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pop (1995e) 124 641 000; area 377 728 sq km/145 803 sq mi. Island state comprising four large islands (Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku) and several small islands off the E coast of Asia; divided into nine regions; capital, Tokyo; chief cities include Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Kyoto; timezone GMT +9; population over 99% Japanese; official language, Japanese; chief religions, Shinto, Buddhism; unit of currency, the yen.

Physical description
Islands consist mainly of steep mountains with many volcanoes; Hokkaido (N) central range runs N--S, rising to over 2000 m/6500 ft, falling to coastal uplands and plains; Honshu, the largest island, comprises parallel arcs of mountains bounded by narrow coastal plains; includes Mt Fuji (3776 m/12 388 ft); heavily populated Kanto plain in E; Shikoku and Kyushu (SW) consist of clusters of low cones and rolling hills, mostly 1000--2000 m/3000--6000 ft; Ryukyu chain of volcanic islands to the S, largest Okinawa; frequent earthquakes, notably in Kanto (1923), Kobe (1995).

Climate
Oceanic climate, influenced by the Asian monsoon; heavy winter rainfall on W coasts of N Honshu and in Hokkaido; short, warm summers in N, and severe winters, with heavy snow; Akita (N Honshu), average daily temperature of -5--2°C (Jan), 19--28°C (Aug), rainfall minimum 104 mm/4 in (Feb--Mar), maximum 211 mm/8.3 in (Sep); variable winter weather throughout Japan, especially in N and W; typhoons in summer and early autumn; mild and almost subtropical winters, with light rainfall, in S Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu; summer heat often oppressive, especially in cities.

History and government
Developed into small states by 4th-c; Yamato region dominant, 6th--8th-c; culture strongly influenced by China, 7th--9th-c; capital at Kyoto, from 794; ruled by feudal shoguns for many centuries; Kamakura shogunate (1185--1333); Ashikaga shogunate (1338--1569); unification under Tokugawa shogunate (1603--1868); attempted invasion of Korea and plans to conquer China, 17th-c; little contact with the West until the Meiji Restoration, 1868; successful wars with China, 1894--5, and Russia, 1904--5; Korea annexed, 1910; occupied Manchuria, 1931--2, and invaded China proper, 1937; entered Pacific War with surprise attack on the US fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, 1941; occupied British and Dutch possessions in SE Asia, 1941--2; pushed back during 1943--5; atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 1945; strong economic growth since 1960s; a constitutional monarchy with an emperor in symbolic role, and a prime minister and cabinet; bicameral Diet (Kokkai), with a 511-member House of Representatives (Shugiin) elected every four years and a 252-member House of Councillors (Sangiin) elected every six years.

Economy
Limited natural resources, with less than 20% of the land under cultivation; intensive crop production (principally of rice); timber, fishing, metallurgy, engineering, electrical goods, electronics industries, vehicles, petrochemicals, shipbuilding, textiles, chemicals, financial services, information technology.