History UsefulNotes / Japan

* Most {{Manga}}, {{Anime}}, JapaneseLiterature and {{Kaiju}} works are set in Japan, obviously.

* The [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Kanto]], [[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver Johto]], [[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Hoenn]] and [[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Sinnoh]] regions of ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' are all based on regions of Japan, specifically [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Kanto]], Kansai, Kyushu and Hokkaido respectively.

* UsefulNotes/HairColorInJapan

The Yayoi have been long considered the precursors of the modern Japanese people, and the "dual structure model" of Yayoi and Jōmon people mixing with each other - with Yayoi ancestry being dominant - has served as the primary ethnogenesis hypothesis for (Yamato) Japanese people. However, newer genetic research has challenged this long-held belief by demonstrating that there was another third wave of migration during the Kofun period and that modern Japanese people [[https://www.livescience.com/ancient-bones-reveal-japanese-ancestery.html draw more of their ancestry from the mysterious "Kofun people" than they do the Yayoi]].

Two principal clans vied for power in the Yamato court in this time: the Buddhist-inclined Soga and the Shinto-inclined Mononobe. The former prevailed and, under the auspices of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Shōtoku Prince Shōtoku]], disseminated Buddhism, which was quietly merged with Shinto as the dominant faith of Japanese people. The Soga were in turn usurped by the Nakatomi clan, whose leading member Nakatomi no Kamatari enacted the ''Taika'' reforms. In recognition of his efforts to unify the country, the emperor bestowed him the new clan name "Fujiwara".

The Yayoi have been long considered the precursors of the modern Japanese people, and the "dual structure model" of Yayoi and Jōmon people mixing with each other - with Yayoi ancestry being dominant - has served as the primary ethnogenesis hypothesis for (Yamato) Japanese people. However, newer genetic research has challenged this long-held belief by demonstrating that there was another third wave of migration during the Kofun period and that modern Japanese people draw more of their ancestry from the Kofun people than they do the Yayoi.

The Yayoi have been long considered the precursors of the modern Japanese people, and the "dual structure model" of Yayoi and Jōmon people mixing with each other has served as the primary ethnogenesis hypothesis for (Yamato) Japanese people. However, recent genetic findings have challenged this long-held belief by demonstrating that there was another third wave of migration during the Kofun period and that modern Japanese people draw more of their ancestry from the Kofun people than they do the Yayoi.

Things changed starting in the early 1st millennium BCE, when sedentary settlements belonging to the Yayoi people began to appear in Western Japan and enveloped most of the country by the 3rd century BCE. They were immigrants from the Korean peninsula, which at that time was settled by Japonic-speaking peoples until they were displaced and assimilated by proto-Koreans in the late 1st millennium[[note]]Some believe that Japonic peoples still existed in Korea until as late as the 6th century CE, in the form of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaya_confederacy Gaya/Kara confederacy]][[/note]], bringing with them new farming techniques, tools, and metallurgy. The Yayoi were the precursors of the modern Japanese people, though it is believed that, instead of dying off, some Jōmon intermarried with the Yayoi. The process of assimilation was gradual; northern Honshū was still inhabited by a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emishi Jōmon-descended people]] until the early Heian period, and Hokkaidō was dominated by the tribal Ainu until after the Meiji Restoration, when Japan began actively colonizing the island to prevent the Russians from claiming it. As for their language, the (now moribund) Ainu language is an isolate, completely unrelated to Japanese or any other language in the world. Some linguists consider Ainu to be an extension of the languages spoken by Paleosiberian peoples in North Asia (e.g. Nivkh, Yukaghir, Chukchi) but they are an areal, and not genetic, grouping.

During the Yamato period, the titular state, located in present-day Nara Prefecture and which might or might not be related to the aforementioned Yamataikoku, rose as a regional player by unifying other states in the islands. In the process, its name became synonymous with Japan itself; "Yamato" today is a poetic word for Japan (as in terms like YamatoNadeshiko). Relations with China and Korea reached new heights, with Japan importing Chinese characters to write records (although all of them have been lost), a legal system based on Confucianism (''Ritsuryō''), and a series of reforms, including land redistribution, designed to further centralize the state and increase the power of the Yamato court (the ''Taika'' reforms). Buddhism was imported via Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and after Baekje was destroyed in the 660s, a wave of refugees from the former kingdom escaped to Japan by virtue of strong family ties; [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Junda a prince of Baekje]] previously settled in Japan to found a clan, a member of whom married into the Japanese imperial family (which also had its earliest verified emperors in this period) in the following Nara period.\\\

Human habitation upon the archipelago that would become modern Japan dates back to 40,000 BCE. The earliest people of Japan, the so-called Jōmon people, consisted of multiple genetically heterogenous groups. The majority of them were short in stature and had a darker skin complexion than the modern Japanese people, and are genetically closest to the Himalayan Kusunda people. In the north, there was gene flow from Ancient North Eurasian people - a basal population to Europeans hence they had physical features resembling Caucasians, including increased body hair and stocky build, and a way of life that revolved around hunting and gathering.

Human habitation upon the archipelago that would become modern Japan dates back to 40,000 BCE. The earliest people of Japan, the so-called Jōmon people, were very different from the current one in terms of culture and race, with physical features resembling Caucasians, including increased body hair and stocky build, and a way of life that revolved around hunting and gathering. Things changed starting in the early 1st millennium BCE, when sedentary settlements belonging to the Yayoi people began to appear in Western Japan and enveloped most of the country by the 3rd century BCE. They were immigrants from the Korean peninsula, which at that time was settled by Japonic-speaking peoples until they were displaced and assimilated by proto-Koreans in the late 1st millennium[[note]]Some believe that Japonic peoples still existed in Korea until as late as the 6th century CE, in the form of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaya_confederacy Gaya/Kara confederacy]][[/note]], bringing with them new farming techniques, tools, and metallurgy. The Yayoi were the precursors of the modern Japanese people, though it is believed that, instead of dying off, some Jōmon intermarried with the Yayoi. The process of assimilation was gradual; northern Honshū was still inhabited by a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emishi Jōmon-descended people]] until the early Heian period, and Hokkaidō was dominated by the tribal Ainu until after the Meiji Restoration, when Japan began actively colonizing the island to prevent the Russians from claiming it. As for their language, the (now moribund) Ainu language is an isolate, completely unrelated to Japanese or any other language in the world. Some linguists consider Ainu to be an extension of the languages spoken by Paleosiberian peoples in North Asia (e.g. Nivkh, Yukaghir, Chukchi) but they are an areal, and not genetic, grouping.

* '''Highest point:''' Mount Fuji (3776 m/12,388 ft) (48th)

* '''Highest point:''' Mount Fuji (3776 m/12,388 ft) (49th)

* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'': The episode "Chinpokomon" has the makers of ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}" use the show to brainwash the youth so they can take over the world.

* '''Population:''' 125,410,000

-->-- ''WebVideo/HistoryOfJapan''

* '''Highest point:''' Mount Fuji (3776 m/12,388 ft) (68th)

** Prime Minister: Yoshihide Suga

The very first historical inscription mentioning Japan is the so-called King of Na gold seal discovered in Kyūshū, which indicates that a state of Na in the land of Wa was subject to the [[UsefulNotes/DynastiesFromShangToQing Han dynasty]], a finding corroborated by a Han dynasty chronicle which mentioned a tribute from the "State of Na of Wa" (倭奴國) in 57 CE. "Wa" is the oldest name for Japan, predating "Nippon" by several centuries, and used to be written with a kanji that means something along the lines of "[[UnfortunateNames dwarf people]]" (倭) until Japan eventually took offense and replaced it with one meaning "harmony" (和). In the 3rd century, a much extensive historical record appeared in the ''Records of the Three Kingdoms''[[note]]Yes, ''[[UsefulNotes/ThreeKingdomsShuWeiWu that]]'' Three Kingdoms, the one that followed the fall of the Han dynasty[[/note]], a Chinese text which detailed correspondences between the state of Wei and Yamataikoku, a country in Wa ruled by a shaman queen named Himiko. The Wa people were described as a bunch of tribal communities who recognized Himiko as their spiritual leader, subsisted on fish, and built grave mounds in the shape of keyholes. These grave mounds, called ''kofun'', are the namesake of the period following the Yayoi, the Kofun, which is usually grouped together with the following Asuka period as the "Yamato period".\\\

* '''ISO-3166-1 Code:''' JP

Japan is a free-market, developed, democratic country, with the world's 3rd largest economy, and very high standards of living. While many countries in Asia (and especially East Asia) are today considered developed and high-economic, Japan has the quirk of having experienced mass industrialization and development predating them by decades. [[UsefulNotes/MeijiRestoration Within the span of a mere 30 years]], Japan transformed from a poor, loosely-knit, largely-feudal, agriculture-concentric society into an industrial and military powerhouse, enabling it to pursue a campaign of exploration and colonialism abroad and participate in two world wars as key players. For a long time, it was the only Asian country that could "stand on equal footing" with Western Europe and the Anglophone countries in terms of economy and development; it is the only Asian representative of the G7, which grouped the world's seven largest economies when it was created in the 1970s. Up until the asset price bubble and resulting economic turmoil of the 1990s, Japan was even considered to have [[JapanTakesOverTheWorld the potential to upstage the United States as top superpower]], because it seemed to have ''everything'' penetrated, from consumer goods, automobiles, and an [[VideoGames entertainment]] [[{{Anime}} sec]][[{{Manga}} tor]] with an unmatched commercial and cultural exposure potency.

An archipelago off UsefulNotes/{{Asia}}'s eastern coast, comprising of four major islands (from north to south: Hokkaidō, Honshū, Shikoku, and Kyūshū) and thousands of smaller ones, Japan ('''Japanese:''' ''日本''; ''Nippon'' or ''Nihon''[[note]]Yes, it's just Japan and just ''Nippon''. There is no "Kingdom" or "State" in its title. Officially, the monarch of Japan is called "Emperor" (''Tennō''), which would mean Japan is an empire, but that would bring to mind [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII terrible memories of the 1940s...]][[/note]]) is probably East Asia's most famous nation, second only to the [[UsefulNotes/{{China}} Middle Kingdom]]. Known principally as the land of UsefulNotes/{{Shinto}}, {{Samurai}}, {{Ninja}}s (or ''Shinobi'' for those who value historical accuracy), electronic and general consumer {{Mega Corp}}s and incredible innovation (although [[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-21992700 not as much]] today), one-third of the interactive entertainment industry, Manga, {{Anime}}, an interesting fusion of Orientalist and Western architecture, UsefulNotes/{{kawaisa}}, sushi, [[BreadEggsMilkSquick rather-frequent natural disasters, and two cities that bore witness to the true potential of nuclear warfare]]. With a population of 125 million, it is the sixth most populous country in Asia, and the eleventh most populous in the world.

*

An archipelago off UsefulNotes/{{Asia}}'s eastern coast, comprising of four major islands (from north to south: Hokkaidō, Honshū, Shikoku, and Kyūshū) and thousands of smaller ones, Japan ('''Japanese:''' ''日本''; ''Nippon'' or ''Nihon''[[note]]Yes, it's just Japan and just ''Nippon''. There is no "Kingdom" or "State" in its title. Officially, the monarch of Japan is called "Emperor" (''Tennō''), which would mean Japan is an empire, but that would bring to mind [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII terrible memories of the 1940s...]][[/note]]) is probably East Asia's most famous nation, right after the [[UsefulNotes/{{China}} Middle Kingdom]]. Known principally as the land of UsefulNotes/{{Shinto}}, {{Samurai}}, {{Ninja}}s (or ''Shinobi'' for those who value historical accuracy), electronic and general consumer {{Mega Corp}}s and incredible innovation (although [[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-21992700 not as much]] today), video games, Manga, {{Anime}}, an interesting fusion of Orientalist and Western architecture, UsefulNotes/{{kawaisa}}, sushi, [[BreadEggsMilkSquick earthquakes, and two cities that once witnessed the true potential of nuclear warfare]]. With a population of 125 million, it is the 6th most populous country in Asia and the 11th most populous in the world.

Human habitation of the islands which would become Japan dates back to 40,000 BCE. The earliest people of Japan, the so-called Jōmon people, were very different from the current one in terms of culture and race, with physical features resembling Caucasians, including increased body hair and stocky build, and a way of life that revolved around hunting and gathering. Things changed starting in the early 1st millennium BCE, when sedentary settlements belonging to the Yayoi people began to appear in Western Japan and enveloped most of the country by the 3rd century BCE. They were immigrants from the Korean peninsula, which at that time was settled by Japonic-speaking peoples until they were displaced and assimilated by proto-Koreans in the late 1st millennium[[note]]Some believe that Japonic peoples still existed in Korea until as late as the 6th century CE, in the form of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaya_confederacy Gaya/Kara confederacy]][[/note]], bringing with them new farming techniques, tools, and metallurgy. The Yayoi were the precursors of the modern Japanese people, though it is believed that, instead of dying off, some Jōmon intermarried with the Yayoi. The process of assimilation was gradual; northern Honshū was still inhabited by a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emishi Jōmon-descended people]] until the early Heian period, and Hokkaidō was dominated by the tribal Ainu until after the Meiji Restoration, when Japan began actively colonizing the island to prevent the Russians from claiming it. As for their language, the (now moribund) Ainu language is an isolate, completely unrelated to Japanese or any other language in the world. Some linguists consider Ainu to be an extension of the languages spoken by Paleosiberian peoples in North Asia (e.g. Nivkh, Yukaghir, Chukchi) but they are an areal, and not genetic, grouping.

Japan is a free-market, developed, democratic country, with the world's 3rd largest economy, and a very high standards of living. While many countries in Asia (and especially East Asia) are today considered developed and high-economic, Japan has the quirk of having experienced mass industrialization and development predating them by decades. [[UsefulNotes/MeijiRestoration Within the span of a mere 30 years]], Japan transformed from a poor, loosely-knit, largely-feudal, agriculture-concentric society into an industrial and military powerhouse, enabling it to pursue a campaign of exploration and colonialism abroad and participate in two world wars as key players. For a long time, it was the only Asian country that could "stand on equal footing" with Western Europe and the Anglophone countries in terms of economy and development; it is the only Asian representative of the G7, which grouped the world's seven largest economies when it was created in the 1970s. Up until the asset price bubble and resulting economic turmoil of the 1990s, Japan was even considered to have [[JapanTakesOverTheWorld the potential to upstage the United States as top superpower]], because it seemed to have ''everything'' penetrated, from consumer goods, automobiles, and an [[VideoGames entertainment]] [[{{Anime}} sec]][[{{Manga}} tor]] with an unmatched commercial and cultural exposure potency.

* ''Film/LostInTranslation'', a Hollywood movie taking place entirely in Tokyo, where an American movie star does some {{Japandering}} to make a living and meets an American girl he likes.

An archipelago off UsefulNotes/{{Asia}}'s eastern coast, comprising of four major islands (from north to south: Hokkaidō, Honshū, Shikoku, and Kyūshū) and thousands of smaller ones, Japan ('''Japanese:''' ''日本''; ''Nippon'' or ''Nihon''[[note]]Yes, it's just Japan and just ''Nippon''. There is no "Kingdom" or "State" in its title. Officially, the monarch of Japan is called "Emperor" (''Tennō''), which would mean Japan is an empire, but that would bring to mind [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII terrible memories of the 1940s...]][[/note]]) is probably East Asia's second most famous nation, right after the [[UsefulNotes/{{China}} Middle Kingdom]]. Known principally as the land of UsefulNotes/{{Shinto}}, {{Samurai}}, {{Ninja}}s (or ''Shinobi'' for those who value historical accuracy), electronic and general consumer {{Mega Corp}}s and incredible innovation (although [[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-21992700 not as much]] today), video games, Manga, {{Anime}}, an interesting fusion of Orientalist and Western architecture, UsefulNotes/{{kawaisa}}, sushi, [[BreadEggsMilkSquick earthquakes, and two cities that once witnessed the true potential of nuclear warfare]]. With a population of 125 million, it is the 6th most populous country in Asia and the 11th most populous in the world.

* {{Samurai}} / JidaiGeki films, most of which are set in feudal Japan.

->''"Japan is an island by the sea filled with volcanoes, and it's '''b e a u t i f u l'''."''

An archipelago off UsefulNotes/{{Asia}}'s eastern coast, comprising of four major islands (from north to south: Hokkaidō, Honshū, Shikoku, and Kyūshū) and thousands of smaller ones, Japan ('''Japanese:''' ''日本''; ''Nippon'' or ''Nihon''[[note]]Yes, it's just Japan and just ''Nippon''. There is no "Kingdom" or "State" in its title. Officially, the monarch of Japan is called "Emperor" (''Tennō''), which would mean Japan is an empire, but that would bring to mind [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII terrible memories of the 1940s...]][[/note]]) is probably East Asia's second most famous nation, right after the [[UsefulNotes/{{China}} Middle Kingdom]]. Known principally as the land of UsefulNotes/{{Shinto}}, {{Samurai}}, {{Ninja}}s (or ''Shinobi'' for those who value historical accuracy), electronic and general consumer {{Mega Corp}}s and incredible innovation (although [[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-21992700 not as much]] today), video games, Manga, {{Anime}}, an interesting fusion of Orientalist and Western architecture, UsefulNotes/{{Kawaisa}}, sushi, [[BreadEggsMilkSquick earthquakes, and two cities that once witnessed the true potential of nuclear warfare]]. With a population of 125 million, it is the 6th most populous country in Asia and the 11th most populous in the world.