issued between 1942 and 1945 for use within the territories of Singapore, Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak and Brunei, under occupation by Imperial Japan during World War II. The currency, informally referred to as "banana money", was released solely in the form of banknotes, as metals were considered essential to the war effort. The languages used on the notes were reduced to English and Japanese. Each note bears a different obverse and reverse design, but all have a similar layout, and were marked with stamped block letters that begin with "M" for "Malaya". This 1942 fifty-cent Japanese-issued banknote, depicting a traveller's palm on the obverse, is part of the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution.

Other denominations:
'"`UNIQ--templatestyles-00000012-QINU`"'
Image 11
Tsingtao occupation money
Banknote design credit: Bank of Japan; photographed by Andrew Shiva
This picture shows a ten-sen banknote, in use during the 1914–1922 Japanese occupation of Tsingtao (Qingdao), China, as part of the Asian and Pacific theatre of World War I. Issued by the Bank of Japan, the currency was based on the silver standard. This banknote, dated 1914, is in the National Numismatic Collection of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History.

Before the outbreak of World War I, German naval ships were located in the Pacific; Tsingtao developed into a major seaport while the surrounding Kiautschou Bay area was leased to Germany since 1898. During the war, Japanese and British Allied troops besieged the port in 1914 before capturing it from the German and Austro-Hungarian Central Powers, occupying the city and the surrounding region. It served as a base for the exploitation of the natural resources of Shandong province and northern China, and a "New City District" was established to furnish the Japanese colonists with commercial sections and living quarters. Tsingtao eventually reverted to Chinese rule by 1922.
Image 12
Plum Park in Kameido
Print: Hiroshige
Plum Park in Kameido is a woodblock print in the ukiyo-e genre by the Japanese artist Hiroshige. It was published in 1857 as the thirtieth print in the One Hundred Famous Views of Edo series and depicts Prunus mume trees in bloom. Popular prints such as Plum Park in Kameido were produced in the tens of thousands at a low individual cost. After the opening up of Japan in 1853, they found a following in Europe, where they had a significant influence on the Impressionist artists such as Vincent van Gogh.

See Van Gogh's derivative version
Image 13
Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies registration card
Document: Japanese occupation government; scan by the National Archives of the Netherlands
A registration card for Louis Wijnhamer (1904–1975), an ethnic Dutch humanitarian who was captured soon after the Empire of Japan occupied the Dutch East Indies in March 1942. Prior to the occupation, many ethnic Europeans had refused to leave, expecting the Japanese occupation government to keep a Dutch administration in place. When Japanese troops took control of government infrastructure and services such as ports and postal services, 100,000 European (and some Chinese) civilians were interned in prisoner-of-war camps where the death rates were between 13 and 30 per cent. Wijnhamer was interned in a series of camps throughout Southeast Asia and, after the surrender of Japan, returned to what was now Indonesia, where he lived until his death.
Image 14
Ema at Meiji Shrine
Ema (Shinto)
Credit: Fg2
Ema are small wooden plaques on which Shinto worshipers write their prayers or wishes. They are then left hanging up at a shrine where the kami (spirits or gods) can read them. These ema were placed at Meiji Shrine.
Image 15
Sumo wrestler Somagahana Fuchiemon
Kunisada
Credit: Utagawa Kunisada
A Utagawa Kunisada ukiyo-e print depicting sumo wrestler Somagahana Fuchiemon.
Image 16
The Great Wave off Kanagawa
The Great Wave off Kanagawa
Credit: Hokusai
Hokusai's The Great Wave off Kanagawa, from his seminal work 36 Views of Mount Fuji, is one of the most iconic representations of the Japanese style of art known as ukiyo-e. The scene is of a great wave (often mistaken for a tsunami) about to devour the men and boats, with the distant Mount Fuji minimized by the size of the wave.
Image 17
Siberian Intervention
Image: Shobido & Co.; Restoration: Adam Cuerden
A Japanese lithograph depicting the capture of Blagoveshchensk, Siberia, by the Imperial Japanese Army during the Siberian Intervention, part of a larger effort by the western powers and Japan to support White Russian forces against the Bolshevik Red Army during the Russian Civil War. The Allied invasion took place in August 1918, and Japanese troops remained in Russia until October 1922.

On this day...

December 1:

Events

1941 - World War II: Emperor Hirohito of Japan gives the final approval to initiate war against the United States.

Births

1521 - Takeda Shingen (d. 1573), daimyo
1920 - Peter Baptist Tadamaro Ishigami (d. 2014), priest, 1st Bishop of Naha
1924 - Masao Horiba (d. 2015), businessman, founded Horiba
1947 - Jinpachi Nezu, actor
1962 - Sayoko Hagiwara, actress
2001 - Aiko, Princess Toshi

Deaths

1433 - Emperor Go-Komatsu (b. 1377)
1602 - Kobayakawa Hideaki (b. 1582), daimyo

In the news

29 November 2023 –: A United States Air Force V-22 Osprey crashes off the coast of Japan's Kagoshima Prefecture with six crew members onboard. A search and rescue operation has been launched, according to the Japan Coast Guard. (CNN)
23 November 2023 – Japan–South Korea relations: The High Court of Seoul, South Korea, orders Japan to pay compensation of ₩200 million (around ¥22 million or US$154,000) to 16 comfort women, overturning a previous ruling that denied the women's claims due to sovereign immunity. (AFP via Manila Bulletin)
19 November 2023 – 2023 Israel–Hamas war: The Houthi movement hijacks the British cargo ship Galaxy Leader operated by a Japanese company and partially owned by an Israeli businessman in the Red Sea. (Al Arabiya) (Jerusalem Post)
17 November 2023 – APEC United States 2023: Japan–United States relations; Japan and the United States finalize a $2.35 billion deal for the latter to export 400 Tomahawk cruise missiles to the former. (AFP via France 24)
12 November 2023 – 2021–2023 North Korean missile tests: The defense ministers of Japan, South Korea, and the United States agree to initiate a real-time data sharing mechanism to monitor North Korea's missile tests. (AFP via The Manila Times)

Selected quote –

“

Japan's economy is falling off a cliff. There's nothing out there to drive growth.

”

— Junko Nishioka, economist at RBS Securities Japan in Tokyo

More selected quotes

Selected biography –

Eir Aoi at Hyper Japan Festival 2015, London

Eir Aoi (Japanese: 藍井エイル, Hepburn: Aoi Eiru, born November 30, 1988) is a Japanese singer from Sapporo, Hokkaido, signed to Sacra Music. After being discovered through the Japanese video sharing website Niconico, Aoi made her major debut in 2011 with the release of her first single "Memoria", whose title track was used as the first ending theme to the 2011 anime television series Fate/Zero.

Aoi's music has been featured in various anime television series such as Sword Art Online, Kill la Kill, and The Heroic Legend of Arslan, as well as other television programs such as Rank Okoku. She has performed at various anime conventions in Asia, Europe, North and South America. She has cited her interest in anime, as well as artists such as Evanescence, Slipknot, and Do As Infinity, as influences in her career. In October 2016, following prolonged bouts of poor health, she announced an indefinite hiatus from musical activities following a two-day concert at the Nippon Budokan in November 2016. In February 2018, it was announced that she would resume her activities later that year. (Full article...)

List of selected biographies

Selected prefecture –

Kyoto Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kinki region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Kyoto. For most of its history, the city of Kyoto was the Imperial capital of Japan. The history of the city itself can be traced back as far as the 6th century. In 544, the Aoi Matsuri was held in Kyoto to pray for good harvest and good weather. Kyoto did not start out as the capital of Japan. A noteworthy earlier capital was Nara. In 741, Emperor Shōmu moved the capital briefly to a place called Kuni-kyo, between the cities of Nara and Kyoto, in present-day Kyoto Prefecture. In 784, the capital was moved to Nagaokakyo, also in present-day Kyoto Prefecture. In 794, Emperor Kammu moved the capital to Heian-kyo, and this was the beginning of the current-day city of Kyoto. Even today, almost all of the streets, houses, stores, temples and shrines in the city of Kyoto exist where they were placed in this year. Although in 1192 real political power shifted to Kamakura, where a samurai clan established the shogunate, Kyoto still remained the imperial capital as the powerless emperors and their court continued to be seated in the city. Imperial rule was briefly restored in 1333, but another samurai clan established a new shogunate in Kyoto three years later. In 1467, a great civil war, the Ōnin no Ran, took place inside Kyoto, and most of the town was burned down. Japan plunged into the age of warring feudal lords. A new strong man, Tokugawa Ieyasu, established the shogunate at Edo (today's Tokyo) in 1603.

Did you know... –

Kicho – a Japanese silk partition

... that a kichō (pictured) is a portable multi-paneled silk partition used in aristocratic households during and following the Heian period in Japan?

... that the 1945 loss of German U-boat U-864 during Operation Caesar, a secret mission to deliver technology to Japan, is the only known incident of one submerged submarine sinking another?

... that the Japanese band Daisy × Daisy provided the song "Brave your truth" as the opening theme song of the episodes of the Chrome Shelled Regios anime?

... that Japanese theoretical physicist Kazuhiko Nishijima is well-known for developing the concept of strangeness in particle physics?

... that from 1945 until 1978, cars in Okinawa Prefecture drove on the right side of the road until a switch to left-hand drive as part of the 730 Conversion Plan, to match the rest of Japan?

General images

The following are images from various Japan-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first shōgun of the Tokugawa shogunate. (from History of Japan)
Image 2Sakurajima eruption on October 3, 2009 (from Geography of Japan)
Image 3Map showing the territories of major daimyō families around 1570 CE (from History of Japan)
Image 4Kokin Wakashū, an early anthology of the waka form of Japanese poetry, National Treasure; early twelfth century; at the Tokyo National Museum (from Culture of Japan)
Image 5Japan (Iapam) and Korea, in the 1568 Portuguese map of the cartographer João Vaz Dourado (from History of Japan)
Image 6Japan in 1582, showing territory conquered by Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi in gray (from History of Japan)
Image 7Shigeru Yoshida was one of the longest serving PMs in Japanese history (1946–1947 and 1948–1954). (from History of Japan)
Image 8Kobe Airport in Osaka Bay (from Geography of Japan)
Image 9Taiheiyō Belt (from Geography of Japan)
Image 10Reconstruction of a Jōmon family from the Sannai-Maruyama Site (from History of Japan)
Image 11Guardian in Tōdai-ji, Nara (from Culture of Japan)
Image 12The Daibutsu-den, within the complex of Tōdai-ji. This Buddhist temple was sponsored by the Imperial Court during the Nara period. (from History of Japan)
Image 13Map of the Kantō Plain (from Geography of Japan)
Image 14Mount Yari, Nagano Prefecture in August (from Geography of Japan)
Image 15Japan's exclusive economic zones:
  Japan's EEZ
  Joint regime with Republic of Korea
  EEZ claimed by Japan, disputed by others
(from Geography of Japan)
Image 16Fumie Hihara playing the shamisen, Guimet Museum, Paris (from Culture of Japan)
Image 17Samurai could kill a commoner for the slightest insult and were widely feared by the Japanese population. Edo period, 1798. (from History of Japan)
Image 18Miniature model of the ancient capital Heian-kyō (from History of Japan)
Image 19The Kuril Islands, with their Russian names. The borders of the Treaty of Shimoda (1855) and the Treaty of St. Petersburg (1875) are shown in red. Currently, all islands northeast of Hokkaido are administered by Russia. (from Geography of Japan)
Image 20Aerial view of Lake Biwa (from Geography of Japan)
Image 21The Japanese Empire in 1939 (from History of Japan)
Image 22Social structure of the Edo period (from History of Japan)
Image 23A topographic map of Japan (from Geography of Japan)
Image 24Two students practicing kendo at Hiroshima University (from Culture of Japan)
Image 25Jesus statue in Yokohama (from Culture of Japan)
Image 26Amida Buddha, Kōtoku-in (from Culture of Japan)
Image 27Regions and prefectures of Japan (from Geography of Japan)
Image 28Dogū figurine of the late Jōmon period (1000–400 BC) (from History of Japan)
Image 29US Secretary of State Dean Acheson signing the Treaty of Peace with Japan, 8 September 1951 (from History of Japan)
Image 30Woman in kimono at Fukuoka City Hall (from Culture of Japan)
Image 31Wreckage at a railway station destroyed during the 2011 earthquake and tsunami (from History of Japan)
Image 32Traditional breakfast at a ryokan (from Culture of Japan)
Image 33A Köppen climate classification map of Japan (from Geography of Japan)
Image 34General Douglas MacArthur and Emperor of Japan, Hirohito, at their first meeting, September 1945 (from History of Japan)
Image 35The map depicts the Kuril–Kamchatka Trench, Japan Trench, Izu–Ogasawara Trench, and Mariana Trench. (from Geography of Japan)
Image 36Seto Inland Sea (from Geography of Japan)
Image 37A handscroll painting dated c. 1130, illustrating a scene from the "Bamboo River" chapter of The Tale of Genji (from History of Japan)
Image 38Atomic cloud over Hiroshima, 1945 (from History of Japan)
Image 39The Ryukyu Islands administered by Kagoshima Prefecture and Okinawa Prefecture (from Geography of Japan)
Image 40A map of Japan (from Geography of Japan)
Image 41Torii entrance gate at Kamigamo Shrine, Kyoto (from Culture of Japan)
Image 42Vegetation during the Last Glacial Maximum (16,000 BCE) (from Geography of Japan)
Image 43A map of Japan's major cities, main towns and selected smaller centers (from Geography of Japan)
Image 44
Chinese generals surrendering to the Japanese in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894–1895
(from History of Japan)
Image 45Ritsurin Garden, Takamatsu, Japan (from Geography of Japan)
Image 46Later Three-Year War in the 11th century (from History of Japan)
Image 47Winter with frozen coniferous trees near Mt. Kumano in the Mount Zaō range in Miyagi Prefecture (from Geography of Japan)
Image 48Prince Shōtoku was a semi-legendary regent of the Asuka period, and considered to be the first major sponsor of Buddhism in Japan. (from History of Japan)
Image 49Japanese archipelago with outlined islands (from Geography of Japan)
Image 50Relief map of the land and the seabed of Japan. It shows the surface and underwater terrain of the Japanese archipelago. (from Geography of Japan)
Image 51
Edo period screen depicting the Battle of Sekigahara. It began on 21 October, 1600, with a total of 160,000 men facing each other.
(from History of Japan)
Image 52Newly-wed Emperor Naruhito, then Crown Prince, wearing a sokutai and Empress Masako, then-Crown Princess, wearing a jūnihitoe. Costumes of these styles have been worn by the Imperial family since the Heian period, when a unique Japanese style developed. (from Culture of Japan)
Image 53Minamoto no Yoritomo was the founder of the Kamakura shogunate in 1192. This was the first military government in which the shogun with the samurai were the de facto rulers of Japan. (from History of Japan)
Image 54Buddhist temple of Hōryū-ji is the oldest wooden structure in the world. It was commissioned by Prince Shotoku and represents the beginning of Buddhism in Japan. (from History of Japan)
Image 55Sea of Japan (from Geography of Japan)
Image 56Territorial extent of Yamato court during the Kofun period (from History of Japan)
Image 57Izu Islands south of Tokyo (from Geography of Japan)
Image 58Tokyo in 2010 (from History of Japan)
Image 59The Black Ship Portuguese traders that came from Goa and Macau once a year (from History of Japan)
Image 60Hōryū-ji is widely known to be the oldest wooden architecture existing in the world. (from Culture of Japan)
Image 61Shinano River in Niigata City (from Geography of Japan)
Image 62Lake Tōya and Shōwa-shinzan in Shikotsu-Tōya National Park (from Geography of Japan)
Image 63Kabira Bay on Ishigaki Island, Okinawa Prefecture in March (from Geography of Japan)
Image 64Emperor Meiji, the 122nd Emperor of Japan (from History of Japan)
Image 65Mount Fuji and sakura (cherry blossoms) are national symbols of Japan. (from Culture of Japan)
Image 66Planes from the Japanese aircraft carrier Shōkaku preparing the attack on Pearl Harbor (from History of Japan)
Image 67The aftermath of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami (from Geography of Japan)
Image 68Middle Jōmon vase (2000 BC) (from History of Japan)
Image 69The islands comprising the Japanese Archipelago were separated from the Asian continent by back-arc spreading. (from Geography of Japan)
Image 70Samurai of the Satsuma Domain during the Boshin War (from History of Japan)
Image 71A Yayoi period bronze bell (dōtaku) of the 3rd century AD (from History of Japan)
Image 72The word Nihon written in kanji (horizontal placement of characters). The text means "Japan" in Japanese. (from History of Japan)
Image 73The Nanpō Islands of the Japanese archipelago (from Geography of Japan)
Image 74Japanese experts inspect the scene of the alleged railway sabotage on South Manchurian Railway that led to the Mukden Incident and the Japanese occupation of Manchuria. (from History of Japan)
Image 75A vase from the early Jōmon period (11000–7000 BC) (from History of Japan)
Image 76Ukiyo-e based on kabuki actor Ichikawa Danjūrō V, by Utagawa Kunimasa (from Culture of Japan)
Image 77Kinkaku-ji was built in 1397 by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. (from History of Japan)
Image 78Extreme points of Japan (from Geography of Japan)
Image 79Pair of byōbu with a leopard, tiger and dragon by Kanō Sanraku (from Culture of Japan)
Image 80Portrait of Ashikaga Takauji who was the founder and first shōgun of the Ashikaga shogunate (from History of Japan)
Image 81Daisenryō Kofun, Osaka (from History of Japan)
Image 82Noh play at traditional Noh theatre (from Culture of Japan)
Image 83Mount Aso 4 pyroclastic flow and the spread of Aso 4 tephra (90,000 to 85,000 years ago). The pyroclastic flow reached almost the whole area of Kyushu, and volcanic ash was deposited of 15 cm in a wide area from Kyushu to southern Hokkaido. (from Geography of Japan)
Image 84The Empire of Japan at its peak in 1942:
   Territory (1870–1895)
   Acquisitions (1895–1930)
   Acquisitions (1930–1942)
(from History of Japan)
Image 85Tectonic map of Japan (French) (from Geography of Japan)
Image 86Sakura blossoms with Himeji Castle in Hyōgo Prefecture in April (from Geography of Japan)
Image 87The summit of Mount Fuji is the highest point in Japan. (from Geography of Japan)
Image 88Ritsurin Garden (from Culture of Japan)

Related Portals

East Asia

Other Countries/Territories

Japan topics

Eras	Paleolithic \| Jōmon \| Yayoi \| Kofun \| Asuka \| Nara \| Heian \| Kamakura \| Muromachi \| Azuchi-Momoyama \| Edo \| Meiji \| Taishō \| Shōwa \| Heisei \| Reiwa
History	Economic history \| Educational history \| Military history \| Naval history \| Sengoku period \| Meiji Restoration \| Empire of Japan \| Occupied Japan \| Post-occupation Japan
Politics	Constitution \| Government \| Emperors \| Imperial Household Agency \| Prime Ministers \| Cabinet \| Ministries \| National Diet (House of Councillors · House of Representatives) \| Judicial system \| Law of Japan \| Elections \| Political parties \| Japanese political values \| Japan Self-Defense Forces \| Foreign relations
Culture	Clothing \| Customs and etiquette \| Education \| Festivals \| Food \| Holidays \| Language \| Religion \| Imperial House of Japan \| National symbols of Japan \| National Treasure (Japan) \| Monuments of Japan \| Media of Japan \| Honne and tatemae \| Kawaii \| Yamato-damashii \| Wa \| Miai \| Ishin-denshin \| Isagiyosa \| Hansei \| Amae \| Kotodama \| Onsen \| Geisha \| Kimono \| Bushido \| Shogun \| Samurai \| Ninja \| Yakuza \| Mythology \| Karaoke
Art	Architecture \| Cinema \| Literature \| Music \| Pornography \| Theatre (Noh · Kabuki · Bunraku) \| Anime \| Manga \| Ukiyo-e \| Japanese tea ceremony \| Japanese aesthetics \| Ikebana \| Poetry \| Bonsai \| Origami
Sports	Sumo wrestling \| Nippon Professional Baseball \| Football J1 League \| Super GT \| All Japan Road Race Championship \| Judo \| Karate \| Kendo \| Kyūdō \| Jujutsu \| Ninjutsu \| Aikido
Economy	Japanese Companies \| Primary sector \| Industry \| Tourism \| Currency \| Tokyo Stock Exchange \| Japanese economic miracle \| Communications \| Transportation (Shinkansen · Tokyo Metro · Railway companies) \| Japan Business Federation \| Housing in Japan
Science and Technology	Consumer electronics in Japan \| Japanese automotive industry \| Japanese inventions \| Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) \| Nuclear power in Japan \| Japanese robotics
Geography	Geography of Japan \| Japanese archipelago \| Islands of Japan \| Cities \| Lakes \| Rivers \| Waterfalls \| Mountains \| National Parks \| Japanese Alps \| Mount Fuji \| Lake Biwa \| Seto Inland Sea \| Sea of Japan \| EEZ of Japan
Demographics	Demographics \| Yamato people \| Hāfu (half Japanese people) \| Ainu people \| Japanese people \| Japanese names \| Aging of Japan
Animals	Animals in Japan \| Japanese macaque \| Japanese raccoon dog (Tanuki) \| Japanese Green pheasant \| Koi \| Japanese Bobtail \| Hokkaido dog \| Shiba Inu \| Akita (dog) \| Asian giant hornet \| Japanese badger
Other	Tokyo \| Kyoto \| Nara \| Osaka \| Sapporo \| Okinawa \| Kinkaku-ji \| Kiyomizu-dera \| Yakushi-ji temple \| Tōdai-ji temple \| Sensō-ji temple \| Meiji Shrine \| Akihabara \| Shinjuku \| Tokyo Tower \| Tokyo Imperial Palace \| Himeji Castle \| Matsumoto Castle \| Osaka Castle \| Nagoya Castle \| Tokyo Disney Resort

Subcategories

Category puzzle

Select [►] to view subcategories

Japan

Japan-related lists

Buildings and structures in Japan

Japanese culture

Economy of Japan

Education in Japan

Environment of Japan

Geography of Japan

Government of Japan

Health in Japan

History of Japan

Organizations based in Japan

Japanese people

Politics of Japan

Society of Japan

Images of Japan

Japan stubs

Recognized content

Extended content

This is a list of recognized content, updated weekly by JL-Bot (talk · contribs) (typically on Saturdays). There is no need to edit the list yourself. If an article is missing from the list, make sure it is tagged (e.g. {{WikiProject Japan}}) or categorized correctly and wait for the next update. See WP:RECOG for configuration options.

Featured articles

Featured lists

Good articles

Featured pictures

07. Japanese Garden Pano, Cowra, NSW, 22.09.2006
2003 Mazda 6 (GG) Classic hatchback 01
Asahi Breweries headquarters building with the Asahi Flame and Skytree at blue hour with full moon, Sumida-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Ase o fuku onna2
BUR-10b-Burma-Japanese Occupation-Five Cents ND (1942)
BUR-11a-Burma-Japanese Occupation-10 Cents ND (1942)
BUR-12a-Burma-Japanese Occupation-One Quarter Rupee ND (1942)
BUR-13b-Burma-Japanese Occupation-One Half Rupee ND (1942)
BUR-14-Burma-Japanese Occupation-One Rupee ND (1942)
BUR-15b-Burma-Japanese Occupation-Five Rupees ND (1942-44)
BUR-16-Japanese occupation Burma-10 rupees (1942-44)
BUR-17b-Burma-Japanese Occupation-100 Rupees ND (1944)
BUR-9b-Burma-Japanese Occupation-One Cent ND (1942)
Beijing Castle Boxer Rebellion 1900 FINAL
Bicycle crankset Shimano 105 R7000 (chainring 50-34, length 172.5mm, 11 speed)
Blind monks examining an elephant
Bloody Saturday, Shanghai
Comme des Garcons at the Met (62473)
Crested myna, Osaka, Japan
Daurian redstart at Daisen Park in Osaka, January 2016
Douglas MacArthur signs formal surrender
Extermination of Evil Tenkeisei
Forces returning 2
Gasshukoku suishi teitoku kōjōgaki (Oral statement by the American Navy admiral)
Golden gate of Ueno Tōshō-gū Shinto shrine, Tokyo, Japan
Great Wave off Kanagawa2
Hasegawa Tohaku - Pine Trees (Shōrin-zu byōbu) - left hand screen
Hasegawa Tohaku - Pine Trees (Shōrin-zu byōbu) - right hand screen
Heart Mountain Relocation Center, Heart Mountain, Wyoming. In his barracks home at Block 7 - 21 - NARA - 539206 - Restoration
Hiroshige II - Kishu kumano iwatake tori - Shokoku meisho hyakkei
HiroshimaPeaceMemorialPanorama-2
HoryujiYumedono0363edit4
Hyochangwon as Korea's first golf course
ISS Aug2005
ISS March 2009
Instrument of surrender Japan2
JAPAN-10-Constitutional Monarchy-One Yen (1873)
JAPAN-M7-Tsingtao-10 Sen (1914)
Japan 1870 20 Yen (alt)
Japanese Squirrel edit2
Japanese archer 1878b
Japanese pygmy woodpecker in Sakai, Osaka, February 2016
Japanese white-eye at Tennōji Park in Osaka, January 2016 III
Japaneseweavera
Japanmakaken im Jigokudani Monkey Park bei der Fellpflege
Kabukicho red gate and colorful neon street signs at night, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
Khalili Collections A Composite Imaginary View of Japan
Kiyonaga bathhouse women-2
Koku Saitcho shounin
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 01
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 02
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 03
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 04
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 05
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 06
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 07
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 08
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 09
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 10
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 11
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 12
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 13
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 14
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 15
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 16
MAL-M10b-Malaya-Japanese Occupation-1000 Dollars ND (1945)
MAL-M1b-Malaya-Japanese Occupation-One Cent ND (1942)
MAL-M2a-Malaya-Japanese Occupation-Five Cents ND (1942)
MAL-M3b-Malaya-Japanese Occupation-10 Cents ND (1942)
MAL-M4b-Malaya-Japanese Occupation-50 Cents ND (1942)
MAL-M5c-Malaya-Japanese Occupation-One Dollar ND (1942)
MAL-M6c-Malaya-Japanese Occupation-Five Dollars ND (1942)
MAL-M7c-Malaya-Japanese Occupation-10 Dollars ND (1944)
MAL-M8b-Malaya-Japanese Occupation-100 Dollars ND (1944)
MAL-M9-Malaya-Japanese Occupation-100 Dollars ND (1945)
Mamoru Shigemitsu signs the Instrument of Surrender, officially ending the Second World War
Manzanar calisthenics 0016u
Manzanar portrait Toyo Miyatake 00100u
Maresuke Nogi, 近世名士写真其1 - Photo only
Mazda RX-8 on freeway
NI-119b-Netherlands Indies-Japanese Occupation-1 Cent (1942)
NI-120c-Netherlands Indies-Japanese Occupation-5 Cents (1942)
NI-121a-Netherlands Indies-Japanese Occupation-10 Cents (1942)
NI-122b-Netherlands Indies-Japanese Occupation-half Gulden (1942)
NI-123-Netherlands Indies-Japanese Occupation-1 Gulden (1942)
NI-124c-Netherlands Indies-Japanese Occupation-5 Gulden (1942)
NI-125c-Netherlands Indies-Japanese Occupation-10 Gulden (1942)
Nagasakibomb
Nagoya Castle(Edit2)
Noru 2017-07-31 0415Z
OCE-1a-Oceania-Japanese Occupation-Half Shilling ND (1942)
OCE-2a-Oceania-Japanese Occupation-One Shilling ND (1942)
OCE-3a-Oceania-Japanese Occupation-10 Shillings ND (1942)
OCE-4a-Oceania-Japanese Occupation-One Pound ND (1942)
Ogata Gekko - Ryu sho ten edit
Olympus E-M1 Mark III Zuiko 12-100mm
PHI-102b-Japanese Government (Philippines)-1 Centavo (1942)
PHI-103b-Japanese Government (Philippines)-5 Centavos (1942)
PHI-104b-Japanese Government (Philippines)-10 Centavos (1942)
PHI-105b-Japanese Government (Philippines)-50 Centavos (1942)
PHI-106-Japanese Government (Philippines)-1 Peso (1942)
PHI-107A-Japanese Government (Philippines)-5 Pesos (1942)
PHI-108-Japanese Government (Philippines)-10 Pesos (1942)
PHI-109-Japanese Government (Philippines)-1 Peso (1943)
PHI-110-Japanese Government (Philippines)-5 Pesos (1943)
PHI-111-Japanese Government (Philippines)-10 Pesos (1943)
PHI-112-Japanese Government (Philippines)-100 Pesos (1944)
PHI-114-Japanese Government (Philippines)-500 Pesos (1944)
PHI-115-Japanese Government (Philippines)-1000 Pesos (1945)
Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima, larger - edit1
Red Fuji southern wind clear morning
Rhinogobius flumineus(Hamamatsu,Shizuoka,Japan)
STS-134 International Space Station after undocking
Samurai with sword
Sesshu - Haboku-Sansui - complete
Shimano Hyperglide cassette 8-speed CS-HG51 11-32
Shoki2
Somagahana Fuchiemon restored
Suikoden
The Illustration of The Siberian War, No. 16. The Japanese Army Occupied Vragaeschensk
The brown-eared bulbul after playing with water
Torii path with lantern at Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine, Kyoto, Japan
Two Lovers Beneath an Umbrella in the Snow
USS Bunker Hill hit by two Kamikazes
Zhou Maoshu Appreciating Lotuses

Featured portals

Portal:Japan

Picture of the day pictures

07. Japanese Garden Pano, Cowra, NSW, 22.09.2006
2003 Mazda 6 (GG) Classic hatchback 01
Asahi Breweries headquarters building with the Asahi Flame and Skytree at blue hour with full moon, Sumida-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Ase o fuku onna2
BUR-10b-Burma-Japanese Occupation-Five Cents ND (1942)
BUR-11a-Burma-Japanese Occupation-10 Cents ND (1942)
BUR-12a-Burma-Japanese Occupation-One Quarter Rupee ND (1942)
BUR-13b-Burma-Japanese Occupation-One Half Rupee ND (1942)
BUR-14-Burma-Japanese Occupation-One Rupee ND (1942)
BUR-15b-Burma-Japanese Occupation-Five Rupees ND (1942-44)
BUR-16-Japanese occupation Burma-10 rupees (1942-44)
BUR-17b-Burma-Japanese Occupation-100 Rupees ND (1944)
BUR-9b-Burma-Japanese Occupation-One Cent ND (1942)
Beijing Castle Boxer Rebellion 1900 FINAL
Bicycle crankset Shimano 105 R7000 (chainring 50-34, length 172.5mm, 11 speed)
Blind monks examining an elephant
Bloody Saturday, Shanghai
Comme des Garcons at the Met (62473)
Crested myna, Osaka, Japan
Daurian redstart at Daisen Park in Osaka, January 2016
Douglas MacArthur signs formal surrender
Extermination of Evil Tenkeisei
Forces returning 2
Gasshukoku suishi teitoku kōjōgaki (Oral statement by the American Navy admiral)
Geisha Kyoto Gion
Geisha-kyoto-2004-11-21
Golden gate of Ueno Tōshō-gū Shinto shrine, Tokyo, Japan
Great Wave off Kanagawa2
Hasegawa Tohaku - Pine Trees (Shōrin-zu byōbu) - left hand screen
Hasegawa Tohaku - Pine Trees (Shōrin-zu byōbu) - right hand screen
Heart Mountain Relocation Center, Heart Mountain, Wyoming. In his barracks home at Block 7 - 21 - NARA - 539206 - Restoration
Hiroshige II - Kishu kumano iwatake tori - Shokoku meisho hyakkei
HiroshimaPeaceMemorialPanorama-2
HoryujiYumedono0363edit4
Hyochangwon as Korea's first golf course
ISS Aug2005
ISS March 2009
Instrument of surrender Japan2
JAPAN-10-Constitutional Monarchy-One Yen (1873)
JAPAN-M7-Tsingtao-10 Sen (1914)
Japan 1870 20 Yen (alt)
Japanese Squirrel edit2
Japanese archer 1878b
Japanese pygmy woodpecker in Sakai, Osaka, February 2016
Japanese white-eye at Tennōji Park in Osaka, January 2016 III
Japaneseweavera
Japanmakaken im Jigokudani Monkey Park bei der Fellpflege
Kabukicho red gate and colorful neon street signs at night, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
Khalili Collections A Composite Imaginary View of Japan
Kiyonaga bathhouse women-2
Koku Saitcho shounin
KyotoFushimiInariLarge
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 01
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 02
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 03
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 04
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 05
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 06
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 07
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 08
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 09
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 10
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 11
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 12
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 13
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 14
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 15
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 16
MAL-M10b-Malaya-Japanese Occupation-1000 Dollars ND (1945)
MAL-M1b-Malaya-Japanese Occupation-One Cent ND (1942)
MAL-M2a-Malaya-Japanese Occupation-Five Cents ND (1942)
MAL-M3b-Malaya-Japanese Occupation-10 Cents ND (1942)
MAL-M4b-Malaya-Japanese Occupation-50 Cents ND (1942)
MAL-M5c-Malaya-Japanese Occupation-One Dollar ND (1942)
MAL-M6c-Malaya-Japanese Occupation-Five Dollars ND (1942)
MAL-M7c-Malaya-Japanese Occupation-10 Dollars ND (1944)
MAL-M8b-Malaya-Japanese Occupation-100 Dollars ND (1944)
MAL-M9-Malaya-Japanese Occupation-100 Dollars ND (1945)
Mamoru Shigemitsu signs the Instrument of Surrender, officially ending the Second World War
Manzanar calisthenics 0016u
Manzanar portrait Toyo Miyatake 00100u
Maresuke Nogi, 近世名士写真其1 - Photo only
Mazda RX-8 on freeway
NI-119b-Netherlands Indies-Japanese Occupation-1 Cent (1942)
NI-120c-Netherlands Indies-Japanese Occupation-5 Cents (1942)
NI-121a-Netherlands Indies-Japanese Occupation-10 Cents (1942)
NI-122b-Netherlands Indies-Japanese Occupation-half Gulden (1942)
NI-123-Netherlands Indies-Japanese Occupation-1 Gulden (1942)
NI-124c-Netherlands Indies-Japanese Occupation-5 Gulden (1942)
NI-125c-Netherlands Indies-Japanese Occupation-10 Gulden (1942)
Nagasakibomb
Nagoya Castle(Edit2)
Noru 2017-07-31 0415Z
OCE-1a-Oceania-Japanese Occupation-Half Shilling ND (1942)
OCE-2a-Oceania-Japanese Occupation-One Shilling ND (1942)
OCE-3a-Oceania-Japanese Occupation-10 Shillings ND (1942)
OCE-4a-Oceania-Japanese Occupation-One Pound ND (1942)
Ogata Gekko - Ryu sho ten edit
Olympus E-M1 Mark III Zuiko 12-100mm
PHI-102b-Japanese Government (Philippines)-1 Centavo (1942)
PHI-103b-Japanese Government (Philippines)-5 Centavos (1942)
PHI-104b-Japanese Government (Philippines)-10 Centavos (1942)
PHI-105b-Japanese Government (Philippines)-50 Centavos (1942)
PHI-106-Japanese Government (Philippines)-1 Peso (1942)
PHI-107A-Japanese Government (Philippines)-5 Pesos (1942)
PHI-108-Japanese Government (Philippines)-10 Pesos (1942)
PHI-109-Japanese Government (Philippines)-1 Peso (1943)
PHI-110-Japanese Government (Philippines)-5 Pesos (1943)
PHI-111-Japanese Government (Philippines)-10 Pesos (1943)
PHI-112-Japanese Government (Philippines)-100 Pesos (1944)
PHI-114-Japanese Government (Philippines)-500 Pesos (1944)
PHI-115-Japanese Government (Philippines)-1000 Pesos (1945)
Panorama of Edo bw
Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima, larger - edit1
Red Fuji southern wind clear morning
Rhinogobius flumineus(Hamamatsu,Shizuoka,Japan)
STS-134 International Space Station after undocking
Sake barrels at Itsukushima Shrine
Samurai with sword
Sesshu - Haboku-Sansui - complete
Shimano Hyperglide cassette 8-speed CS-HG51 11-32
Shoki2
Somagahana Fuchiemon restored
Suikoden
The Illustration of The Siberian War, No. 16. The Japanese Army Occupied Vragaeschensk
The brown-eared bulbul after playing with water
Two Lovers Beneath an Umbrella in the Snow
USS Bunker Hill hit by two Kamikazes
Zhou Maoshu Appreciating Lotuses

Featured topics

Battleships of Japan

Associated Wikimedia

The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:

Commons
Free media repository
Wikibooks
Free textbooks and manuals
Wikidata
Free knowledge base
Wikinews
Free-content news
Wikiquote
Collection of quotations
Wikisource
Free-content library
Wikiversity
Free learning tools
Wikivoyage
Free travel guide
Wiktionary
Dictionary and thesaurus

Discover Wikipedia using portals

List of all portals

List of all portals
The arts portal

The arts portal
Biography portal

Biography portal
Current events portal

Current events portal
Geography portal

Geography portal
History portal

History portal
Mathematics portal

Mathematics portal
Science portal

Science portal
Society portal

Society portal
Technology portal

Technology portal
Random portal

Random portal
WikiProject Portals

WikiProject Portals

36°30′N 139°00′E / 36.5°N 139°E / 36.5; 139

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.