The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Japan:

Japan – island nation in East Asia, located in the Pacific Ocean. It lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south. The characters that make up Japan's name mean "sun-origin" (because it lies to the east of nearby countries), which is why Japan is sometimes referred to as the "Land of the Rising Sun". Japan is an archipelago of 6,852 islands. The four largest islands are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku, which together comprise about ninety-seven percent of Japan's land area.

General reference [edit]

• Pronunciation: /dʒəˈpæn/ ( listen)
  • Japanese: [nihoɴ] or [nipoɴ]
• Common endonyms: 日本 (Nippon, Nihon)
• Official endonym: 日本国 (Nippon-koku)
• Adjectival: Japanese
• Etymology: Name of Japan
• International rankings of Japan
• ISO country codes: JP, JPN, 392
• ISO region codes: ISO 3166-2:JP
• Internet country code top-level domain: .jp

Geography of Japan [edit]

• Japan is: an island country and archipelago of 6,852 islands.^[1]
• Location:
  • Pacific Ocean
  • Northern Hemisphere and Eastern Hemisphere
    • Asia
      • East Asia^[2]
  • Time zone: Japan Standard Time (UTC+09)
  • Extreme points of Japan
    • High: Mount Fuji 3,776 m (12,388 ft)
    • Low: Hachirōgata −4 m (−13 ft)
  • Land boundaries: none
  • Coastline: 29,751 km
• 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

Environment of Japan [edit]

• Climate of Japan
  • Climate change in Japan
• Environmental issues in Japan
• Ecoregions in Japan
• Energy in Japan
• Geology of Japan
• National parks of Japan
• Tsunami
• Wildlife of Japan
  • Flora of Japan
  • Fauna of Japan
    • Birds of Japan
    • Mammals of Japan

Geographic features of Japan [edit]

• 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
• List of World Heritage Sites in Japan

Regions of Japan [edit]

The four main islands of Japan are:

• Hokkaido
• Honshu
• Kyushu
• Shikoku

Major regions of Japan include:

• Hokkaido (the island of Hokkaido and nearby islands, largest city Sapporo)
• Tōhoku region (northern Honshu, largest city Sendai)
• Kantō region (eastern Honshu, largest cities Tokyo and Yokohama)
  • Nanpō Islands: part of Tokyo Metropolis
• Chūbu region (central Honshu, 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 Honshu, largest cities Osaka, Kobe, and Kyoto)
• Chūgoku region (western Honshu, largest city Hiroshima, and Okayama)
• Shikoku (island, largest city Matsuyama, and Takamatsu)
• Kyushu (island, largest city Fukuoka) which includes:
  • Ryukyu Islands, including Okinawa

Ecoregions of Japan [edit]

Administrative divisions of Japan [edit]

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

Prefectures of Japan [edit]

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

Hokkaido 1. Hokkaido Tōhoku 2. Aomori 3. Iwate 4. Miyagi 5. Akita 6. Yamagata 7. Fukushima Kantō 8. Ibaraki 9. Tochigi 10. Gunma 11. Saitama 12. Chiba 13. Tokyo 14. Kanagawa

Chūbu 15. Niigata 16. Toyama 17. Ishikawa 18. Fukui 19. Yamanashi 20. Nagano 21. Gifu 22. Shizuoka 23. Aichi Kansai 24. Mie 25. Shiga 26. Kyoto 27. Osaka 28. Hyōgo 29. Nara 30. Wakayama

Chūgoku 31. Tottori 32. Shimane 33. Okayama 34. Hiroshima 35. Yamaguchi Shikoku 36. Tokushima 37. Kagawa 38. Ehime 39. Kōchi Kyushu & Okinawa 40. Fukuoka 41. Saga 42. Nagasaki 43. Kumamoto 44. Ōita 45. Miyazaki 46. Kagoshima 47. Okinawa

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

Municipalities of Japan [edit]

• Cities of Japan
  • Capital of Japan: Tokyo
  • Cities designated by government ordinance
  • Cities, by population
• Towns of Japan
• Villages of Japan

Demography of Japan [edit]

• Aging of Japan

Government and politics of Japan [edit]

Main article: Government of Japan and Politics of Japan

• Form of government: parliamentary multi-party representative democratic constitutional monarchy
• Capital of Japan: Tokyo
• Elections in Japan
• 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 extremism in Japan
• Taxation in Japan
• Health care system in Japan
• Social welfare in Japan

Branches of the government of Japan [edit]

Executive branch of the government of Japan [edit]

• 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: Yoshihiko Noda, 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

Legislative branch of the government of Japan [edit]

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

Judicial branch of the government of Japan [edit]

• Judicial system of Japan
• Supreme Court of Japan

Foreign relations of Japan [edit]

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

International organization membership of Japan [edit]

Japan is a member of:^[3]

Law and order of Japan [edit]

• 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

Military of Japan [edit]

• 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

History of Japan [edit]

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

History of Japan by period [edit]

Culture of Japan [edit]

Architecture of Japan [edit]

• Buddhist temples in Japan
  • Hōryū-ji
  • Tōdai-ji
  • Enryaku-ji
  • Mount Kōya
• Castles in Japan
  • Himeji Castle
  • Matsumoto Castle
  • Osaka Castle
• Housing in Japan
• Shinto shrine
  • Izumo-taisha
  • Usa Shrine

Art of Japan [edit]

Cuisine of Japan [edit]

• Examples:
  • Bento
  • Daikon
  • Mochi
  • Ramen
  • Sake
  • Sashimi
  • Sushi
  • Tempura
  • Wasabi
• Japanese dishes
• Japanese snacks

Cultural icons of Japan [edit]

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

Fashion in Japan [edit]

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

Holidays and festivals of Japan [edit]

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

Homes in Japan [edit]

Language in Japan [edit]

People of Japan [edit]

Ethnicity in Japan [edit]

Stereotypes in Japan [edit]

Religion in Japan [edit]

Sports and gaming in Japan [edit]

• Sports
  • Aikido
  • Baseball in Japan
  • Association football in Japan
  • Kendo
  • Professional wrestling in Japan
  • Sumo
• Traditional Games
  • Go
  • Shogi
  • Mahjong
  • Hanafuda

Economy and infrastructure of Japan [edit]

• Economic rank, by nominal GDP (2007): 2nd (second)
• Agriculture, forestry, and fishing in Japan
• Automotive industry in Japan
• Bank of Japan
• Buildings and structures in Japan
  • Tallest buildings and structures in Japan
• Companies of Japan
• Communications in Japan
  • Internet in Japan
• Construction industry of Japan
• Consumer electronics industry of Japan
• Currency of Japan: Yen
  • ISO 4217: JPY
• Department stores in Japan
• Defense industry of Japan
• Economic history of Japan
• Economic relations of Japan
• Energy in Japan
  • Nuclear power in Japan
• Financial system of Japan
• Health care in Japan
• Labor market of Japan
• Manufacturing industries of Japan
• Monetary and fiscal policy of Japan
• Mining in Japan
• National parks of Japan
• Private enterprise in Japan
• Research and development in Japan
• Standard of living in Japan
• Trade policy of Japan
• Trade and services in Japan
• Tourism in Japan
• Transport 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

Education in Japan [edit]

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

Structure of education in Japan [edit]

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

Health in Japan [edit]

Science and technology of Japan [edit]

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

See also [edit]

Japanese language edition of Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

• Tourism in Japan
• List of international rankings
• List of Japan-related topics
• Member state of the Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors
• Member states of the United Nations
• Outline of Asia
• Outline of geography

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References [edit]

External links [edit]

Find more about Japan at Wikipedia's sister projects
	Definitions and translations from Wiktionary
	Media from Commons
	Learning resources from Wikiversity
	News stories from Wikinews
	Quotations from Wikiquote
	Source texts from Wikisource
	Textbooks from Wikibooks
	Travel information from Wikivoyage

Wikimedia Atlas of Japan

Official [edit]

• 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 [edit]

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

Tourism [edit]

• Japan National Tourist Organization
• Outline of Japan travel guide from Wikivoyage

Other [edit]

• 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

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