Japan

Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula

36 00 N, 138 00 E

Asia

slightly smaller than California

29,751 km

varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north

mostly rugged and mountainous

negligible mineral resources, fish 

15,730 sq km (2014)

all primary and secondary regions of high population density lie on the coast; one third of the population resides in and around Tokyo on the central plain (Kanto Plain)

many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500 seismic occurrences (mostly tremors but occasional severe earthquakes) every year; tsunamis; typhoons

volcanism: both Unzen (1,500 m) and Sakura-jima (1,117 m), which lies near the densely populated city of Kagoshima, have been deemed Decade Volcanoes by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to their explosive history and close proximity to human populations; other notable historically active volcanoes include Asama (Honshu Island's most active volcano), Aso, Bandai, Fuji, Iwo-Jima, Kikai, Kirishima, Komaga-take, Oshima, Suwanosejima, Tokachi, Yake-dake, and Usu; see note 2 under "Geography - note"

note 1: strategic location in northeast Asia; composed of four main islands (the "Home Islands") -- Hokkaido, Honshu (the largest, most populous, and site of Tokyo, the capital), Shikoku, and Kyushu  

note 2: a 2023 Geospatial Information Authority of Japan survey detected 100,000 islands and islets, but only the 14,125 islands with a circumference of at least 100 m (330 ft) were officially counted; about 260 of the islands are inhabited

note 3: Japan annually records the most earthquakes in the world; it is one of the countries along the Ring of Fire, which is a belt bordering the Pacific Ocean that contains about 75% of the world's volcanoes and up to 90% of the world's earthquakes

Japanese 97.5%, Chinese 0.6%, Vietnam 0.4%, South Korean 0.3%, other 1.2% (includes Filipino, Brazilian, Nepalese, Indonesian, American, and Taiwanese) (2022 est.)

Shintoism 48.6%, Buddhism 46.4%, Christianity 1.1%, other 4% (2021 est.)

-0.45% (2025 est.)

6.84 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

12.04 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

0.73 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

all primary and secondary regions of high population density lie on the coast; one third of the population resides in and around Tokyo on the central plain (Kanto Plain)

37.194 million TOKYO (capital), 19.013 million Osaka, 9.569 million Nagoya, 5.490 million Kitakyushu-Fukuoka, 2.937 million Shizuoka-Hamamatsu, 2.666 million Sapporo (2023)

30.7 years (2018 est.)

3 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

1.41 children born/woman (2025 est.)

0.68 (2025 est.)

2.65 physicians/1,000 population (2022)

12.7 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)

4.3% (2016)

50% (2020 est.)

air pollution from power plants results in acid rain; acidification of lakes and reservoirs degrading water quality; waste management issues; ongoing environmental clean-up in small area of Fukushima after nuclear accident in 2011

varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north

10.5 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

430 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

parliamentary constitutional monarchy

47 prefectures; Aichi, Akita, Aomori, Chiba, Ehime, Fukui, Fukuoka, Fukushima, Gifu, Gunma, Hiroshima, Hokkaido, Hyogo, Ibaraki, Ishikawa, Iwate, Kagawa, Kagoshima, Kanagawa, Kochi, Kumamoto, Kyoto, Mie, Miyagi, Miyazaki, Nagano, Nagasaki, Nara, Niigata, Oita, Okayama, Okinawa, Osaka, Saga, Saitama, Shiga, Shimane, Shizuoka, Tochigi, Tokushima, Tokyo, Tottori, Toyama, Wakayama, Yamagata, Yamaguchi, Yamanashi

civil law system based on German model; also reflects Anglo-American influence and Japanese traditions; Supreme Court reviews legislative acts

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

Conservative Party of Japan or CPJ
Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan or CDP 
Democratic Party for the People or DPFP or DPP 
Japan Communist Party or JCP 
Japan Innovation Party or Nippon Ishin no kai or Ishin 
Komeito or Komei
Liberal Democratic Party or LDP 
Okinawa Social Mass Party or Okinawa Whirlwind or OW
Party to Protect the People from NHK or NHK
Reiwa Shinsengumi 
Sanseito Party
Social Democratic Party or SDP

ADB, AfDB (nonregional member), APEC, Arctic Council (observer), ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, CD, CE (observer), CERN (observer), CICA (observer), CP, CPLP (associate), EAS, EBRD, EITI (implementing country), FAO, FATF, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, G-20, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAIA (observer), MIGA, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE (partner), Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), Quad, SAARC (observer), SELEC (observer), SICA (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNMISS, UNOOSA, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

3 May 1947 (current constitution adopted as amendment to Meiji Constitution); notable earlier dates: 11 February 660 B.C. (mythological date of Emperor JIMMU founding the nation); 29 November 1890 (Meiji Constitution provides for constitutional monarchy)

Birthday of Emperor NARUHITO, 23 February (1960)

description: white with a large red disk that symbolizes the sun without rays, in the center

history: the current flag was adopted in 1854, but a sun flag has been in use in Japan since at least 1184; the sun has long been a national symbol: according to tradition, the sun goddess Amaterasu founded the country in the 7th century B.C.

red sun disc, chrysanthemum

red, white

the Kikumon is the Japanese emperor's family coat of arms and dates from 1183; the Imperial chrysanthemum emblem (菊の御紋, kikunogomon) is a yellow or orange chrysanthemum with black or red outlines and background; a central disc is surrounded by a front set of 16 petals; a rear set of 16 petals are half-staggered in relation to the front set and are visible at the edges of the flower

second-largest East Asian economy; trade-oriented and highly diversified; high public debt levels; following years of near-zero interest rates, gradual increases to address inflation and depreciation of yen; strong rebound in tourism; aging population poses challenges to labor force participation

$4.026 trillion (2024 est.)

rice, milk, sugar beets, vegetables, eggs, chicken, potatoes, onions, cabbages, pork (2023)

motor vehicles, electronic equipment, machine tools, steel and nonferrous metals, ships, chemicals, textiles, processed foods

1.4% (2023 est.)

69.382 million (2024 est.)

USA 19%, China 18%, Taiwan 6%, S. Korea 6%, Hong Kong 4% (2023)

cars, integrated circuits, machinery, vehicle parts/accessories, construction vehicles (2023)

China 22%, USA 11%, Australia 8%, UAE 5%, Saudi Arabia 5% (2023)

crude petroleum, natural gas, coal, integrated circuits, broadcasting equipment (2023)

a mix of public and commercial TV and radio stations; 5 national terrestrial TV networks including 1 public broadcaster; large number of radio and TV stations; satellite and cable services provide access to international channels (2023)

.jp

JA

280 (2025)

3,036 (2025)

Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF): Ground Self-Defense Force (Rikujou Jieitai, GSDF; includes aviation), Maritime Self-Defense Force (Kaijou Jieitai, MSDF; includes naval aviation), Air Self-Defense Force (Koukuu Jieitai, ASDF) (2025)

approximately 230-240,000 active Self Defense Forces  (2025)

the JSDF is equipped largely with domestically produced weapons platforms; most of its imported arms are from the US; Japan's defense industry is capable of producing a wide range of air, ground, and naval weapons systems; some domestically produced weapons are US-origin and manufactured under license (2025)

18-32 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; no conscription (2025)

maintains a presence of about 400 military personnel at a permanent base in Djibouti (2025)

the Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) has a range of missions, including territorial defense, monitoring the country’s air and maritime spaces, countering piracy and terrorism, and conducting humanitarian operations; the JSDF exercises regularly with the US military and increasingly with other regional countries, including Australia and the Philippines

Japan’s alliance with the US is one of the cornerstones of the country’s security, as well as a large component of the US security posture in Asia; the US-Japan mutual defense treaty grants the US the right to base US military forces in Japan, including aircraft and ships, in return for US security guarantees; the Japanese Government provides approximately $3 billion on average per year to offset the cost of stationing US forces in Japan; in addition, it pays compensation to localities hosting US troops, rent for bases, and costs for new facilities to support the US presence; Japan also has Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA) status with the US, a designation under US law that provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense trade and security cooperation

Japan was disarmed after its defeat in World War II; shortly after the Korean War began in 1950, US occupation forces in Japan created a 75,000-member lightly armed force called the National Police Reserve; the JSDF was founded in 1954; Article 9 of Japan’s 1947 constitution renounced the use of force as a means of settling international disputes; however, Japan has interpreted Article 9 to mean that it can maintain a military for national defense purposes and, since 1991, has allowed the JSDF to participate in noncombat roles overseas in a number of UN peacekeeping missions and in the US-led coalition in Iraq; in 2014-2015, the Japanese Government reinterpreted the constitution as allowing for "collective self-defense," described as the use of force on others’ behalf if Japan’s security was threatened; in 2022, the government released security policy documents that declared Japan’s intention to develop "counterstrike” capabilities, including armed drones and cruise missiles, and outlined plans to increase Japan’s security-related expenditures to 2% of GDP (2025)

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA; established in 2003) (2025)

Tanegashima Space Center/Yoshinobu Launch Complex (Kagoshima), Uchinoura Space Center (Kagoshima), Noshiro Testing Center (Akita) (2025)

has one of the world’s largest and most advanced space programs, with independent capabilities in all areas except autonomous manned space flight; designs, builds, launches, and operates the full spectrum of satellites; designs, builds, and independently launches satellite/space launch vehicles (SLVs) and other spacecraft; has a wide range of research and development programs; has an astronaut training program; participates in international programs such as the International Space Station and the Square Kilometer Array radio telescope project; leads the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum and co-leads the Global Earth Observation System of Systems; cooperates with a variety of foreign space agencies and industries, including those of Canada, the ESA and its member states, India, Russia, the UAE, the US; has a commercial space industry that develops space-related capabilities and technologies, including satellites, satellite payloads and subcomponents, and SLVs; in recent years, the Japanese Government has supported space startup companies (2025)

1966-1970 - initiated satellite launch vehicle (SLV) program and launched first domestically produced satellite (OHSUMI)

1985 - launched two Halley’s Comet observation satellites (Japan’s first missions beyond Earth’s orbit)

1992 - first astronaut in space on US Space Shuttle

1998 - launched its first Mars orbiter (failed to enter orbit)

2003 - launched world’s first uncrewed spacecraft (Hayabusa 1) to return with a sample from an asteroid (2010)

2007 - launched Lunar orbiter (Kaguya) mission

2010 - launched Venus orbiter (Akatsuki) mission

2014 - launched asteroid probe with lander/rover (Hayabusa 2); first Japanese International Space Station commander

2018 - launched joint Japan-ESA probe to Mercury (BepiColombo); began operation of a navigational/positioning satellite constellation (Quasi-Zenith Satellite System, QZSS)

2019 - began participating in US-led lunar orbital station and Moon exploration programs 

2024 - soft-landed unmanned spacecraft (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon or SLIM) on the Moon; conducted first successful test launch of domestically produced H3 medium-lift SLV