Portal:Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asian mainland, it is bordered to the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea in the south. The Japanese archipelago consists of four major islands alongside 14,121 smaller islands. Japan is divided into 47 administrative prefectures and eight traditional regions, and around 75% of its terrain is mountainous and heavily forested, concentrating its agriculture and highly urbanized population along its eastern coastal plains. With a population of almost 123 million as of 2026, it is the world's 11th most populous country. Tokyo is the country's capital and largest city.

The first known habitation of the archipelago dates to the Upper Paleolithic, with the beginning of the Japanese Paleolithic dating to c. 36,000 BC. Between the 4th and 6th centuries, its kingdoms were united under an emperor in Nara and later in Heian-kyō. From the 12th century, actual power was held by military aristocrats known as shōgun and feudal lords called daimyō, enforced by warrior nobility named samurai. After rule by the Kamakura and Ashikaga shogunates and a century of warring states, Japan was unified in 1600 by the Tokugawa shogunate, which implemented an isolationist foreign policy. In 1853, an American fleet forced Japan to open trade to the West, which led to the end of the shogunate and the restoration of imperial power in 1868.

The Meiji period saw Japan pursue rapid industrialization, modernization, militarism, and overseas colonization. The country annexed Korea in 1910, invaded China in 1937, and attacked the U.S. and European colonial powers in 1941, thus entering World War II as an Axis power. After being defeated in the Pacific War and suffering the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan surrendered in 1945 and came under Allied occupation. It underwent rapid economic growth in the following decades and became one of the first major non-NATO allies of the U.S. Since the collapse of the Japanese asset price bubble in the early 1990s, it has experienced a prolonged period of economic stagnation referred to as the Lost Decades.

Japan is a constitutional monarchy with a bicameral legislature known as the National Diet. Widely considered a great power and the only Asian member of the G7, it maintains one of the world's strongest militaries but has constitutionally renounced its right to declare war. A developed country with one of the world's largest economies by nominal GDP, it is a global leader in the automotive, electronics, and robotics industries, in addition to making significant contributions to science and technology. It has one of the world's highest life expectancies, but is undergoing a population decline. The culture of Japan is well known around the world, particularly its popular culture as expressed in animation, art, comics, cuisine, fashion, films, music, television, and video games. (Full article...)

Selected article –

An aikido throw being practiced

Aikido is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is often translated as "the Way of unifying (with) life energy" or as "the Way of harmonious spirit." Ueshiba's goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to defend themselves while also protecting their attacker from injury. Aikido is performed by blending with the motion of the attacker and redirecting the force of the attack rather than opposing it head-on. The aikidōka (aikido practitioner) "leads" the attacker's momentum using entering and turning movements. The techniques are completed with various throws or joint locks. Aikido can be categorized under the general umbrella of grappling arts. Aikido derives mainly from the martial art of Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu, but began to diverge from it in the late 1920s, partly due to Ueshiba's involvement with the Ōmoto-kyō religion. Ueshiba's early students' documents bear the term aiki-jūjutsu. Many of Ueshiba's senior students have different approaches to aikido, depending on when they studied with him. Today aikido is found all over the world in a number of styles, with broad ranges of interpretation and emphasis. However, they all share techniques learned from Ueshiba and most have concern for the well-being of the attacker. This attitude has been at the core of criticisms of aikido and related arts. (Full article...)

More selected articles

Selected pictures

Image 1
Kanō Masanobu
Credit: Kanō Masanobu
Zhou Maoshu Appreciating Lotuses, c. 15th century, an ink painting in suiboku style by Kanō Masanobu. The scroll has been designated a National Treasure of Japan.
Image 2
Attack on Beijing Castle during the Boxer Rebellion
Boxer Rebellion
Credit: Torajirō Kasai
A 1900 print depicting a battle between allied English and Japanese troops against Chinese combatants at Beijing Castle during the Boxer Rebellion.
Image 3
Two Geisha conversing near the Golden Temple in Kyoto, Japan
Geisha
Credit: Daniel Bachler
Two geisha conversing near Kinkaku-ji in Kyoto, Japan. One of their most recognizable characteristics, traditional white make-up, is shown in detail. Its application is hard to perfect and is a time-consuming process. It is applied before dressing to avoid dirtying the kimono. The white make-up covers the face, neck, and chest, with two or three unwhitened areas. One of these areas is a "W" or "V" shape (usually the traditional "W" shape) on the nape to accentuate this traditionally erotic area.
Image 4
Siberian Intervention
Image: Shobido & Co.; Restoration: Adam Cuerden
A Japanese lithograph depicting the capture of Blagoveshchensk, Siberia, by the Imperial Japanese Army during the Siberian Intervention, part of a larger effort by the western powers and Japan to support White Russian forces against the Bolshevik Red Army during the Russian Civil War. The Allied invasion took place in August 1918, and Japanese troops remained in Russia until October 1922.
Image 5
A god depicted extermination evil in a hanging scroll
List of National Treasures of Japan (paintings)
Credit: Unknown
One part of five in the set Extermination of Evil, this hanging scrolls was originally part of a handscroll known as the "second edition of the Masuda family Hell Scroll" before being cut into sections. The God of Heavenly Punishment is shown consuming the ox-headed deity Gozu Tennō, the god of pestilence.
Image 6
Tsingtao occupation money
Banknote design credit: Bank of Japan; photographed by Andrew Shiva
This picture shows a ten-sen banknote, in use during the 1914–1922 Japanese occupation of Tsingtao (Qingdao), China, as part of the Asian and Pacific theatre of World War I. Issued by the Bank of Japan, the currency was based on the silver standard. This banknote, dated 1914, is in the National Numismatic Collection of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History.

Before the outbreak of World War I, German naval ships were located in the Pacific; Tsingtao developed into a major seaport while the surrounding Kiautschou Bay area was leased to Germany since 1898. During the war, Japanese and British Allied troops besieged the port in 1914 before capturing it from the German and Austro-Hungarian Central Powers, occupying the city and the surrounding region. It served as a base for the exploitation of the natural resources of Shandong province and northern China, and a "New City District" was established to furnish the Japanese colonists with commercial sections and living quarters. Tsingtao eventually reverted to Chinese rule by 1922.
Image 7
Japanese government-issued rupee in Burma
Banknote design credit: Empire of Japan; photographed by Andrew Shiva
The Japanese government-issued rupee in Burma was Japanese invasion money issued as a replacement for the local currency during the Japanese occupation of Burma in the Second World War. Like most Japanese colonial currency from this period, a letter code was used on the notes; the first or top letter "B" indicates that the note was printed in and issued for the State of Burma; the second letter or letters indicate the block (or printing batch) of the note. The higher-value notes depict Ananda Temple in Bagan on the obverse. This one-rupee banknote is part of the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution.

Other denominations:
'"`UNIQ--templatestyles-00000011-QINU`"'

* 1 cent
* 5 cents
* 10 cents
*
'"`UNIQ--templatestyles-00000013-QINU`"'
1⁄4 rupee
*
'"`UNIQ--templatestyles-00000015-QINU`"'
1⁄2 rupee
* 5 rupees
* 10 rupees
* 100 rupees
Image 8
Plum Park in Kameido
Print: Hiroshige
Plum Park in Kameido is a woodblock print in the ukiyo-e genre by the Japanese artist Hiroshige. It was published in 1857 as the thirtieth print in the One Hundred Famous Views of Edo series and depicts Prunus mume trees in bloom. Popular prints such as Plum Park in Kameido were produced in the tens of thousands at a low individual cost. After the opening up of Japan in 1853, they found a following in Europe, where they had a significant influence on the Impressionist artists such as Vincent van Gogh.

See Van Gogh's derivative version
Image 9
Siege of Osaka
Painting credit: unknown
The siege of Osaka was a series of battles undertaken by the Japanese Tokugawa shogunate against the Toyotomi clan, and ending in the clan's dissolution. Divided into two stages (the winter campaign and the summer campaign), and lasting from 1614 to 1615, the siege put an end to the last major armed opposition to the shogunate's establishment. This eight-metre-long (26 ft) painting, titled The Summer Battle of Osaka Castle and executed on a Japanese folding screen, illustrates Osaka Castle under siege, and was commissioned by the daimyo Kuroda Nagamasa, who took a team of painters with him to the battlefield to record the event. The painting depicts 5071 people and 21 generals, and is held in the collection of Osaka Castle.
Image 10
Japanese government-issued dollar in Malaya and Borneo
Banknote design credit: Empire of Japan; photographed by Andrew Shiva
The Japanese government-issued dollar was a form of currency issued between 1942 and 1945 for use within the territories of Singapore, Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak and Brunei, under occupation by Imperial Japan during World War II. The currency, informally referred to as "banana money", was released solely in the form of banknotes, as metals were considered essential to the war effort. The languages used on the notes were reduced to English and Japanese. Each note bears a different obverse and reverse design, but all have a similar layout, and were marked with stamped block letters that begin with "M" for "Malaya". This 1942 one-dollar Japanese-issued banknote, depicting breadfruit and coconut trees on the obverse, is part of the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution.

Other denominations:
'"`UNIQ--templatestyles-00000017-QINU`"'
Image 11
Japanese battleship Yamato
Image: Alexpl
A line drawing of the Japanese battleship Yamato, the lead ship of the Yamato class of battleships that served with the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Named after the ancient Japanese Yamato Province, she was launched on 8 August 1940 and served as the flagship of the Japanese Combined Fleet in 1942.
Image 12
The Hōzōmon, a Buddhist temple gate located in Asakusa, Tokyo.
Hōzōmon
Credit: Luis Villa del Campo
The Hōzōmon is the inner of two large entrance gates that ultimately leads to the Sensō-ji in Asakusa, Tokyo. This two-story gate houses many of the Sensō-ji's treasures on its second story, while the first story houses several statues, lanterns and two giant sandals.
Image 13
Ema at Meiji Shrine
Ema (Shinto)
Credit: Fg2
Ema are small wooden plaques on which Shinto worshipers write their prayers or wishes. They are then left hanging up at a shrine where the kami (spirits or gods) can read them. These ema were placed at Meiji Shrine.
Image 14
Blind Monks Examining an Elephant
Blind men and an elephant
Credit: Hanabusa Itchō
An 1888 Hanabusa Itchō ukiyo-e print illustrating a Buddhist parable showing blind monks examining an elephant.
Image 15
Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies registration card
Document: Japanese occupation government; scan by the National Archives of the Netherlands
A registration card for Louis Wijnhamer (1904–1975), an ethnic Dutch humanitarian who was captured soon after the Empire of Japan occupied the Dutch East Indies in March 1942. Prior to the occupation, many ethnic Europeans had refused to leave, expecting the Japanese occupation government to keep a Dutch administration in place. When Japanese troops took control of government infrastructure and services such as ports and postal services, 100,000 European (and some Chinese) civilians were interned in prisoner-of-war camps where the death rates were between 13 and 30 per cent. Wijnhamer was interned in a series of camps throughout Southeast Asia and, after the surrender of Japan, returned to what was now Indonesia, where he lived until his death.
Image 16
Japanese government-issued currency in the Dutch East Indies
Banknotes: Empire of Japan. Reproduction: National Numismatic Collection, National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institution
The Japanese-issued Netherlands Indies gulden was the currency issued by the Japanese Empire when it occupied the Dutch East Indies during World War II. Following the Dutch capitulation in March 1942, the Japanese closed all banks, seized assets and currency, and assumed control of the economy in the territory. They began issuing military banknotes, as had previously been done in other occupied territories. These were printed in Japan, but retained the name of the pre-war currency and replaced the Dutch gulden at par. From 1943 the military banknotes were replaced by identical bank-issued notes printed within the territory, and the currency was renamed the roepiah from 1944. The currency was replaced by the Indonesian rupiah in 1946, one year after the Japanese surrender and the country's independence.

This note, denominated half gulden, is part of the 1942 series.

See other denominations: One cent · Five cents · Ten cents · Half gulden · One gulden, Five gulden, Ten gulden
Image 17
Asahi Breweries
Photograph credit: Basile Morin
Asahi Breweries is a Japanese global beer, spirits, soft drinks and food business group. This photograph, taken during the blue hour with a full moon, shows the headquarters of Asahi Breweries in Sumida, Tokyo, as viewed from the wharf on the Sumida River near Azuma Bridge. The Asahi Beer Hall, topped by the Asahi Flame, designed by Philippe Starck, is visible on the right, with the Tokyo Skytree in the background on the left.

On this day...

February 21:

Events

1892 - Japan's first daily newspaper, the Tōkyō Nichinichi Shinbun (modern day Mainichi Shinbun) is established.
1911 - One of Japan's most well-known authors, Natsume Sōseki, sends a letter to the Ministry of Education, refusing the title of professor of literature. He explains that he just wants to go on living his life as "Natsume so-and-so."
1945 - World War II: Kamikaze planes sink the escort carrier Bismarck Sea and damage the Saratoga.
1946 - The Metropolitan Police Department begins recruiting women.
1961 - Actor Akagi Keiichirō dies in an automobile accident. The accident happened while he was working as a stand-in for Ishihara Yūjirō, and Takahashi Hideki was chosen as Ishihara's new stand-in actor.
1979 - Japan's first X-ray astronomy satellite, the Hakuchō, is launched successfully.

Births

1887 - Korechika Anami (d. 1945), general and politician, 54th Japanese Minister of War
1980 - Kayoko Shibata, actress, singer, and model
1981 - Jun Kaname, actor
1984 - Karina Nose, model and actress
1993 - Masaki Suda, actor
2000 - Yuto Miyazawa, guitarist

Deaths

1846 - Emperor Ninkō (b. 1800)
1986 - Shigechiyo Izumi (b. 1865), centenarian

In the news

18 February 2026 – 2026 Japanese general election: Sanae Takaichi is re-appointed Prime Minister of Japan by the House of Representatives after winning the legislative election. (AP)
12 February 2026 – China–Japan relations: 2025–2026 China–Japan diplomatic crisis; The Japanese fisheries agency seize a Chinese fishing vessel and arrest its captain who failed to stop for inspection within Japan's exclusive economic zone off Nagasaki Prefecture, marking the first such seizure since 2022. (AFP via Philippine Daily Inquirer)
8 February 2026 – 2026 Japanese general election: Japanese citizens vote to elect all 465 seats in the House of Representatives, with the conservative ruling Liberal Democratic Party winning an overwhelming majority. (AP)
4 February 2026 – 2025–26 Asian winter: The death toll from severe weather in Japan, including heavy snowfall, rises to 35 with at least 400 others injured, according to the Japanese government. (Sky News)
2 February 2026 – China–Japan relations: 2025–2026 China–Japan diplomatic crisis

Selected quote –

“

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

More selected quotes

Selected biography –

Self-portrait

Adolfo Farsari (Italian: [aˈdolfo farˈsaːri]; 11 February 1841 – 7 February 1898) was an Italian photographer based in Yokohama, Japan. His studio, the last notable foreign-owned studio in Japan, was one of the country's largest and most prolific commercial photographic firms. Largely due to Farsari's exacting technical standards and his entrepreneurial abilities, it had a significant influence on the development of photography in Japan.

Following a brief military career, including service in the American Civil War, he became a successful entrepreneur and commercial photographer. His photographic work was highly regarded, particularly his hand-coloured portraits and landscapes, which he sold mostly to foreign residents and visitors to the country. (Full article...)

List of selected biographies

Selected prefecture –

Ishikawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshū island. The capital is Kanazawa. Ishikawa was formed from the merger of Kaga Province and the smaller Noto Province. It is located on the Sea of Japan coast. The northern part of the prefecture consists of the narrow Noto Peninsula, while the southern part is wider and consists mostly of mountains, with the prefecture's chief city, Kanazawa, located in the coastal plain. The prefecture also has some islands, including Notojima, Mitsukejima, Hegurajima. It contains 10 cities, 6 districts and 9 towns and villages. Ishikawa's industry is dominated by the textile industry, particularly artificial fabrics, and the machine industry, particularly construction machinery. Ishikawa Prefecture has an area of 4,185 km² and as of April 1, 2006 it has a population of 1,698,539 persons. Most of the area's culture is made up of traditional arts and crafts. Nō was introduced to the area during the rule of the fifth Maeda lord Tsunanori and was refined into the Kaga hosho style. The tea ceremony arrived in 1666 when Maeda Toshitsune invited Senbiki Soshitsu of urasenke to Kanazawa.

Did you know... –

Yuzuru Hiraga

... that Yuzuru Hiraga (pictured) was a Japanese naval architect, noted for work on innovative warships such as the cruiser Yubari and Yamato for the Imperial Japanese Navy?

...that Takashi Sakai, an Imperial Japanese Army general during World War II, was sentenced to death on August 27, 1946 for atrocities committed against civilians and surrendered soldiers in Hong Kong?

... that the opening theme of the eighth season of the Bleach anime, "After Dark", was provided by the Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation?

... that Japanese film critic Nagaharu Yodogawa did not miss a single appearance in his 36 years as the host of TV Asahi's Sunday Western Movie Theatre until a week before his death?

... that one of the first recorded Japanese-Siamese contacts occurred in 1593?

General images

The following are images from various Japan-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Miniature model of the ancient capital Heian-kyō (from History of Japan)
Image 2Japan (Iapam) and Korea, in the 1568 Portuguese map of the cartographer João Vaz Dourado (from History of Japan)
Image 3Mount Aso 4 pyroclastic flow and the spread of Aso 4 tephra (90,000 to 85,000 years ago). The pyroclastic flow reached almost the whole area of Kyushu, and volcanic ash was deposited of 15 cm in a wide area from Kyushu to southern Hokkaido. (from Geography of Japan)
Image 4
Landscape of the Osaka City under the leaving Administration.
(from History of Japan)
Image 5A topographic map of Japan (from Geography of Japan)
Image 6Extreme points of Japan (from Geography of Japan)
Image 7Woman in kimono at Fukuoka City Hall (from Culture of Japan)
Image 8Ukiyo-e based on kabuki actor Ichikawa Danjūrō V, by Utagawa Kunimasa (from Culture of Japan)
Image 9Guardian in Tōdai-ji, Nara (from Culture of Japan)
Image 10Izu Islands south of Tokyo (from Geography of Japan)
Image 11Kinkaku-ji was built in 1397 by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (from History of Japan)
Image 12Planes from the Japanese aircraft carrier Shōkaku preparing the attack on Pearl Harbor (from History of Japan)
Image 13A Yayoi period bronze bell (dōtaku) of the 3rd century AD (from History of Japan)
Image 14Ritsurin Garden, Takamatsu, Japan (from Geography of Japan)
Image 15The Ryukyu Islands administered by Kagoshima Prefecture and Okinawa Prefecture (from Geography of Japan)
Image 16Mount Fuji and sakura (cherry blossoms) are national symbols of Japan (from Culture of Japan)
Image 17Shigeru Yoshida was one of the longest serving prime ministers in Japanese history (1946–1947 and 1948–1954). (from History of Japan)
Image 18Japanese experts inspect the scene of the alleged railway sabotage on South Manchurian Railway that led to the Mukden Incident and the Japanese occupation of Manchuria. (from History of Japan)
Image 19Aerial view of Lake Biwa (from Geography of Japan)
Image 20Taiheiyō Belt (from Geography of Japan)
Image 21Satsuma samurai during boshin war period (late 1860s) (from History of Japan)
Image 22Fumie Hihara playing the shamisen, Guimet Museum, Paris (from Culture of Japan)
Image 23Relief map of the land and the seabed of Japan. It shows the surface and underwater terrain of the Japanese archipelago. (from Geography of Japan)
Image 24The Empire of Japan in 1939 (from History of Japan)
Image 25A vase from the early Jōmon period (11000–7000 BC) (from History of Japan)
Image 26U.S. Secretary of State Dean Acheson signing the Treaty of Peace with Japan, 8 September 1951 (from History of Japan)
Image 27Emperor Meiji, the 122nd Emperor of Japan (from History of Japan)
Image 28Tokyo in 2010 (from History of Japan)
Image 29A handscroll painting dated c. 1130, illustrating a scene from the "Bamboo River" chapter of The Tale of Genji (from History of Japan)
Image 30Torii entrance gate at Kamigamo Shrine, Kyoto (from Culture of Japan)
Image 31Shinano River in Niigata City (from Geography of Japan)
Image 32Japan's exclusive economic zones:
  Japan's EEZ
  Joint regime with Republic of Korea
  EEZ claimed by Japan, disputed by others
(from Geography of Japan)
Image 33Traditional breakfast at a ryokan (from Culture of Japan)
Image 34Daisenryō Kofun, Osaka (from History of Japan)
Image 35
Chinese generals surrendering to the Japanese in the First Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895)
(from History of Japan)
Image 36The Empire of Japan at its peak in 1942:
   Territory (1870–1895)
   Acquisitions (1895–1930)
   Acquisitions (1930–1942)
(from History of Japan)
Image 37Hōryū-ji is widely known to be the oldest wooden architecture existing in the world. (from Culture of Japan)
Image 38Amida Buddha, Kōtoku-in (from Culture of Japan)
Image 39Japan at the Last Glacial Maximum in the Late Pleistocene about 20,000 years ago
  Regions above sea level
  Unvegetated
  Sea
(from History of Japan)
Image 40Jesus statue in Yokohama (from Culture of Japan)
Image 41Emperor Shōwa was in power during World War II (from History of Japan)
Image 42Samurai could kill a commoner for the slightest insult and were widely feared by the Japanese population. Edo period (1798) (from History of Japan)
Image 43Noh play at traditional Noh theatre (from Culture of Japan)
Image 44A map of Japan (from Geography of Japan)
Image 45The aftermath of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami (from Geography of Japan)
Image 46American general Douglas MacArthur and emperor Hirohito, at their first meeting, September 1945 (from History of Japan)
Image 47Territorial extent of Yamato court during the Kofun period (from History of Japan)
Image 48Tectonic map of Japan (French) (from Geography of Japan)
Image 49Buddhist temple of Hōryū-ji is the oldest wooden structure in the world. It was commissioned by Prince Shotoku and represents the beginning of Buddhism in Japan. (from History of Japan)
Image 50Atomic cloud over Hiroshima, 1945 (from History of Japan)
Image 51A map of Japan's major cities, main towns and selected smaller centers (from Geography of Japan)
Image 52
Edo period screen depicting the Battle of Sekigahara. It began on 21 October 1600, with a total of 160,000 men facing each other.
(from History of Japan)
Image 53A Köppen climate classification map of Japan (from Geography of Japan)
Image 54Kobe Airport in Osaka Bay (from Geography of Japan)
Image 55Sakurajima eruption on October 3, 2009 (from Geography of Japan)
Image 56Map of the Kantō Plain (from Geography of Japan)
Image 57Pair of byōbu with a leopard, tiger and dragon by Kanō Sanraku (from Culture of Japan)
Image 58Japanese archipelago with outlined islands (from Geography of Japan)
Image 59Sea of Japan (from Geography of Japan)
Image 60The summit of Mount Fuji is the highest point in Japan. (from Geography of Japan)
Image 61Prince Shōtoku was a semi-legendary regent of the Asuka period, and considered to be the first major sponsor of Buddhism in Japan. (from History of Japan)
Image 62Kokin Wakashū, an early anthology of the waka form of Japanese poetry, National Treasure; early twelfth century; at the Tokyo National Museum (from Culture of Japan)
Image 63Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first shōgun of the Tokugawa shogunate. (from History of Japan)
Image 64Portrait of Ashikaga Takauji who was the founder and first shōgun of the Ashikaga shogunate (from History of Japan)
Image 65Vegetation during the Last Glacial Maximum (16,000 BCE) (from Geography of Japan)
Image 66Map showing the territories of major daimyō families around 1570 (from History of Japan)
Image 67Newly-wed Emperor Naruhito, then Crown Prince, wearing a sokutai and Empress Masako, then-Crown Princess, wearing a jūnihitoe. Costumes of these styles have been worn by the Imperial family since the Heian period, when a unique Japanese style developed. (from Culture of Japan)
Image 68The word Nihon written in kanji (horizontal placement of characters). The text means "Japan" in Japanese. (from History of Japan)
Image 69A social hierarchy chart based on old academic theories. Such hierarchical diagrams were removed from Japanese textbooks after various studies in the 1990s revealed that peasants, craftsmen, and merchants were in fact equal and merely social categories. Successive shoguns held the highest or near-highest court ranks, higher than most court nobles. (from History of Japan)
Image 70Wreckage at a railway station destroyed during the 2011 earthquake and tsunami (from History of Japan)
Image 71Ritsurin Garden (from Culture of Japan)
Image 72Minamoto no Yoritomo was the founder of the Kamakura shogunate in 1192. This was the first military government in which the shogun with the samurai were the de facto rulers of Japan. (from History of Japan)
Image 73Later Three-Year War in the 11th century (from History of Japan)
Image 74Seto Inland Sea (from Geography of Japan)
Image 75The Daibutsu-den, within the complex of Tōdai-ji. This Buddhist temple was sponsored by the Imperial Court during the Nara period. (from History of Japan)
Image 76Regions and prefectures of Japan (from Geography of Japan)
Image 77Two students practicing kendo at Hiroshima University (from Culture of Japan)
Image 78Reconstruction of a Jōmon family from the Sannai-Maruyama Site (from History of Japan)
Image 79The Black Ship Portuguese traders that came from Goa and Macau once a year (from History of Japan)
Image 80The Nanpō Islands of the Japanese archipelago (from Geography of Japan)
Image 81Dogū figurine of the late Jōmon period (1000–400 BC) (from History of Japan)
Image 82The islands comprising the Japanese Archipelago were separated from the Asian continent by back-arc spreading. (from Geography of Japan)
Image 83The map depicts the Kuril–Kamchatka Trench, Japan Trench, Izu–Ogasawara Trench, and Mariana Trench. (from Geography of Japan)
Image 84Lake Tōya and Shōwa-shinzan in Shikotsu-Tōya National Park (from Geography of Japan)
Image 85Middle Jōmon vase (2000 BC) (from History of Japan)
Image 86The Kuril Islands, with their Russian names. The borders of the Treaty of Shimoda (1855) and the Treaty of St. Petersburg (1875) are shown in red. Currently, all islands northeast of Hokkaido are administered by Russia. (from Geography of Japan)
Image 87Japan in 1582, showing territory conquered by Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi in gray (from History of Japan)

Related Portals

East Asia

Other Countries/Territories

Japan topics

Eras	Paleolithic \| Jōmon \| Yayoi \| Kofun \| Asuka \| Nara \| Heian \| Kamakura \| Muromachi \| Azuchi-Momoyama \| Edo \| Meiji \| Taishō \| Shōwa \| Heisei \| Reiwa
History	Economic history \| Educational history \| Military history \| Naval history \| Sengoku period \| Meiji Restoration \| Empire of Japan \| Occupied Japan \| Post-occupation Japan
Politics	Constitution \| Government \| Emperors \| Imperial Household Agency \| Prime Ministers \| Cabinet \| Ministries \| National Diet (House of Councillors · House of Representatives) \| Judicial system \| Law of Japan \| LGBT rights \| Elections \| Political parties \| Japanese political values \| Japan Self-Defense Forces \| Foreign relations
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Art	Architecture \| Cinema \| Literature \| Music \| Pornography \| Theatre (Noh · Kabuki · Bunraku) \| Anime \| Manga \| Ukiyo-e \| Japanese tea ceremony \| Japanese aesthetics \| Ikebana \| Poetry \| Bonsai \| Origami
Sports	Sumo wrestling \| Nippon Professional Baseball \| Football J1 League \| Super GT \| All Japan Road Race Championship \| Judo \| Karate \| Kendo \| Kyūdō \| Jujutsu \| Ninjutsu \| Aikido
Economy	Japanese Companies \| Primary sector \| Industry \| Tourism \| Currency \| Tokyo Stock Exchange \| Japanese economic miracle \| Communications \| Transportation (Shinkansen · Tokyo Metro · Railway companies) \| Japan Business Federation \| Housing in Japan
Science and Technology	Consumer electronics in Japan \| Japanese automotive industry \| Japanese inventions \| Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) \| Nuclear power in Japan \| Japanese robotics
Geography	Geography of Japan \| Japanese archipelago \| Islands of Japan \| Cities \| Lakes \| Rivers \| Waterfalls \| Mountains \| National Parks \| Japanese Alps \| Mount Fuji \| Lake Biwa \| Seto Inland Sea \| Sea of Japan \| EEZ of Japan
Demographics	Demographics \| Yamato people \| Hāfu (half Japanese people) \| Ainu people \| Japanese people \| Japanese names \| Aging of Japan
Animals	Animals in Japan \| Japanese macaque \| Japanese raccoon dog (Tanuki) \| Japanese Green pheasant \| Koi \| Japanese Bobtail \| Hokkaido dog \| Shiba Inu \| Akita (dog) \| Asian giant hornet \| Japanese badger
Other	Tokyo \| Kyoto \| Nara \| Osaka \| Sapporo \| Okinawa \| Kinkaku-ji \| Kiyomizu-dera \| Yakushi-ji temple \| Tōdai-ji temple \| Sensō-ji temple \| Meiji Shrine \| Akihabara \| Shinjuku \| Tokyo Tower \| Tokyo Imperial Palace \| Himeji Castle \| Matsumoto Castle \| Osaka Castle \| Nagoya Castle \| Tokyo Disney Resort

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This is a list of recognized content, updated weekly by JL-Bot (talk · contribs) (typically on Saturdays). There is no need to edit the list yourself. If an article is missing from the list, make sure it is tagged (e.g. {{WikiProject Japan}}) or categorized correctly and wait for the next update. See WP:RECOG for configuration options.

Featured articles

Featured lists

Good articles

Featured pictures

07. Japanese Garden Pano, Cowra, NSW, 22.09.2006
2003 Mazda 6 (GG) Classic hatchback 01
Asahi Breweries headquarters building with the Asahi Flame and Skytree at blue hour with full moon, Sumida-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Ase o fuku onna2
BUR-10b-Burma-Japanese Occupation-Five Cents ND (1942)
BUR-11a-Burma-Japanese Occupation-10 Cents ND (1942)
BUR-12a-Burma-Japanese Occupation-One Quarter Rupee ND (1942)
BUR-13b-Burma-Japanese Occupation-One Half Rupee ND (1942)
BUR-14-Burma-Japanese Occupation-One Rupee ND (1942)
BUR-15b-Burma-Japanese Occupation-Five Rupees ND (1942-44)
BUR-16-Japanese occupation Burma-10 rupees (1942-44)
BUR-17b-Burma-Japanese Occupation-100 Rupees ND (1944)
BUR-9b-Burma-Japanese Occupation-One Cent ND (1942)
Beijing Castle Boxer Rebellion 1900 FINAL
Bicycle crankset Shimano 105 R7000 (chainring 50-34, length 172.5mm, 11 speed)
Blind monks examining an elephant
Bloody Saturday, Shanghai
Comme des Garcons at the Met (62473)
Crested myna, Osaka, Japan
Dark Small-branded Swift
Daurian redstart at Daisen Park in Osaka, January 2016
Douglas MacArthur signs formal surrender
Extermination of Evil Tenkeisei
Forces returning 2
Gasshukoku suishi teitoku kōjōgaki (Oral statement by the American Navy admiral)
Golden gate of Ueno Tōshō-gū Shinto shrine, Tokyo, Japan
Great Wave off Kanagawa2
Hasegawa Tohaku - Pine Trees (Shōrin-zu byōbu) - left hand screen
Hasegawa Tohaku - Pine Trees (Shōrin-zu byōbu) - right hand screen
Heart Mountain Relocation Center, Heart Mountain, Wyoming. In his barracks home at Block 7 - 21 - NARA - 539206 - Restoration
Hegassen scroll
Hiroshige II - Kishu kumano iwatake tori - Shokoku meisho hyakkei
HiroshimaPeaceMemorialPanorama-2
HoryujiYumedono0363edit4
Hyochangwon as Korea's first golf course
ISS Aug2005
ISS March 2009
Instrument of surrender Japan2
JAPAN-10-Constitutional Monarchy-One Yen (1873)
JAPAN-M7-Tsingtao-10 Sen (1914)
Japan 1870 20 Yen (alt)
Japanese Squirrel edit2
Japanese archer 1878b
Japanese pygmy woodpecker in Sakai, Osaka, February 2016
Japanese white-eye at Tennōji Park in Osaka, January 2016 III
Japaneseweavera
Japanmakaken im Jigokudani Monkey Park bei der Fellpflege
Kabukicho red gate and colorful neon street signs at night, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
Khalili Collections A Composite Imaginary View of Japan
Kiyonaga bathhouse women-2
Koku Saitcho shounin
Lagopus muta japonica Mount Tsubakuro
Leucanthemum paludosum May 2008
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 01
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 02
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 03
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 04
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 05
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 06
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 07
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 08
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 09
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 10
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 11
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 12
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 13
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 14
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 15
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 16
MAL-M10b-Malaya-Japanese Occupation-1000 Dollars ND (1945)
MAL-M1b-Malaya-Japanese Occupation-One Cent ND (1942)
MAL-M2a-Malaya-Japanese Occupation-Five Cents ND (1942)
MAL-M3b-Malaya-Japanese Occupation-10 Cents ND (1942)
MAL-M4b-Malaya-Japanese Occupation-50 Cents ND (1942)
MAL-M5c-Malaya-Japanese Occupation-One Dollar ND (1942)
MAL-M6c-Malaya-Japanese Occupation-Five Dollars ND (1942)
MAL-M7c-Malaya-Japanese Occupation-10 Dollars ND (1944)
MAL-M8b-Malaya-Japanese Occupation-100 Dollars ND (1944)
MAL-M9-Malaya-Japanese Occupation-100 Dollars ND (1945)
MKr377603 Yō Yoshida (A Pale View of Hills, Cannes 2025)
Mamoru Shigemitsu signs the Instrument of Surrender, officially ending the Second World War
Manzanar calisthenics 0016u
Manzanar portrait Toyo Miyatake 00100u
Maresuke Nogi, 近世名士写真其1 - Photo only
Mazda RX-8 on freeway
Minato City, Tokyo, Japan
NI-119b-Netherlands Indies-Japanese Occupation-1 Cent (1942)
NI-120c-Netherlands Indies-Japanese Occupation-5 Cents (1942)
NI-121a-Netherlands Indies-Japanese Occupation-10 Cents (1942)
NI-122b-Netherlands Indies-Japanese Occupation-half Gulden (1942)
NI-123-Netherlands Indies-Japanese Occupation-1 Gulden (1942)
NI-124c-Netherlands Indies-Japanese Occupation-5 Gulden (1942)
NI-125c-Netherlands Indies-Japanese Occupation-10 Gulden (1942)
Nagasakibomb
Nagoya Castle(Edit2)
Noru 2017-07-31 0415Z
OCE-1a-Oceania-Japanese Occupation-Half Shilling ND (1942)
OCE-2a-Oceania-Japanese Occupation-One Shilling ND (1942)
OCE-3a-Oceania-Japanese Occupation-10 Shillings ND (1942)
OCE-4a-Oceania-Japanese Occupation-One Pound ND (1942)
Ogata Gekko - Ryu sho ten edit
Olympus E-M1 Mark III Zuiko 12-100mm
Onna Okinawa Japan Cape-Manzamo-01
PHI-102b-Japanese Government (Philippines)-1 Centavo (1942)
PHI-103b-Japanese Government (Philippines)-5 Centavos (1942)
PHI-104b-Japanese Government (Philippines)-10 Centavos (1942)
PHI-105b-Japanese Government (Philippines)-50 Centavos (1942)
PHI-106-Japanese Government (Philippines)-1 Peso (1942)
PHI-107A-Japanese Government (Philippines)-5 Pesos (1942)
PHI-108-Japanese Government (Philippines)-10 Pesos (1942)
PHI-109-Japanese Government (Philippines)-1 Peso (1943)
PHI-110-Japanese Government (Philippines)-5 Pesos (1943)
PHI-111-Japanese Government (Philippines)-10 Pesos (1943)
PHI-112-Japanese Government (Philippines)-100 Pesos (1944)
PHI-114-Japanese Government (Philippines)-500 Pesos (1944)
PHI-115-Japanese Government (Philippines)-1000 Pesos (1945)
Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima, larger - edit1
Red Fuji southern wind clear morning
Rhinogobius flumineus(Hamamatsu,Shizuoka,Japan)
STS-134 International Space Station after undocking
Samurai with sword
Sesshu - Haboku-Sansui - complete
Shimano Hyperglide cassette 8-speed CS-HG51 11-32
Shoki2
Somagahana Fuchiemon restored
Suikoden
The Illustration of The Siberian War, No. 16. The Japanese Army Occupied Vragaeschensk
The brown-eared bulbul after playing with water
Tokyo Stabbing
Torii path with lantern at Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine, Kyoto, Japan
Two Lovers Beneath an Umbrella in the Snow
USS Bunker Hill hit by two Kamikazes
Zhou Maoshu Appreciating Lotuses
カランダガンジャパンカップ優勝時

Featured portals

Portal:Japan

Picture of the day pictures

07. Japanese Garden Pano, Cowra, NSW, 22.09.2006
2003 Mazda 6 (GG) Classic hatchback 01
Asahi Breweries headquarters building with the Asahi Flame and Skytree at blue hour with full moon, Sumida-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Ase o fuku onna2
BUR-10b-Burma-Japanese Occupation-Five Cents ND (1942)
BUR-11a-Burma-Japanese Occupation-10 Cents ND (1942)
BUR-12a-Burma-Japanese Occupation-One Quarter Rupee ND (1942)
BUR-13b-Burma-Japanese Occupation-One Half Rupee ND (1942)
BUR-14-Burma-Japanese Occupation-One Rupee ND (1942)
BUR-15b-Burma-Japanese Occupation-Five Rupees ND (1942-44)
BUR-16-Japanese occupation Burma-10 rupees (1942-44)
BUR-17b-Burma-Japanese Occupation-100 Rupees ND (1944)
BUR-9b-Burma-Japanese Occupation-One Cent ND (1942)
Beijing Castle Boxer Rebellion 1900 FINAL
Bicycle crankset Shimano 105 R7000 (chainring 50-34, length 172.5mm, 11 speed)
Blind monks examining an elephant
Bloody Saturday, Shanghai
Comme des Garcons at the Met (62473)
Crested myna, Osaka, Japan
Dark Small-branded Swift
Daurian redstart at Daisen Park in Osaka, January 2016
Douglas MacArthur signs formal surrender
Extermination of Evil Tenkeisei
Forces returning 2
Gasshukoku suishi teitoku kōjōgaki (Oral statement by the American Navy admiral)
Geisha Kyoto Gion
Geisha-kyoto-2004-11-21
Golden gate of Ueno Tōshō-gū Shinto shrine, Tokyo, Japan
Great Wave off Kanagawa2
Hasegawa Tohaku - Pine Trees (Shōrin-zu byōbu) - left hand screen
Hasegawa Tohaku - Pine Trees (Shōrin-zu byōbu) - right hand screen
Heart Mountain Relocation Center, Heart Mountain, Wyoming. In his barracks home at Block 7 - 21 - NARA - 539206 - Restoration
Hegassen scroll
Hiroshige II - Kishu kumano iwatake tori - Shokoku meisho hyakkei
HiroshimaPeaceMemorialPanorama-2
HoryujiYumedono0363edit4
Hyochangwon as Korea's first golf course
ISS Aug2005
ISS March 2009
Instrument of surrender Japan2
JAPAN-10-Constitutional Monarchy-One Yen (1873)
JAPAN-M7-Tsingtao-10 Sen (1914)
Japan 1870 20 Yen (alt)
Japanese Squirrel edit2
Japanese archer 1878b
Japanese pygmy woodpecker in Sakai, Osaka, February 2016
Japanese white-eye at Tennōji Park in Osaka, January 2016 III
Japaneseweavera
Japanmakaken im Jigokudani Monkey Park bei der Fellpflege
Kabukicho red gate and colorful neon street signs at night, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
Khalili Collections A Composite Imaginary View of Japan
Kiyonaga bathhouse women-2
Koku Saitcho shounin
KyotoFushimiInariLarge
Lagopus muta japonica Mount Tsubakuro
Leucanthemum paludosum May 2008
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 01
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 02
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 03
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 04
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 05
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 06
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 07
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 08
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 09
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 10
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 11
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 12
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 13
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 14
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 15
Line scan photo of Shinkansen N700A Series Set G13 in 2017, car 16
MAL-M10b-Malaya-Japanese Occupation-1000 Dollars ND (1945)
MAL-M1b-Malaya-Japanese Occupation-One Cent ND (1942)
MAL-M2a-Malaya-Japanese Occupation-Five Cents ND (1942)
MAL-M3b-Malaya-Japanese Occupation-10 Cents ND (1942)
MAL-M4b-Malaya-Japanese Occupation-50 Cents ND (1942)
MAL-M5c-Malaya-Japanese Occupation-One Dollar ND (1942)
MAL-M6c-Malaya-Japanese Occupation-Five Dollars ND (1942)
MAL-M7c-Malaya-Japanese Occupation-10 Dollars ND (1944)
MAL-M8b-Malaya-Japanese Occupation-100 Dollars ND (1944)
MAL-M9-Malaya-Japanese Occupation-100 Dollars ND (1945)
Mamoru Shigemitsu signs the Instrument of Surrender, officially ending the Second World War
Manzanar calisthenics 0016u
Manzanar portrait Toyo Miyatake 00100u
Maresuke Nogi, 近世名士写真其1 - Photo only
Mazda RX-8 on freeway
NI-119b-Netherlands Indies-Japanese Occupation-1 Cent (1942)
NI-120c-Netherlands Indies-Japanese Occupation-5 Cents (1942)
NI-121a-Netherlands Indies-Japanese Occupation-10 Cents (1942)
NI-122b-Netherlands Indies-Japanese Occupation-half Gulden (1942)
NI-123-Netherlands Indies-Japanese Occupation-1 Gulden (1942)
NI-124c-Netherlands Indies-Japanese Occupation-5 Gulden (1942)
NI-125c-Netherlands Indies-Japanese Occupation-10 Gulden (1942)
Nagasakibomb
Nagoya Castle(Edit2)
Noru 2017-07-31 0415Z
OCE-1a-Oceania-Japanese Occupation-Half Shilling ND (1942)
OCE-2a-Oceania-Japanese Occupation-One Shilling ND (1942)
OCE-3a-Oceania-Japanese Occupation-10 Shillings ND (1942)
OCE-4a-Oceania-Japanese Occupation-One Pound ND (1942)
Ogata Gekko - Ryu sho ten edit
Olympus E-M1 Mark III Zuiko 12-100mm
PHI-102b-Japanese Government (Philippines)-1 Centavo (1942)
PHI-103b-Japanese Government (Philippines)-5 Centavos (1942)
PHI-104b-Japanese Government (Philippines)-10 Centavos (1942)
PHI-105b-Japanese Government (Philippines)-50 Centavos (1942)
PHI-106-Japanese Government (Philippines)-1 Peso (1942)
PHI-107A-Japanese Government (Philippines)-5 Pesos (1942)
PHI-108-Japanese Government (Philippines)-10 Pesos (1942)
PHI-109-Japanese Government (Philippines)-1 Peso (1943)
PHI-110-Japanese Government (Philippines)-5 Pesos (1943)
PHI-111-Japanese Government (Philippines)-10 Pesos (1943)
PHI-112-Japanese Government (Philippines)-100 Pesos (1944)
PHI-114-Japanese Government (Philippines)-500 Pesos (1944)
PHI-115-Japanese Government (Philippines)-1000 Pesos (1945)
Panorama of Edo bw
Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima, larger - edit1
Red Fuji southern wind clear morning
Rhinogobius flumineus(Hamamatsu,Shizuoka,Japan)
STS-134 International Space Station after undocking
Sake barrels at Itsukushima Shrine
Samurai with sword
Sesshu - Haboku-Sansui - complete
Shimano Hyperglide cassette 8-speed CS-HG51 11-32
Shoki2
Somagahana Fuchiemon restored
Suikoden
The Illustration of The Siberian War, No. 16. The Japanese Army Occupied Vragaeschensk
The brown-eared bulbul after playing with water
Tokyo Stabbing
Torii path with lantern at Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine, Kyoto, Japan
Two Lovers Beneath an Umbrella in the Snow
USS Bunker Hill hit by two Kamikazes
Zhou Maoshu Appreciating Lotuses
カランダガンジャパンカップ優勝時