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. The Imperial Japanese Navy, also known as the Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes. It was the third largest navy in the world by 1920 behind the United States Navy and Royal Navy. It was supported by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service for aircraft and airstrike operation from the fleet. It was a major force in the Pacific War. The origins of the Imperial Japanese Navy trace back to early interactions with nations on the Asian continent, beginning in the early medieval period and reaching a peak of activity during the 16th and 17th centuries at a time of cultural exchange with European powers during the Age of Discovery. After two centuries of stagnation during the country's ensuing seclusion policy under the shoguns of the Edo period, Japan's navy was comparatively backward when the country was forced open to trade by American intervention in 1854. This eventually led to the Meiji Restoration. Accompanying the re-ascendance of the Emperor came a period of frantic modernization and industrialization. The navy's history of successes, sometimes against much more powerful foes as in the 1895 Sino-Japanese war and the 1905 Russo-Japanese War, ended in almost complete annihilation during the concluding days of World War II. The IJN was officially dissolved in 1947. 1873 5 Yen gold coin proof Both the obverse and reverse of a gold, Meiji era 5 yen coin. This particular proof coin was minted in 1873. February 2: Events 1873 - Sakura Juntendō establishes a hospital in Yushima. 1874 - A railway is constructed between Shinbashi and Kyōbashi. 1892 - The first beauty contest is held at the Ryōunkaku in Asakusa. 1920 - Buses in Tokyo begin using female bus guides. 1935 - At a meeting of women teachers in Osaka, it is suggested that women begin wearing western clothes, because of the increasing number of women entering the work force. 1942 - The Japan Women's Club is founded. 1972 - Yokoi Shōichi, a World War II soldier found living in the caves of Guam, returns to Japan. 1976 - NET, the precursor of TV Asahi, begins broadcasting. 1998 - Zip codes are expanded to 7 digits. Births 1892 - Tochigiyama Moriya (d. 1959), sumo wrestler, the 27th Yokozuna 1949 - Yasuko Namba (d. 1996), mountaineer 1950 - Osamu Kido, wrestler 1950 - Genichiro Tenryu, wrestler 1965 - Naoki Sano, wrestler and mixed martial artist 1984 - Mao Miyaji, actress 1985 - Renn Kiriyama, actor 1986 - Miwa Asao, volleyball player 1991 - Shohei Nanba, actor Deaths 2007 - Masao Takemoto (b. 1919), gymnast “ To consider oneself different from ordinary men is wrong, but it is right to hope that one will not remain like ordinary men. ” —Yoshida Shoin, scholar, military and political philosopher and teacher Archive Tōru Takemitsu was a Japanese composer and writer on aesthetics and music theory. Though largely self-taught, Takemitsu is recognised for his skill in the subtle manipulation of instrumental and orchestral timbre, drawing from a wide range of influences, including jazz, popular music, avant-garde procedures and traditional Japanese music, in a harmonic idiom largely derived from the music of Claude Debussy and Olivier Messiaen. In 1958, the international attention he drew with his Requiem for strings (1957) resulted in several commissions from across the world, and settled his reputation as the leading Japanese composer of the 20th century. He was the recipient of numerous awards, commissions and honours; he composed over one hundred film scores for ensembles of various sizes and combinations. He also found time to write a detective novel, and appeared frequently on Japanese television as a celebrity chef. In the foreword to a selection of Takemitsu's writings in English, conductor Seiji Ozawa commented: "I am very proud of my friend Tōru Takemitsu. He is the first Japanese composer to write for a world audience and achieve international recognition." 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 ... that a kichō (pictured) is a portable multi-paneled silk partition used in aristocratic households during and following the Heian period in Japan? ...the Imperial Japanese Army 14th Division made Chinese dumplings a specialty of Utsunomiya upon returning from Manchuria? ... that when the Japanese visual novel Suika was released for the PlayStation, it was retitled as Water Summer? ... that Yukiko Iwai, at 4' 11'' (150 cm), was the shortest member of the 1980s all-girl Japanese pop group Onyanko Club? ... that one of the first recorded Japanese-Siamese contacts occurred in 1593? ▼ 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? List of portals Featured portals