List of basic Japan topics

Location of Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia that includes over 3,000 islands,^[1] the largest of which are Honshū, Hokkaidō, Kyūshū and Shikoku, together accounting for 97% of its land area. Japan lies in the Pacific Ocean 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. Japan is a unitary constitutional monarchy with an emperor and an elected parliament (the Diet).

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. A world leader in technology and machinery, Japan has the world's second largest economy by nominal GDP, is the world's fourth largest exporter and is the sixth largest importer.

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".

The following topic outline is provided as an overview of and introduction to Japan:

Japan portal

Flag of Japan		Imperial Seal of Japan

Tokyo, Japan

Map of Japan, showing surrounding seas and neighbors.

• Pronunciation:
• International rankings of Japan

[edit] Geography of Japan

Satellite photo of Japan.

Main articles: Geography of Japan

• Japan is: an island country of over 3,000 islands
• Location:
  • Pacific Ocean
  • Northern Hemisphere and Eastern Hemisphere
    • Asia
      • East Asia
  • Extreme points of Japan
• Population of Japan: 127,433,494 people - 10th most populous country
• Area of Japan: 377,873 km² (145,898 sq mi) - 62nd largest country
• Atlas of Japan
• Addressing system in Japan
• Historic provinces of Japan
• Japan Standard Time

[edit] Environment of Japan

Tsunami wall at Tsu, Japan

Main article: Environment of Japan

• Climate of Japan
• Ecology of Japan
  • Ecoregions in Japan
  • Environmental issues in Japan
  • Renewable energy in Japan
• Geology of Japan
• National parks of Japan
• Protected areas of Japan
• Tsunami
• Wildlife of Japan
  • Flora of Japan
  • Fauna of Japan
    • Birds of Japan
    • Mammals of Japan

[edit] Geographic features of Japan

World Heritage Sites in Japan

Main article: Landforms of Japan

• Fjords of Japan
• Glaciers of Japan
• Islands of Japan
• Lakes of Japan
• Mountains of Japan
  • Volcanoes in Japan
• Rivers of Japan
  • Waterfalls of Japan
• Three Views of Japan
• Valleys of Japan
• World Heritage Sites in Japan

[edit] Regions of Japan

Islands of Japan

Main articles: Islands of Japan and Regions of Japan

The four main islands of Japan are:

• Hokkaidō
• Honshū
• Kyūshū
• Shikoku

Major regions of Japan include:

• Hokkaidō (the island of Hokkaidō and nearby islands, largest city Sapporo)
• Tōhoku region (northern Honshū, largest city Sendai)
• Kantō region (eastern Honshū, largest cities Tokyo and Yokohama)
• Chūbu region (central Honshū, including Mt. Fuji), sometimes divided into:
  • Hokuriku region (northwestern Chūbu)
  • Kōshin'etsu region (northeastern Chūbu, largest city Nagano)
  • Tōkai region (southern Chūbu, largest city Nagoya, Hamamatsu, and Shizuoka)
• Kansai or Kinki region (west-central Honshū, largest cities Osaka, Kobe, and Kyoto)
• Chūgoku region (western Honshū, largest city Hiroshima, and Okayama)
• Shikoku (island, largest city Matsuyama, and Takamatsu)
• Kyūshū (island, largest city Fukuoka) which includes:
  • Ryukyu Islands, including Okinawa

[edit] Ecoregions of Japan

Main article: Ecoregions of Japan

[edit] Administrative divisions of Japan

Main article: Prefectures of Japan

• Administrative division types
  • Regions of Japan (unofficial)
    • Prefectures of Japan
      • Subprefectures of Japan
        • Districts of Japan
          • Municipalities of Japan
            • Wards of Japan

[edit] Prefectures of Japan

Map of the prefectures of Japan in ISO 3166-2:JP order and the regions of Japan.

From north to south (numbering in ISO 3166-2:JP order), the prefectures of Japan and their commonly associated regions are:

Karafuto, a portion of the island of Sakhalin north of Hokkaidō (not shown on the map), was part of Japan from 1907 until World War II. The entire island is now governed by Russia, but some Japanese people claim Karafuto is still part of Japan.

[edit] Municipalities of Japan

Cities of Japan

Main article: Municipalities of Japan

• Cities of Japan
  • Capitals of Japan
  • Cities designated by government ordinance
  • Cities, by population
• Towns of Japan
• Villages of Japan

[edit] Demography of Japan

Main article: Demographics of Japan

• Aging of Japan

[edit] Government and politics of Japan

Akihito, 125th Emperor of Japan

Yasuo Fukuda, Prime Minister of Japan

Main article: Government of Japan and Politics of Japan

• Form of government: parliamentary multi-party representative democratic constitutional monarchy
• Capital of Japan
• Elections in Japan
  • (specific elections)
• Imperial House of Japan (Imperial family)
  • Imperial Guard of Japan
  • Imperial Household Law
  • Imperial Household Agency
• Civil service of Japan
• Japanese public corporations
• Independent administrative institutions of Japan
• Political parties in Japan

• Government-business relations in Japan
• Human rights in Japan
• Mass media and politics in Japan
• Monetary and fiscal policy of Japan
• Political funding in Japan
• Political scandals of Japan
• Political extremism in Japan
• Taxation in Japan
• Health care in Japan
• Social welfare in Japan

[edit] Branches of the government of Japan

Main article: Government of Japan

[edit] Executive branch of the government of Japan

Present Kantei, office and residence of the Prime Minister.

• Symbol of state: Akihito, Emperor of Japan
  • Emperor has no executive authority, but is treated as a head of state under diplomatic protocol
  • Controversies regarding the role of the Emperor of Japan
  • Emperors of the past
• Head of state: de facto head of state of Japan is the head of government, the Prime Minister (see below)
• Head of government: Yasuo Fukuda, Prime Minister of Japan
  • Kantei (Office and residence of the Prime Minister)
  • Prime Ministers of the past
• Cabinet of Japan
• Ministries of Japan
  • National Public Safety Commission
  • Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications
  • Ministry of Justice
  • Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  • Ministry of Finance (Japan)
  • Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
  • Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
  • Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
  • Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
  • Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
  • Ministry of the Environment
  • Ministry of Defence

[edit] Legislative branch of the government of Japan

National Diet Building

• Diet of Japan (bicameral legislature of Japan)
  • House of Councillors
  • House of Representatives of Japan
• National Diet Building

[edit] Judicial branch of the government of Japan

• Judicial system of Japan
• Supreme Court of Japan

[edit] Foreign relations of Japan

Dish of whale meat.

Main article: Foreign relations of Japan

• Diplomatic missions of Japan
• Foreign aid institutions of Japan
• Foreign policy of Japan
• Japan's non-nuclear policy
• Japan-United States relations
• Whaling in Japan

[edit] International organization membership

Japan is a member of:

• United Nations
• G8
• G4
• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
• Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)

[edit] Law and order in Japan

Motorcycle policeman questioning driver

Main article: Law of Japan

• Attorneys in Japan
• Capital punishment in Japan
• Civil Code of Japan
• Constitution of Japan
• Criminal justice system of Japan
• Crime in Japan
• Juries in Japan
  • Organized crime in Japan
• Human rights in Japan
  • Freedom of the press in Japan
  • Freedom of religion in Japan
  • LGBT rights in Japan
• Law enforcement in Japan
• Penal system of Japan
• Public order and internal security in Japan

[edit] Military of Japan

Main article: Military of Japan

• Japan's non-nuclear policy
• Japan Self-Defense Forces
  • Army of Japan: Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
  • Navy of Japan: Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
  • Air force Japan: Japan Air Self-Defense Force
• Military history of Japan
• National security of Japan

[edit] History of Japan

Japanese samurai in armour

Main articles: History of Japan, Timeline of Japanese history, and Current events of Japan

• History of Japan by year
• History of Tokyo
• Japanese nationalism
• Military history of Japan
  • Samurai
  • Shogun
  • Ninja
  • Japanese militarism
  • Pacific Ocean theater of World War II
    • Attack on Pearl Harbor
    • Kamikaze
    • Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
    • Surrender of Japan
    • Aftermath of World War II: Occupation of Japan
  • Naval history

[edit] By period

[edit] Culture of Japan

Main article: Culture of Japan

[edit] Architecture of Japan

The Minato Mirai 21 district of Yokohama, featuring the Landmark Tower and surrounding buildings.

Main article: Architecture of Japan

• Buddhist temples in Japan
  • Daitoku-ji
  • Tōdai-ji
  • Yakushi-ji
• Castles in Japan
  • Heian Palace
  • Himeji Castle
  • Nijō Castle
  • Osaka Castle
• Housing in Japan
• Shinto shrine

[edit] The Arts in Japan

[edit] Cuisine of Japan

Sushi for sale

Main article: Cuisine of Japan

• Examples:
  • Bentō
  • Daikon
  • Mochi
  • Rāmen
  • Saké
  • Sashimi
  • Sushi
  • Tempura
  • Wasabi
• Japanese dishes
• Japanese snacks

[edit] Cultural icons of Japan

Geisha

See also: Cultural icon

• Bonsai
• Japanese dragon
• Japanese gardens
• Geisha
• Karate
  • Black belt
• Kimono
• Rising Sun Flag
• Sakura
• Sumo
• Sushi

[edit] Fashion in Japan

Two women wearing yukatas.

• Clothing of Japan
  • Geta
  • Hakama
  • Kimono
    • Furisode
    • Yukata
  • Okobo
  • School uniforms in Japan
  • Tabi
  • Waraji
  • Zōri
• Japanese street fashion

[edit] Holidays and festivals

Main articles: Holidays of Japan and Japanese festivals

• Golden Week
  • Shōwa Day
  • Constitution Memorial Day
  • Greenery Day
  • Kodomo no Hi
• Hanami
• Hina Matsuri
• Momijigari
• O-Bon
• Setsubun
• Tanabata

[edit] Homes in Japan

Main article: Homes in Japan

[edit] Language in Japan

Main article: Languages of Japan

[edit] People of Japan

Main articles: Japanese people and List of Japanese people

[edit] Religion in Japan

Main article: Religion in Japan

[edit] Sports and games in Japan

Main article: Sports in Japan

• Sports
  • Aikido
  • Baseball in Japan
  • Football in Japan
  • Kendo
  • Professional wrestling in Japan
  • Sumo
• Traditional Games
  • Go
  • Shogi
  • Mah-jong
  • Hanafuda

[edit] Economy of Japan

Main article: Economy of Japan

[edit] Education in Japan

Japanese junior high school students in sailor outfit-style school uniforms

Main article: Education in Japan and History of education in Japan

• History of education in Japan
• Japanese history textbook controversies
• Juku (Cram School)
• Language minority students in Japanese classrooms
• Romanization of Japanese
• School uniforms in Japan
• Yutori education

[edit] Structure of education in Japan

• Elementary schools in Japan
• Secondary education in Japan
• Higher education in Japan

[edit] Infrastructure of Japan

High speed rail

• Buildings and structures in Japan
  • Tallest buildings and structures in Japan
• Communications in Japan
  • Internet in Japan
• Energy in Japan
  • Nuclear power in Japan
• Health care in Japan
• National parks of Japan
• Transportation in Japan
  • Airports in Japan
  • Expressways of Japan
  • National highways of Japan
  • Shinkansen
  • Tokyo Metro
  • Rail transport in Japan
• Water supply and sanitation in Japan

[edit] Science and technology in Japan

JAXA Kibo, the largest module for the International Space Station

Main article: Science and technology in Japan

• Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
• Research and development in Japan
• Japanese robotics

[edit] See also

• Japanese Wikipedia
• List of basic geography topics
• List of Japan-related articles
• List of Japan-related topics
• List of international rankings

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Find more about Japan on Wikipedia's sister projects:
	Dictionary definitions
	Textbooks
	Quotations
	Source texts
	Images and media
	News stories
	Learning resources

• Wikimedia Atlas of Japan

Official

• Kantei.go.jp—Official prime ministerial and cabinet site
• Kunaicho.go.jp—Official site of the Imperial family.
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs—Detailed papers on Japan's foreign policy, education programs, culture and life.
• Shugi-in.go.jp—Official site of the House of Representatives
• National Diet Library (English)

Media

• NHK Online
• Kyodo News
• Yomiuri Shimbun (English)
• Asahi Shimbun (English)
• The Japan Times

Tourism

• Japan National Tourist Organization
• Topic outline of Japan travel guide from Wikitravel

Other

• CIA World Factbook—Japan
• Encyclopaedia Britannica's Japan portal site
• Guardian Unlimited—Special Report: Japan
• Wikimedia Atlas of Japan
• Works by Government of Japan at Project Gutenberg containing the 1889 and 1946 Constitutions