Portal:Japan

Main   Geography   Projects Japan, officially Nippon-koku (日本国) is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of China, Korea and Russia. 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". Japan comprises over 3,000 islands, the largest of which are Honshū, Hokkaidō, Kyūshū and Shikoku. Most of the islands are mountainous, many volcanic; for example, Japan’s highest peak, Mount Fuji, is a volcano. 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. Influence from the outside world followed by long periods of isolation has characterized Japan's history. Since adopting its constitution in 1947, Japan has maintained a unitary constitutional monarchy with an emperor and an elected parliament, the Diet. A major economic power, Japan has the world's third largest economy by nominal GDP. It is a member of the United Nations, G8, G4, OECD and APEC, with the world's fifth largest defense budget. It is also the world's fourth largest exporter and sixth largest importer and a world leader in technology and machinery. Akagi was the second aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) to enter service, and the first large or "fleet" carrier. She was converted to an aircraft carrier while still under construction to comply with the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922, and figured prominently in the development of the IJN's revolutionary doctrine that grouped carriers together, concentrating their air power. The ship and her aircraft first saw combat during the Second Sino-Japanese War in the late 1930s. During the Pacific War, she took part in the Attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 and the invasion of Rabaul in the Southwest Pacific in January 1942 as flagship of the First Air Fleet. Over the next several months her aircraft bombed Darwin, Australia, assisted in the conquest of the Dutch East Indies, and helped sink a British heavy cruiser and an Australian destroyer in the Indian Ocean Raid. After bombarding American forces on Midway Atoll during the Battle of Midway in June, Akagi and the other carriers were attacked by aircraft from Midway and three American carriers. Akagi was severely damaged, and she was scuttled by Japanese destroyers to prevent her from falling into enemy hands. A Japanese weaver using a beater, mounted from a notched pole and suspended overhead. June 10: 'Events 1852 - 医師の吉田純道、帝王切開手術を行う。 1913 - 森永製菓が日本初のミルクキャラメルを発売する。20粒10銭。 1959 - 国立西洋美術館が開館する。東京の上野公園内に「国立西洋美術館」が開館した。戦後フランスから返還された松方コレクションを中心に、ロダンの彫刻や印象派の絵画などが収蔵、展示。 1962 - 北陸トンネルが開通する（全長１万３８６９メートル）。 1973 - 東京の上野～新橋間の５．５キロが初の歩行者天国となる。 1986 - 臨時行革審、最終答申を出す。 Births 1889 - Sessue Hayakawa (d. 1973), actor and producer 1957 - Hidetsugu Aneha, architect 1958 - Yu Suzuki, game designer and producer 1962 - Akie Abe, wife of Shinzō Abe, 57th Spouse of the Prime Minister of Japan 1977 - Takako Matsu, singer-songwriter and actress 1986 - Hajime Hosogai, footballer 1989 - Ryuya Wakaba, actor “ Manga, anime and cosplay are exports Japan can take pride in. These are things that draw good feelings about Japan from the people of the world. ” —Katsuhito Asano, vice foreign minister Archive Hasekura Tsunenaga was a Japanese samurai and retainer of Date Masamune, the daimyo of Sendai. In the years 1613 through 1620, Hasekura headed a diplomatic mission to the Vatican in Rome, traveling through New Spain and visiting various ports-of-call in Europe. This historic mission is called the Keichō Embassy. On the return trip, Hasekura and his companions re-traced their route across Mexico in 1619, sailing from Acapulco for Manilla, and then sailing north to Japan in 1620. This is conventionally considered the first Japanese ambassador in the Americas and in Europe. Although Hasekura's embassy was cordially received in Europe, it happened at a time when Japan was moving toward the suppression of Christianity. European monarchs such as the King of Spain thus refused the trade agreements Hasekura had been seeking. Hasekura returned to Japan in 1620 and died of illness a year later, his embassy seemingly ending with few results in an increasingly isolationist Japan. February 8: North Korea launches long-range missile December 20: Barça beat River Plate 3-0 to win third FIFA Club World Cup December 18: Suárez scores a hat-trick, Barcelona advances to FIFA Club World Cup 2015 Final September 11: Typhoon Etau causes more leakage at Fukushima April 24: Power outage at Fukushima poses radioactive risk March 4: Explorers find shipwreck thought to be massive WWII battleship Musashi January 22: Japanese Olympic judoka Hitoshi Saito dies aged 54 September 18: Chinese President signs multiple trade deals with India June 29: Canada wins 2014 Women's World Wheelchair Basketball Championship June 28: Germany and Canada into 2014 Women's World Wheelchair Basketball Championships final June 27: Germany, Netherlands, Canada and USA into Women's Wheelchair Basketball Championships semi-finals June 26: Belgian men's goalball team departs for Finland for World Championships June 25: Japanese wheelchair basketball player Mari Amimoto leads in scoring at world championships June 19: Japan bans possession of child pornography June 15: Annual Japanese whaling campaign kills 30 minke whales May 19: North Korean singer thought executed appears on state television March 28: Japan agrees to ship nuclear materials to U.S. February 8: Japan government panel urges reinterpretation of pacifist constitution December 7: Wikinews interviews academic Steve Redhead about Australian women's soccer October 9: Japanese adults rank high in literacy and numeracy in OECD survey Egawa Hidetatsu ... that Egawa Hidetatsu (pictured) designed and built in 1853–54 the artillery batteries of Odaiba at the entrance of Edo (modern Tokyo), to prevent an intrusion by the United States fleet of Commodore Perry? ... that Admiral Shigeyoshi Miwa commanded Imperial Japanese Navy submarine forces during the attack on Pearl Harbor? ... that AfterEllen.com praised the yaoi manga series The Moon and the Sandals for illustrating "the challenges gay men face in Japanese society"? ... that Japanese theoretical physicist Kazuhiko Nishijima is well-known for developing the concept of strangeness in particle physics? ... that Japanese settlement in Palau dates back to the 19th century? ▼ Japan ► Buildings and structures in Japan ► Communications in Japan ► Japanese culture ► Economy of Japan ► Geography of Japan ► Government of Japan ► History of Japan ► Military of Japan ► Politics of Japan ► Science and technology in Japan ► Japanese society ► Sport in Japan ► Tourist attractions in Japan ► Transport in Japan ► Images of Japan These are all of the Japan-related portals on Wikipedia: AKB48 Ancient Japan Anime and Manga Asian Games Dragon Ball Final Fantasy Japanese cars Karate The Legend of Zelda Nintendo Origami Osaka Pokémon Sega Shinto SNK Sonic the Hedgehog Sony PlayStation Studio Ghibli Tokyo Eras Paleolithic | Jōmon | Yayoi | Kofun | Asuka | Nara | Heian | Kamakura | Muromachi | Azuchi-Momoyama | Edo | Meiji | Taishō | Shōwa | Heisei History Economic history | Educational history | Military history | Naval history | Meiji Restoration | 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 | Elections | Political parties | Foreign relations Culture Clothing | Customs and etiquette | Education | Festivals | Food | Holidays | Language | Religion Art Architecture | Cinema | Literature | Music | Theatre (Noh · Kabuki · Bunraku) Economy Primary sector | Industry | Currency | Tokyo Stock Exchange | Communications | Transportation (Shinkansen · Tokyo Metro · Railway companies) Other Demographics | List of Japanese people Asia Ancient Japan Anime & manga Japanese cars Karate Origami Osaka Shinto Tokyo Topics Culture Geography Health History Mathematics Nature People Philosophy Religion Society Technology What are portals? 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