: Nihon : Nippon

Land area: 145,868.72 sq. miles (377,800 sq. kilometers). Japan is slightly smaller than the state of California. There are four major Japanese islands: Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku.

Population: Japan's total population stood at 127.5 million as of September 1, 2003, ranking ninth in the world. Population has more than doubled since the first national census in 1920, when it was about 56 million.
However, population growth has slowed in recent years. The annual growth rate was 0.29% in 2001, considerably lower than the world average of 1.5% in the five-year period ending in 2000.
In 2000, Japan's population density was 341.4 persons per square kilometer, one of the highest in the world.

Cities: The 11 largest Japanese cities are Tokyo (12 million), Yokohama (3.426 million), Osaka (2.598 million), Nagoya (2.171 million), Sapporo (1.822 million), Kobe (1.493 million), Kyoto (1.464 million), Fukuoka (1.290 million), Kawasaki (1.208 million), Hiroshima (1.113 million), and Kitakyushu (1.18 million).

Climate: Japan has four distinct seasons. Since the archipelago stretches over 1,800 miles from north to south, the climate varies greatly. The northern end of Japan has the same latitude as Quebec, Canada while the southern end has the same latitude as Key West, Florida. Most of Japan also has a rainy season from mid-June to mid-July, and frequent typhoons from August through October.

Religion: The two major religions in Japan are Buddhism and Shintoism.

Type of Government: Constitutional monarchy

Government system: The present system is built upon the separation of powers of three branches of government : legislative, executive, and judicial which act to check and balance one another.

Symbol of state: Under the Constitution of Japan the Emperor is the symbol of the state, but he has no powers related to government. He performs only those acts that are stipulated in the Constitution, such as appointing the prime minister and the chief justice of the Supreme Court as designated by the Diet and the cabinet, respectively, and performing on behalf of the people such acts as promulgating laws and treaties, convoking the Diet, and awarding honors-all on the advice and approval of the cabinet. Present Emperor Akihito was born in Tokyo on December 23, 1933, the first son of Emperor Hirohito and Empress Nagako.

Legislative: Japan adopts a parliamentary democratic system, in which the Diet, the sole legislative organ of the state, is the highest organ of state power. The Diet consists of two houses, the House of Representatives (500 seats, 4-year- term) and the House of Councilors (252 seats, 6-year term).

Flag and national anthem: The Japanese flag, which heralds a large red circle on a white background, is called the Hinomaru. The sun flag has been used as a national symbol since at least the seventeenth century. Japan's national anthem, the Kimigayo, was set to music about a century ago, but the words are about 1,000 years old. They are interpreted as praying for the lasting prosperity and peace of the country. Japan's national flag and anthem were designated as such under a law enacted in August 1999.

Education: Japanese education is based on a 6-3-3-4 year system. Compulsory education extends from age six to fifteen. 94.6 % of Japanese children then continue on to high school. Over one third of Japanese students also go on to higher education (including universities and vocational schools).

source: www.embjapan.org and the "Japan: A Web Guide"

Japan profile      BBC  and  Economist