Japan
The Country of the Week
Quick Facts
- Capital
- Tokyo
- Population
- 123,201,945 (2024 est.)
- Area
- 377,915 sq km
- Government
- parliamentary constitutional monarchy
- Religions
- Shintoism 48.6%, Buddhism 46.4%, Christianity 1.1%, other 4% (2021 est.)
- Ethnic Groups
- 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.)
- Currency
- yen (JPY)
- Life Expectancy
- 85.2 years (2024 est.)
- Internet Domain
- .jp
- Climate
- varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north
- Terrain
- mostly rugged and mountainous
- Natural Resources
- negligible mineral resources, fish
- Major Exports
- cars, integrated circuits, machinery, vehicle parts/accessories, construction vehicles (2023)
Source: CIA World Factbook (public domain)
Overview
In 1603, after decades of civil warfare, the Tokugawa shogunate (a military-led, dynastic government) ushered in a long period of relative political stability and isolation from foreign influence.