Japan

Where the name comes from

Japan adapts Asian pronunciations of 日本, Japanese Nihon or Nippon, “origin of the sun”, reflecting the islands’ position east of China.

First people

Jōmon communities lived here for more than 10,000 years, then mixed with newcomers from the mainland in the Yayoi period, from the first millennium BCE.¹

Known for

Japan is known for Mount Fuji, its tallest peak, and for its Shinkansen bullet trains, running since 1964.²

Outside rule

No power colonized Japan, but US warships under Matthew Perry forced it to open its ports in 1853–54, ending two centuries of near-isolation.³

The modern country

In 1868 the Meiji Restoration overthrew the shogunate, replaced the lords’ domains with prefectures and spread schooling, military service and industry. After defeat in World War II, Japan was under US-led Allied occupation from 1945 to 1952.^4,5