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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.

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Gifu is a city located in the south-central portion of Gifu Prefecture, Japan, and serves as the prefectural capital. The city has played an important role in Japan's history because of its location in the middle of the country. During the Sengoku period, various warlords, including Oda Nobunaga, used the area as a base in an attempt to unify and control Japan. Gifu continued to flourish even after Japan's unification as both an important shukuba along the Edo period Nakasendō and, later, as one of Japan's fashion centers. Before becoming a modern city, it was part of the former Atsumi District, but it has since been designated a core city by the national government. Located on the alluvial plain of the Nagara River, Gifu has taken advantage of the surrounding natural resources to create both traditional industries (including Mino washi and agriculture) and tourism opportunities like cormorant fishing. Mount Kinka, one of the city's major symbols, is home to a nationally designated forest and Gifu Castle, a replica of Nobunaga's former castle. Gifu also hosts many festivals and events throughout the year. Two major rail lines connect Gifu to Japan's national and international transportation infrastructure. JR Central's Tōkaidō Main Line runs through the city, connecting it with Nagoya, one of Japan's largest cities, and the surrounding area. The city has a direct train route to Chūbu Centrair International Airport and facilities capable of hosting international events. Gifu has active relationships with six sister cities.

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Credit: Ogata Gekkō

This copy of Ryu sho ten, (Dragon rising to the heavens) is an original ukiyo-e print by artist Ogata Gekkō.

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On this day...

May 15:

Deaths

1036 - Emperor Go-Ichijō (b. 1008), 68th emperor of Japan

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“

You must concentrate upon and consecrate yourself wholly to each day, as though a fire were raging in your hair.

”

—Taisen Deshimaru, Soto Zen Buddhist teacher

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Hasekura Tsunenaga was a Japanese samurai and retainer of Date Masamune, the daimyo of Sendai. In the years 1613 through 1620, Hasekura headed a diplomatic mission to the Vatican in Rome, traveling through New Spain and visiting various ports-of-call in Europe. This historic mission is called the Keichō Embassy. On the return trip, Hasekura and his companions re-traced their route across Mexico in 1619, sailing from Acapulco for Manilla, and then sailing north to Japan in 1620. This is conventionally considered the first Japanese ambassador in the Americas and in Europe. Although Hasekura's embassy was cordially received in Europe, it happened at a time when Japan was moving toward the suppression of Christianity. European monarchs such as the King of Spain thus refused the trade agreements Hasekura had been seeking. Hasekura returned to Japan in 1620 and died of illness a year later, his embassy seemingly ending with few results in an increasingly isolationist Japan.

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In the news

April 4: North Korea's rising tensions: Wikinews interviews Scott Snyder and Dr Robert Kelly
March 26: Kiribati acquires international funding for solar power
March 25: Wikinews interviews co-discoverers of Ziegler's crocodile newt
March 19: IOC visits Madrid as part of 2020 Olympic bid process
March 10: Dust storm covers Tokyo: in pictures
March 5: Record snowfall in Japan: in pictures

Wikinews Japan

Did you know...

... that Egawa Hidetatsu (pictured) designed and built in 1853–54 the artillery batteries of Odaiba at the entrance of Edo (modern Tokyo), to prevent an intrusion by the United States fleet of Commodore Perry?
... that Japanese admiral Mitsumi Shimizu authorized the midget submarine operation during the attack on Pearl Harbor?
... that when the Japanese visual novel Suika was released for the PlayStation, it was retitled as Water Summer?
... that after his death, the amateur manga collection of the manga critic Yoshihiro Yonezawa was made into a library by his alma mater, Meiji University?
...that in the 1896 Yamagata-Lobanov Agreement negotiations, Japanese Prime Minister Yamagata Aritomo proposed dividing Korea at the 38th parallel, should Japanese and Russian troops occupy the peninsula?

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Japan topics

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 \| Diet of Japan (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