Japan

日本
Flag
Capital and largest city	Tokyo
Official languages	Japanese
Dominant mode of production	Capitalism
Government	Unitary parliamentary monarchy
• Emperor	Naruhito
• Prime Minister	Yoshihide Suga
Area
• Total	377,975 km²
Population
• 2021 estimate	125,360,000
Currency	Japanese yen

Japan (日本) is an island country in East Asia. Japan spans an archipelago of 6852 islands; the four main islands are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu.

The first written mention of the archipelago appears in the Chinese chronicle, the Book of Han, finished in the 2nd century AD. The country was unified in 1603 under the Tokugawa shogunate. In 1931, Japan invaded China, and later in 1937 Japan reignited hostilities, starting World War II. Japan surrendered in 1945 and came under a seven-year occupation.

Japan is a member of the United Nations, the OECD, and the Group of Seven.

Japan is an ally of the United States, and is also a capitalist country. Japan is a highly economically developed country, but suffers from the wealth inequality inherent in capitalism. Japan also has a problem with ultranationalist groups, one being Nippon Kaigi, of which the previous Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, is a member.

Japan has not invaded another country since World War II, as their constitution forbids them from doing so. However, their military bases are of vital importance for the US to maintain their hegemony in east Asia.

History

World War II

The 14-year Chinese war of resistance against Japanese aggression began on 18 September 1931 with the Japanese invasion of Manchuria.