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Japan - Overview and History
Home » Japan » Japan - Overview and History » Japan - Overview and HistoryJapan (Japanese: 日本, Nihon or Nippon) consists of over 3,000 islands stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk south to Taiwan. These islands, located in the Pacific Ocean are mountainous, and many are volcanic.
Japan boasts the second-largest economy in the world and is a world leader in industry. It is a unitary constitutional monarchy with an emperor and an elected parliament; it is one of the oldest legislatures in Asia. Despite its rugged terrain, it is one of the most populous—and most densely populated—countries in the world. Tokyo is the largest metropolitan area in the world with over thirty million residents.
From the 12th century to the mid-1800s, Japan was a feudal country led by clans of warriors. After the Meiji Restoration of 1868, Japan adopted many European and American customs and institutions. It has also adopted many Chinese customs throughout the year. Its culture today is a mixture of these influences along with traditional Japanese culture.
Japan's name in the kanji writing system is often translated as "Land of the Rising Sun", and comes from the country's location on the east coast of Asia.
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