Source: Wikipedia
Flag of Japan
Capital: Tokyo 35°41′N 139°46′E
Official language: Japanese
Government: Constitutional monarchy Emperor: Emperor Akihito
Prime Minister: Shinzo Abe (LDP)

Formation :
- National Foundation Day Feb 11, 660 BCE2
- Meiji Constitution November 29, 1890
- Current constitution May 3, 1947
- Treaty of San Francisco April 28, 1952

Area :
- Total 377,873 km² (62nd) 145,883 sq mi
- Water (%) 0.8%

Population :
- 2005 estimate 128,085,000 (10th)
- 2004 census 127,333,002
- Density 337/km² (20th) 873/sq mi

GDP (PPP) 2006 estimate :
- Total $4.167 trillion (3rd)
- Per capita $32,640 (12th)

GDP (nominal) 2005 estimate :
- Total $4,571 trillion (2nd)
- Per capita $35,757 (14th)

HDI (2003): 0.943 (high) (11th)

Currency: Yen (¥) (JPY)

Time zone: JST (UTC+9)

Internet TLD: .jp

Calling code: +81

Japan is an island country in East Asia . Located in the Pacific Ocean , it lies to the east of China , Korea , and Russia , stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea in the south. The characters that make up Japan 's name literally mean "Sun's Origin", thus Japan is also sometimes known as the self-identified "The Land of the Rising Sun", a name that comes from the country's eastward position relative to China . Its capital is Tokyo .

At 377,872 square kilometres (145,898 sq.mi), Japan is the sixty-second largest country by area. It encompasses over 3,000 islands, the largest of which are Honshū , Hokkaidō , Kyūshū and Shikoku . Most of Japan 's islands are mountainous, and many are volcanic, including the highest peak, Mount Fuji . It has the world's 10th largest population, with nearly 128 million people. The Greater Tokyo Area, with over 30 million residents, is the largest metropolitan area in the world.

Archaeological research indicates that people were living on the islands of Japan as early as the upper paleolithic period. The first written mention of Japan begins with brief appearances in Chinese history texts from the 1st century AD. Japanese history has been marked by alternating periods of long isolation and radical influence from the outside world. Its culture today is a mixture of outside influences and internal developments.

Since it adopted its constitution on May 3, 1947 , Japan has maintained a unitary constitutional monarchy with an emperor and an elected parliament, the Diet, which is one of the oldest legislative bodies in Asia . Japan is an economic world power with the world's second largest economy(by nominal GDP), and is the sixth largest exporter and importer and is a member of the United Nations, G8, G4, and APEC.