Japan Travel Podcast with Yuki Tanaka

Location

Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula

Terrain

Mostly rugged and mountainous

Climate

Varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north

Elevation

Highest point

Mount Fuji 3,776 m

Lowest point

Hachiro-gata -4 m

Mean elevation

438 m

Area

Total

377,915 sq km

Land

364,485 sq km

Water

13,430 sq km

Size comparison

Slightly smaller than California

Coastline

29,751 km

Land borders

Total 0 km

Natural resources

Negligible mineral resources, fish

Land use

Agricultural land

12.6% (2023 est.)

Arable land

11.1% (2023 est.)

Permanent crops

0.7% (2023 est.)

Permanent pasture

0.9% (2023 est.)

Forest

68.3% (2023 est.)

Other

19% (2023 est.)

Natural hazards

Many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500 seismic occurrences (mostly tremors but occasional severe earthquakes) every year; tsunamis; typhoons

Volcanism: both Unzen (1,500 m) and Sakura-jima (1,117 m), which lies near the densely populated city of Kagoshima, have been deemed Decade Volcanoes by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to their explosive history and close proximity to human populations; other notable historically active volcanoes include Asama (Honshu Island's most active volcano), Aso, Bandai, Fuji, Iwo-Jima, Kikai, Kirishima, Komaga-take, Oshima, Suwanosejima, Tokachi, Yake-dake, and Usu; see note 2 under "Geography - note"

Note

Note 1: strategic location in northeast Asia; composed of four main islands (the "Home Islands") -- Hokkaido, Honshu (the largest, most populous, and site of Tokyo, the capital), Shikoku, and Kyushu

Note 2: a 2023 Geospatial Information Authority of Japan survey detected 100,000 islands and islets, but only the 14,125 islands with a circumference of at least 100 m (330 ft) were officially counted; about 260 of the islands are inhabited

Note 3: Japan annually records the most earthquakes in the world; it is one of the countries along the Ring of Fire, which is a belt bordering the Pacific Ocean that contains about 75% of the world's volcanoes and up to 90% of the world's earthquakes

Population

Total

123,201,945 (2024 est.)

Male

59,875,269

Female

63,326,676

Nationality

Noun

Japanese (singular and plural)

Adjective

Japanese

Ethnic groups

Japanese 97.5%, Chinese 0.6%, Vietnam 0.4%, South Korean 0.3%, other 1.2% (includes Filipino, Brazilian, Nepalese, Indonesian, American, and Taiwanese) (2022 est.)

Languages

Languages

Japanese

Major-language sample(s)

必要不可欠な基本情報の源、ワールド・ファクトブック(Japanese)

Religions

Shintoism 48.6%, Buddhism 46.4%, Christianity 1.1%, other 4% (2021 est.)

Median age

Total

50.2 years (2025 est.)

Male

48.3 years

Female

51.3 years

Life expectancy

Total population

85.2 years (2024 est.)

Male

82.3 years

Female

88.2 years

Urbanisation

Urban population

92% of total population (2023)

Rate of urbanization

-0.25% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Where people live

All primary and secondary regions of high population density lie on the coast; one third of the population resides in and around Tokyo on the central plain (Kanto Plain)

Largest cities

37.194 million TOKYO (capital), 19.013 million Osaka, 9.569 million Nagoya, 5.490 million Kitakyushu-Fukuoka, 2.937 million Shizuoka-Hamamatsu, 2.666 million Sapporo (2023)

Background

In 1603, after decades of civil warfare, the Tokugawa shogunate (a military-led, dynastic government) ushered in a long period of relative political stability and isolation from foreign influence. For more than two centuries, this policy enabled Japan to enjoy a flowering of its indigenous culture. Japan opened its ports after signing the Treaty of Kanagawa with the US in 1854 and began to intensively modernize and industrialize. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Japan became a regional power that was able to defeat the forces of both China and Russia. It occupied Korea, Formosa (Taiwan), and southern Sakhalin Island. In 1931-32, Japan occupied Manchuria, and in 1937, it launched a full-scale invasion of China. Japan attacked US forces at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in 1941, triggering America's entry into World War II, and Japan soon occupied much of East and Southeast Asia. After its defeat in World War II, the country recovered to become an economic power and a US ally.

While the emperor retains his throne as a symbol of national unity, elected politicians hold the decision-making power. After three decades of unprecedented growth, Japan's economy experienced a major slowdown starting in the 1990s, but the country remains an economic power. In 2011, Japan's strongest-ever earthquake and an accompanying tsunami devastated the northeast part of Honshu, killed thousands, and damaged several nuclear power plants. ABE Shinzo was reelected as prime minister in 2012, and he embarked on ambitious economic and security reforms to improve Japan's economy and bolster the country's international standing. In 2019, ABE became Japan's longest-serving post-war prime minister; he resigned in 2020 and was succeeded by SUGA Yoshihide. KISHIDA Fumio became prime minister in 2021.

Government

Parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Capital

Tokyo

Time zone

UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Local name

Nihon-koku/Nippon-koku

Independence

3 May 1947 (current constitution adopted as amendment to Meiji Constitution); notable earlier dates: 11 February 660 B.C. (mythological date of Emperor JIMMU founding the nation); 29 November 1890 (Meiji Constitution provides for constitutional monarchy)

National day

Birthday of Emperor NARUHITO, 23 February (1960)

Overview

Second-largest East Asian economy; trade-oriented and highly diversified; high public debt levels; following years of near-zero interest rates, gradual increases to address inflation and depreciation of yen; strong rebound in tourism; aging population poses challenges to labor force participation

GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2024

$46,100 (2024 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$45,900 (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$45,000 (2022 est.)

Inflation

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024

2.7% (2024 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

3.3% (2023 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

2.5% (2022 est.)

Unemployment

Unemployment rate 2024

2.6% (2024 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

2.6% (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate 2022

2.6% (2022 est.)

Exchange rate

Currency

Yen (JPY) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2024

151.366 (2024 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

140.491 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

131.498 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

109.754 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

106.775 (2020 est.)

Main industries

Motor vehicles, electronic equipment, machine tools, steel and nonferrous metals, ships, chemicals, textiles, processed foods

Agriculture

Rice, milk, sugar beets, vegetables, eggs, chicken, potatoes, onions, cabbages, pork (2023)

Airports

280 (2025)

Railways

Total

27,311 km (2015)

Standard gauge

4,800 km (2015) 1.435-m gauge (4,800 km electrified)

Narrow gauge

124 km (2015) 1.372-m gauge (124 km electrified)

Dual gauge

132 km (2015) 1.435-1.067-m gauge (132 km electrified)

Ports

Total ports

163 (2024)

Large

11

Medium

26

Small

54

Very small

71

Size unknown

1

Ports with oil terminals

99

Key ports

Kawasaki Ko, Kobe, Mikawa, Nagasaki, Nagoya Ko, Onomichi-Itozaki, Osaka, Tokyo Ko, Wakamatsu Ko, Wakayama-Shimotsu Ko, Yokohama Ko

Internet domain

.jp

Internet users

Percent of population 87% (2023 est.)

Mobile subscriptions

Total subscriptions

219 million (2023 est.)

Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

168 (2022 est.)

Environmental issues

Air pollution from power plants results in acid rain; acidification of lakes and reservoirs degrading water quality; waste management issues; ongoing environmental clean-up in small area of Fukushima after nuclear accident in 2011

Fresh water

430 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

UNESCO Global Geoparks

Total global geoparks and regional networks

10

Global geoparks and regional networks

Aso UNESCO; Hakusan Tedorigawa; Itoigawa; Izu Peninsula; Mt. Apoi; Muroto; Oki Islands; San'in Kaigan; Toya - Usu; Unzen (2023)