Area Total | 377,915 sq km |
Climate | varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north |
Natural Resources | negligible mineral resources, fish, note, with virtually no natural energy resources, Japan is the world’s largest importer of coal and liquefied natural gas, as well as the second largest importer of oil |
Imports | China 24.5%, US 11%, Australia 5.8%, South Korea 4.2%, Saudi Arabia 4.1% (2017) – petroleum, liquid natural gas, clothing, semiconductors, coal, audio and visual apparatus (2014 est.) |
Government | parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
Capital | Tokyo |
Population | 126.2 million (July 2018 est.) |
Ethnicity | Japanese 98.1%, Chinese 0.5%, Korean 0.4%, other 1% (includes Filipino, Vietnamese, and Brazilian) (2016 est.) |
Language | Japanese |
Exports | US 19.4%, China 19%, South Korea 7.6%, Hong Kong 5.1%, Thailand 4.2% (2017) – motor vehicles, iron and steel products, semiconductors, auto parts, power generating machinery, plastic materials (2014 est.) |
News about Japan
- Veteran Tsuyoshi Wada leads Hawks past Eagles to brink of playoffson October 4, 2023
Veteran starter Tsuyoshi Wada threw 5⅓ shutout innings as the second-place Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks took a big step toward the Pacific League playoffs with a 7-3 win over the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles on Tuesday.
- DamaDamTal turns abstract dreams into visual arton October 4, 2023
A giant pink squid floats above a stage. Nearby, a video montage of vague shapes and colors contrasts with haunting portraits that frame a live performance of interpretive dance, droning, singing and spoken word — sometimes in Japanese, sometimes in an indecipherable language. A cluster of performers weave in and out of the audience, their movements […]
- Yen rebounds from 150 to dollar amid talk of Japan interventionon October 4, 2023
After the yen sank to ¥150 against the dollar late Tuesday night, it quickly strengthened to ¥147.30 against the dollar, with its swift recovery sparking chatter that a quiet intervention had occurred.
- U.S. House speaker ouster means more chaos as shutdown fight loomson October 4, 2023
Kevin McCarthy’s ouster as U.S. House speaker has plunged Congress into an internal power struggle as it faces key deadlines on avoiding a government shutdown and approving aid for Ukraine — all as the country hurtles toward a presidential election.
- Danny Care: England taking inspiration from Europe’s Ryder Cup win at World Cupby Duncan Bech on October 3, 2023
Europe emerged 16½-11½ winners against the United States on Sunday.
- Schumer to lead a bipartisan delegation of senators to China, South Korea and Japan next weekby Mary Clare Jalonick on October 3, 2023
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is leading a bipartisan congressional delegation to China next week, traveling to the country amid heightened tensions and after several members of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet visited
- Mali in meltdown as militants advance and U.N. withdrawson October 3, 2023
Islamist militants in Mali began a blockade of Timbuktu by cutting road access in August and then shut off river and air routes in an offensive that has put the city once again on the frontline of a jihadist insurgency.
- Japan may bolster maritime surveillance amid concerns over Chinaon October 3, 2023
Japan is considering bolstering its maritime surveillance capabilities in the face of China's growing assertiveness in the region by sharing data owned by the public and private sectors, a government source said Tuesday.
- Japan prepares national project to deal with dementiaon October 3, 2023
Japan is planning what it has described as a new national project to deal with dementia, centered on strengthening efforts aimed at the prevention of, and coexistence with, the syndrome.
- China welcomes Taiwanese athletes at the Asian Games but they still can't compete under their flagby David Rising on October 3, 2023
China has gone out of its way to welcome the Taiwanese athletes at the Asian Games
- Japanese city bans walking on escalatorsby Namita Singh on October 3, 2023
‘When using escalators, stop and use both the right and left sides’
- Japanese city bans walking on escalatorsby Namita Singh on October 3, 2023
‘When using escalators, stop and use both the right and left sides’
- Indian police launch raids on journalists and activistson October 3, 2023
Indian police raided the homes of at least eight journalists and activists on Tuesday, local media reported, deepening concerns over a crackdown in a country where media freedom has nosedived.
- Trio wins 2023 Nobel in physics for electron experimentson October 3, 2023
The Nobel Prize in physics was awarded to Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L’Huillier on Tuesday for work that has “given humanity new tools for exploring the world of electrons inside atoms and molecules,” the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said.
- Squash desperate to end 'very weird' Olympic exile in 2028on October 3, 2023
Squash has never been in the Olympics despite decades of trying, but players and officials hope that the 150-year-old sport will finally get its big chance in 2028.
- EU seeks to protect sensitive tech from Chinese buyerson October 3, 2023
The EU will signal Tuesday how Brussels will muscle up to counter China's aggressive trade policies, including by unveiling a list of sensitive technologies that must be kept out of Beijing's hands.
- 'Left to die': Report exposes horrors at Syria army hospitalon October 3, 2023
Syrian authorities abused and left detainees to die at a Damascus military hospital, using the facility to cover up the torture of prisoners, a rights group and former detainees said.
- Russia deploys 'punishment battalions' in echo of Stalinon October 3, 2023
Drunk recruits. Insubordinate soldiers. Convicts.
- 80 women arrested in Tokyo's Kabukicho over alleged prostitutionon October 3, 2023
Eighty women were arrested between January and September on suspicion of prostitution for allegedly soliciting customers on the streets of Tokyo's Kabukicho nightlife district, police said Tuesday.
- WHO recommends malaria vaccine that will be rolled out next yearon October 3, 2023
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended on Monday the use of a second malaria vaccine to curb the life-threatening disease spread to humans by some mosquitoes.