| Japan Capital:Tokyo Country Code: jp |
 日本 日本 日本 日本 日本 日本誉称：樱花之国 国旗：日章旗（にっしょうき），呈长方形，长与宽之比为3∶2。旗面为白色。白色象征正直和纯洁，红色象征真诚和热忱。日本国一词意即“日出之国”。 日本国旗也称作“太阳旗”旗面上一轮红日居中，辉映着白色的旗面。传说日本是太阳神创造的，而天皇就是太阳神的子孙。 国徽：圆形绘有16瓣黄色的菊花瓣 国歌：《君之代》 国花：樱花 国鸟：绿雉 国石：小晶 现任天皇：明仁（年号‘平成’）2008年为平成20年，日本人有部分人用天皇年号记年的习惯 皇后：美智子（婚前名：正田美智子，日本有婚后夫妻和为一姓的习惯，但多为女性改为夫姓） 内阁总理大臣（首相）：福田康夫 日本国于1956年12月18日加入联合国 旧名： 倭国（《山海经》倭属燕，古代代称）、东洋（东灜）、扶桑 人口： 1.2777亿人（截至日本总务省2008年1月1日估计），其中男性为6233万人；女性为6542万人。日本出现严重少子化及老龄化现象。日本65岁以上老年人口占日本总人口21%。 民族与宗教： 主要民族为和族，北海道地区约有2.4万阿伊努族人。通用日语，北海道地区有少量人会阿伊努语。主要宗教为神道教和佛教，信仰人口分别占宗教人口的49.6％和44.8％。 首都： 东京（とうきょう）（Tokyo），人口约1229万（截至2003年2月）。东京为日本最大的城市，１月平均气温3℃，８月气温为25℃。 国名由来： 日本原来并不叫日本。在古代日本神话中，日本人称其为“八大洲”“八大岛国”等。据《汉书》《后汉书》 记载,我国古代称日本为“倭”或“倭国”。公元五世纪，日本统一后，国名定为“大和”。因为古代日本人崇尚太阳神，所以将太阳视为本国的图腾。相传在七世纪初，日本的圣德太子在致隋炀帝的国书中写道：“日出处太子致日落处太子”，这就是日本国名的雏形。直到七世纪后半叶，日本遣唐史将其国名改为“日本”，意为“太阳升起的地方”，其后沿用，成为日本的正式国名。《新唐书·日本传》中有记载：咸亨元年（670年），倭国遣使入唐，此时倭国已“稍习夏言，恶倭名，更号日本。使者自言，因近日出，以为名。”此外，在汉语中，“扶桑”“东瀛”也是日本国名的别称。 倒幕运动 19世纪中期的日本处于德川幕府的统治之下，是一个封建农业国家。1853年，美国军舰来到日本，强迫日本“开国”。此后，美国和其他国家先后与日本签订了不平等条约。面对民族危机，日本国内爆发了推翻幕府统治的运动，并于1868年建立了改革派的新政权，年号明治。 足球队吉祥物： 不死鸟 【概述】 1、地理位置 日本位于亚欧大陆东端，是一个四面临海的岛国，自东北向西南呈弧状延伸。东部和南部为一望无际的太平洋，西临日本海、东海，北接鄂霍次克海，隔海分别和朝鲜、中国、俄罗斯、菲律宾等国相望。 2、面积和地区划分 根据1998年的最新测量，包括北方四岛（择捉岛、国后岛、色丹岛、齿舞群岛）在内，日本国土总面积377880平方公里，约相当于俄罗斯的1／45，中国和美国的1／25。 日本的国土由北海道、本州、九州、四国4个大岛和6848个小岛组成，东西宽300公里，南北长3500公里。 日本的国土习惯上自北向南分为北海道、东北、关东、中部、近畿、中国、四国、九州等8个地区，不是行政上的划分。领海面积310000平方公里。与俄罗斯存在“北方四岛”（俄方名为“南千岛群岛”）领土争端，与韩国存在竹岛（韩方名为“独岛”）领土争端。 3、地形、地势 日本境内多山，山地成脊状分布于日本的中央，将日本的国土分割为太平洋一侧和日本海一侧,山地和丘陵占总面积的71％。 日本位于太平洋火山地震带上，火山活动频繁，给当地人们的生活带来了很大麻烦。全国有160多座火山，其中50多座是活火山，为世界上有名的地震区。富士山是全国的最高峰，海拔3776米。在火山分布地区，景色优美，温泉资源丰富，成为著名的观光疗养地。 4、河流、平原、湖泊 日本的河流大多发源于中部山地，向东西两侧流入太平洋和日本海。由于日本东西狭窄，加之山势陡峭，河流多短而急促。在梅雨和台风季节，水量增大，容易形成洪水。为此，日本修筑了大量的堤防和水库，用于防洪。河水广泛用于生活用水、农业和工业用水、水力发电。 日本的平原主要分布在河流的下游近海一带，多为冲积平原，规模较小，较大的平原有关东平原、石狩平原、越后平原、浓尾平原、十胜平原等。 最大的湖泊是琵琶湖，面积672.8平方公里。 5、海岸线和海洋 日本海岸线全长33889公里。由于日本是一个岛国，因此其海岸线十分复杂。西部日本海一侧多悬崖峭壁，港口稀少，东部太平洋一侧多入海口，形成许多天然良港。 在东部太平洋一侧自南向北均被日本暖流（黑潮）环绕、东北部形成千岛寒流（亲潮），西部日本海一侧是对马暖流和里曼寒流。在寒流和暖流交汇处，鱼类资源丰富，成为天然渔场。 由于地处海洋的包围之中，属温带海洋性季风气候，终年温和湿润，冬无严寒，夏无酷暑。夏秋两季多台风，6月份多梅雨。1月平均气温北部－6℃，南部16℃；7月北部17℃，南部28℃。年降水量700—3500毫米，最高达4000毫米以上。近年,导致海水升温的厄尔尼诺现象也对日本产生影响，主要是梅雨持续时间延长，容易形成冷夏和暖冬。 6、地貌地质 从板块构造学说的观点，日本位于亚欧板块和太平洋板块的消亡边界，为西太平洋岛弧-海岸山脉-海沟组合的一部分。全国68%的地域是山地。日本最高的山是著名的富士山，海拔3,776米。由于平原较少，日本很多山上都种植农作物，最大的平原为关东平原。日本位于环太平洋火山地震带，全球有十分之一的火山位在日本，在全国都时常会发生火山活动。严重的地震则每一个世纪都会发生几次；近年发生的阪神大地震、新潟县中越地震都是芮氏地震规模6级以上的强震，受到世界各国关注。日本的温泉很多，并且已经发展成为旅游景点。 由于日本的岛屿呈北东向延伸得很长，南北跨越纬度约20度，因此有许多种气候类型。气候类型大部分是温带季风气候，南部的九州岛、四国、琉球群岛（归属存在争议）有副热带季风气候。北部的岛屿夏天温暖，冬天则十分漫长、寒冷，还时常有大量降雪。而中西部地区则冬天比较干燥，很少下雪，夏天潮湿。 日本是岛国，又深受黑潮影响，海洋性气候显着。 【简史】 约公元1世纪，日本各地有100多个小国（其中有的与东汉建立了外交关系）。后来，这些小国逐渐得到统一。 到了公元4世纪，在关西地方建立了比较大的国家，据说最终将它们统一起来的是当今天皇家族的祖先。当时，日本国的范围包括本州西部、九州北部及四国。 于是，经过了漫长的岁月，国家才得以统一。所以很难对日本国诞生的确实年代作出准确的判定。据《古事记》和《日本书纪》记载，第一代天皇——神武天皇于公元前660年建国并即位，即位日相当于现在的公历2月11日，因此就把这一天定为“建国纪念日”。 绳文时代 从洪积世起，日本列岛上就有人类的祖先生活，日本人种及日语原型的形成则被认为是1万年前至公元前3世纪前后的绳文时代。当时，人们数人或十人一户居住在竖坑式草屋，以狩猎、捕捞及采集为生，构成了贫富与阶级差别的社会。 弥生时代 公元前3世纪，水稻种植和金属器具使用技术由朝鲜转入九州北部。稻作技术给日本社会带来了划时代的变化，它扩大了生产，产生了贫富等级差别，使农村共同体趋向政治集团化。农耕带来的信仰、礼仪、风俗习惯也逐渐传播开来，形成了日本文化的原型。 飞鸟时代 公元4世纪中期，大和政权统一了割据的小国。随着国家的统一，以前方后圆坟为代表的古坟广大到各个地方。这个时期是中国许多知识和技术传入日本的时期。4世纪，大和政权吸引了大陆的高度物质文明。到了5世纪，来自朝鲜半岛的外来人（归化人）带来了铁器生产、制陶、纺织、金属工艺及土木等技术。同时已开始使用中国的汉字。6世纪，正式接受儒教，佛教也传入日本。 7世纪，圣德太子致力于政治革新，并以“大化革新”为契机，着手建立一个以天皇为中心的中央集权国家。这个做法仿效了隋、唐，而且此时更加积极地摄取大陆文化。至9世纪末期先后共派出10多次遣隋使和遣唐使。 奈良时代 公元710年，日本定都平城京（现在的奈良市以及近郊），迎来了律令国家的兴盛时期。但是，此时农民贫困、游民增加，由于庄园扩大而导致公地公民制的实质上的崩溃等，矛盾开始暴露出来。 这个时期由于国家极力保护佛教，因此，佛教文化，特别是佛教美术开始繁荣起来。如7世纪初期开创日本佛教文化的飞鸟文化；7世纪后期独具一格的白凤文化；8世纪中叶在唐代鼎盛期文化的影响下以写实手法体现人类丰富情感的天平文化等等。 与佛教美术相媲美，这个时期文化方面的金字塔是《万叶集》。《万叶集》收集了8世纪中叶前约400年间，下至庶民上至天皇所作的大约4500首和歌，如实反映了古代日本人的朴素的生活情感。此外，现在还保存着的日本最古老的历史书籍《古事记》（712年）最古敕撰历史书《日本书纪》（720年）、最古的汉诗集《怀风藻》（751年）等等都是这个时期的文化遗产。 平安时代 8世纪末，日本将都城移至平安京（现在的京都市），试图重建律令体制。但由于公地公民制的崩溃，国家陷入了财政困难。894年派出最后一批遣唐使后便告终止，就此不在大量摄取大陆文化。 10—11世纪，藤原氏垄断政权，以庄园为经济基础，势力最为强盛。但是，由于地方政治的混乱，导致治安混乱，武士集团强大起来。到11世纪末，为对抗藤原开始实行“院政”（指日本平安时代后期上皇、法皇代理天皇执政）。于是，武士进入了中央政界。 平安时代以中国文化为特色。9世纪时受唐朝影响，密教和汉学方面的弘仁、贞观文化还十分繁荣。但是10世纪后与大陆的直接交流断绝后，便产生了日本独特的贵族文化。其代表有第一部敕撰和歌集《古今和歌集》（10世纪初）、世界上最古老的长篇小说《源氏物语》（11世纪初）、随笔《枕草子》（公元1000年前后）等等一批文艺作品。 镰仓时代 12世纪末，源赖朝受封第一代征夷大将军，并在镰仓建立幕府，从此诞生了武士政权，由此产生了武家政治和公家（指朝廷公卿、贵族）政治的对立。13世纪后期，幕府的武士统治开始面临困难，镰仓幕府逐渐走上灭亡的道路。 在文化方面，以过去的贵族文化为基础，摄取宋朝时传入日本的禅宗文化，培育了生动、写实、朴素及独特的武家文化。在宗教方面，由法然、亲鸾、日莲等著名僧人创建了镰仓佛教，获得了各阶层的信仰。12世纪传入日本的禅宗受到了关东武士的重视，艺术领域也出现了新的倾向。文学方面出现了以源平合战为背景小说《平家物语》（原作诞生于13世纪初），是日本古代军记物语的杰出代表。 室町时代 14世纪的前半期，征夷大将军足利义满稳定了京都的室町幕府以后，2个多世纪内在政治、文化方面，武家都压倒公家，处于优势。由于室町幕府是聚集了各有力大名而建立的，因此幕府本身的统治能力薄弱。应仁元年（1467年）一月，应仁之乱爆发，全国各地的大名纷纷而起，室町幕府摇摇欲坠，日本进入战国时代。战国大名成了统治当地土地及人民的强而有力的独立政权。 在文化方面，无论是贵族还是武家的文化，都受到禅宗的影响。14世纪末期以金阁寺为代表的北山文化及15世纪末期以银阁寺为代表的东山文化都十分发达。16世纪中叶，葡萄牙人、西班牙人来到日本，传入了枪炮和基督教。那是文化方面充满生气的时代。 战国时代（室町末期及安土、桃山时代） 应仁之乱后，日本各地大名纷纷崛起，战火纷飞，民不聊生。16世纪中叶，一位决心以武力统一日本、结束乱世的枭雄出现，他就是织田信长。永禄三年（1560年），织田信长在桶狭间以两千人马击败今川义元四万大军，名声大振。尔后逐步统一尾张、近畿，并准备进攻山阴、山阳。在此期间，信长修筑了气势宏大的安土城。因此，信长的时代被称为“安土时代”。 天正十年（1582年），本能寺之变爆发，信长身亡。织田重臣羽柴秀吉先后击败明智光秀及柴田胜家，确立了自己的继承人地位。此后经过四国征伐、九州征伐、小田原之战，逐步统一日本。后被天皇赐姓“丰臣”，并受封“关白”一职。丰臣秀吉的时代被称为“桃山时代”。 庆长三年（1598年），丰臣秀吉在伏见城病逝。丰臣家裂分为近江（西军）和尾张（东军）两派。身为丰臣政权五大老之一的德川家康于庆长五年（1600年）发动关原合战，大败西军，建立德川政权。庆长八年（1603年），德川幕府建立，战国时代结束。 江户时代 庆长八年（1603年），德川家康受封征夷大将军，在江户（现东京）建立幕府政权，此后260多年，德川家统治全国。这段时期被称作江户时代。德川幕府严格控制天皇、贵族、寺院神社，并费尽心计统治着支撑幕藩体制的农民。元和九年（1623年），德川家第三代将军德川家光就职，下令锁国。除开放长崎、界作为对外港口外，一律禁止外国人来日本，也禁止日本人远渡海外。由于闭关自守，幕藩体制迎来了安定时期。但是随着产业的发达、商品经济的发展，农民自给自足的经营体制系崩溃，18世纪起幕藩体制开始动摇。 庶民文化是这个时期的特色。17世纪后期至18世纪初期的元禄文化是以京都、大阪等上方（日本关东地方人称京都、大阪为上方）地区为中心的武士和商人的文化。人偶净琉璃、歌舞伎、浮世绘、文人画等呈现出绚丽多彩的商人文化。 明治时代 江户幕府末期，天灾不断，幕府统治腐败，民不聊生。且幕府财政困难，使大部分中下级武士对幕府日益不满。同时，西方资本主义列强以坚船利炮叩开锁国达200余年的日本国门。 在内忧外患的双重压力下，日本人逐渐认识到，只有推翻幕府统治，向资本主义国家学习，才是日本富强之路。于是一场轰轰烈烈的倒幕运动展开了。在这场推翻幕府统治的运动中，萨摩、长州两藩武士起着重大的作用。1868年1月3日，代表资产阶级和新兴地主阶级利益的倒幕派，在有“维新三杰”之称的大久保利通、西乡隆盛、木户孝允的领导下，成功发动政变，迫使德川幕府第15代将军德川庆喜交出政权，并由新即位的明治天皇颁布“王政复古”诏书。这就日本历史上的“明治维新”。日本从此走上资本主义道路。 1868年（明治二年），明治天皇迁都江户，并改名为东京。之后从政治、经济、文教、外交等方面进行了一系列重大的改革。明治初期，日本重视轻工业，19世纪90年代，生丝和棉花纺织业已经为典型工业。生丝全国出口量第一，棉花和纱代替了茶叶，出口量仅次于生丝。渐渐地，日本成了生丝和棉的出口大国。但与此相对照的是，日本的重工业在此时期发展缓慢。日本国力逐渐强大。后来在甲午中日战争（日本方面称“日清战争”）及日俄战争中打败中国北洋舰队，全歼俄国太平洋舰队和波罗的海舰队。日本成为帝国主义列强之一。 大正时代、昭和时代 与明治时代取得的历史性进一步相比，大正天皇被称为“不幸的大正”。大正天皇在位15年（1912—1926年），政绩还不如明治，而且他一生为脑病所困，最后被迫让权疗养，由裕仁亲王摄政。 1926年，裕仁登基，年号“昭和”，即昭和天皇。昭和时代前30年，对于中国、朝鲜、东南亚及太平洋地区人民来说，是黑暗的30年。这时的日本政府致力于侵略扩张。1931年9月18日，“九·一八事变”爆发，日军不久后侵占中国满洲。1937年7月7日，日军挑起“卢沟桥事变”，发动全面侵华战争。1941年12月7日，日军偷袭珍珠港，太平洋战争爆发。这一时期，不仅给中国、朝鲜、东南亚及太平洋地区人民带来深重的灾难，也给日本人民带来巨大的痛苦。这是日本历史以及中日关系史上最黑暗的时期。 1945年8月15日，日军投降。美军占领日本，改日本专制天皇制为君主立宪制，天皇作为日本的象征被保留下来。 1972年7月，田中角荣出任日本首相，开始执行“多边自主”外交。同年9月田中访华，于9月29日与周恩来总理签署《中日联合声明》，宣布中日正式建交。1978年8月中日两国缔结中日和平友好条约。1978年10月邓小平副总理应邀访问日本，宣布和平友好条约正式生效。中日两国关系从此趋于正常化。 1989年1月7日，昭和天皇病逝。皇太子明仁即位，改年号为“平成”。 麦克阿瑟与日本 1951年4月16日晨，被杜鲁门总统解除了占领军司令职务的麦克阿瑟就要回国了，对他的离去除少数日本高官外没有通知任何人。但当麦克坐上汽车时才发现，从他下榻的官邸直到厚木机场，上百万日本人自发的站在街道两旁为他送行。当车队经过时传来日本人发自内心的高呼声：大元帅。老麦克热泪盈眶。此时此刻有多少人能想到麦克阿瑟曾与日本人结下的血海深仇。 1942年3月11日，麦克阿瑟乘快艇离开科雷吉多尔要塞，在他的身后是即将陷落的巴丹，是10万弹尽粮绝的部队以及等待着他们的无尽的苦难。他这一跑就跑到了澳大利亚，在随后3年多的时间里，他又率领一支百万大军冲破了日本人一道又一道用尸体筑成的堤坝，从遥远的墨尔本一直打到了东京。甚至可以这样说，世界上没有任何一个人象麦克一样双手沾满那么多日本人的鲜血。从莱特湾直到他降落在日本厚木机场，都有数不清的特攻队员甘愿驾机相撞，与他同归于尽。 日本人对他和他对日本人都同样恨之入骨，但令日本人不解的是，当日本代表在密苏里号战舰上签字投降后，老麦克发表的是一篇充满激情.呼唤和平.正义和宽容而不是仇恨的演讲。 战后的日本国破家亡经济崩溃，连国会议员的工作午餐也不过是一碗地瓜稀饭，饥饿笼罩了日本。这时老麦克挺身而出，向国内施加巨大压力，迫使美国政府让步。350万吨粮食和20亿美圆的经济援助紧急送往日本。他不仅保留了日本政府，更顶住压力赦免了天皇，他甚至关心普通日本复员军人的命运，给他们以生活的出路。 在麦克阿瑟的表率作用下，40万登陆美军也用他们的克制.善意.理想主义和献身精神征服了日本人。当在日本狭窄的城市街巷里，日本平民与美国大兵相遇而通过困难时，总是美国兵站在一旁让日本人先走。日本人不能不扪心自问，如果他们是胜利者，他们自己能做得到吗？ 当然老麦克带给日本的不仅是宽容，为消除亚洲的这个战争策源地，他进行了大刀阔斧的改革。他帮助日本制定了全世界独一无二的宪法，放弃了任何主权国家都不能放弃的权力—宣战权。当改革遇到阻力时，他大多会做出妥协，给日本人以最大的信任，但惟独在教育体制的改革上他寸步不让。他毫不留情的把美国的教育制度强加到了日本人的头上，而历史证明麦克阿瑟作对了。20多年后，日本著名作家三岛由纪夫为重振帝国军威，在一所军校里当众剖腹自杀，而台下1400名士官生竟无动于衷。现代日本青年百分之九十认为战争中投降是正常的，百分之七十五认为当兵和乞丐没有什么不同。与德国以青少年为主的新纳粹运动不同，当今日本的极右团体以中老年人为多。日本青年所追求的是自由.生命和财富。 【行政区划】 日本的都、道、府、县是平行的一级行政区，直属中央政府，但各都、道、府、县都拥有自治权。下设市、町、村。其办事机构称为“厅”，即“都厅”、“道厅”、“府厅”、“县厅”，行政长官称为“知事”。每个都、道、府、县下设若干个市、町(相当于中国的镇)、村。其办事机构称“役所”，即“市役所”、“町役所”、“村役所”，行政长官称为“市长”、“町长”、“村长”。 日本被划分为47个一级行政区：1都，1道，2府，43县。 首都：东京都【东京（とうきょう）】（Tokyo），位于本州关东平原南端，下辖23个特别区、27个市、5个町、8个村以及伊豆群岛和小笠原群岛，总面积2155平方公里，人口1254万。1868年，日本明治维新后，天皇由京都迁居至此，改江户为东京，这里成为日本国的首都。1943年，日本政府颁布法令，将东京市改为东京都，扩大了它的管辖范围。 东北: 北海道 | 青森县 | 岩手县 | 宫城县 | 秋田县 | 山形县 | 福岛县 关东: 东京都 | 茨城县 | 栃木县 | 群马县 | 埼玉县 | 千叶县 | 神奈川县 | 山梨县 中部: 新潟县 | 富山县 | 石川县 | 福井县 | 山梨县 | 长野县 | 岐阜县 | 静冈县 | 爱知县 | 三重县 近畿: 京都府 | 大阪府 | 三重县 | 滋贺县 | 兵库县 | 奈良县 | 和歌山县 中国: 鸟取县 | 岛根县 | 冈山县 | 广岛县 | 山口县 四国: 德岛县 | 香川县 | 爱媛县 | 高知县 九州: 福冈县 | 佐贺县 | 长崎县 | 熊本县 | 大分县 | 宫崎县 | 鹿児岛县 琉球诸岛: 冲绳县（二战末期美国为实现其遏制战略，将钓鱼岛置于美国的行政管理之下。1971年6月，美国又将钓鱼岛随同冲绳一起“归还”给日本。而日本正是依据这个明目张胆违反国际条约的所谓“协定”，于次年“接管”了钓鱼岛。中国政府立即发表声明，坚决反对“日美勾结”将中国领土钓鱼岛列入“归还区域”，指出这是完全非法的。） 【政治】 日本为君主立宪国，宪法订明“主权在民”，而天皇则为“日本国及人民团结的象征”。如同世界上多数君主立宪制度，天皇于日本只有元首名义，并无政治实权，但备受民众敬重。 日本政治体制三权分立：立法权归两院制国会；司法权归裁判所，即法院；行政权归内阁、地方公共团体及中央省厅。 宪法规定国家最高权力机构为国会，众议院480席，参议院242席。选民为20岁以上的国民。 从1955年起，原称保守合同的自由民主党（自民党）一直长期执政，只是曾在1993年至1996年间短暂被对手替代执政，1996年后就一直执政到今天。其余在野政党包括日本民主党、日本社会民主党、日本共产党等。现时日本自由民主党及公明党组成的联合政府执政。 宪法： 现行《日本国宪法》于1947年５月３日实施。宪法规定，国家实行以立法、司法和行政三权分立为基础的议会内阁制；天皇为日本国和日本国民总体的象征，无权参与国政；“永远放弃把利用国家权力发动战争、武力威胁或行使武力作为解决国际争端的手段，为达此目的，日本不保持陆、海、空军及其他战争力量，不承认国家的交战权”（第９条）。 政党： 战后日本实行“政党政治”，代表不同阶级、阶层的各种政党相继恢复或建立。目前参加国会活动的主要政党有自民党、民主党 、公明党、日本共产党、社民党。当前执政党是自民党，首相福田康夫。 【外交】 1.对外关系 近年来，日本外交呈全方位进取态势。积极展开大国外交，更加倚重美利坚合众国，加强日美安全合作，同时致力于稳定对华关系，深化与东盟关系，加强对欧关系，改善日俄和日朝关系。积极参与地区和国际政治、经济和安全事务，力争成为联合国安理会常任理事国。 与中国关系：1972年9月29日，中日两国签署《中日联合声明》，实现邦交正常化，1973年1月互设大使馆。中国在大阪、福冈、札幌、长崎，日本在上海、广州、沈阳和香港分别开设总领事馆。日本在大连设有驻沈阳总领馆办事处，在重庆设有驻华使馆领事部办事处。1978年8月12日，两国签署《中日和平友好条约》，同年１０月邓小平副总理访日，双方互换《中日和平友好条约》批准书。1998年11月，江泽民主席对日本进行国事访问，这是中国国家元首首次正式访日，中日两国发表了《关于建立致力于和平与发展的友好合作伙伴关系的联合宣言》。2006年9月日本首相访华，取得巨大成功，缓和两国间因历史问题不快，是中日关系改善重要标志。 2.领土纠纷 日本跟中国、韩国、俄罗斯等国家或地区都有领土争议。 钓鱼岛/尖阁诸岛 位于台湾东北方向，琉球群岛西南，中华人民共和国政府称钓鱼岛或钓鱼台（日本称尖阁诸岛），属台湾省管辖；但现由日本实际控制。美国在1972年移交琉球群岛的行政管辖权时把钓鱼岛一同移交的举动曾引发香港学生示威，而中国大陆和台湾省也有民间人士参与了保钓运动，其中于1996年香港保钓人士陈毓祥于钓鱼台水域抗议时遇溺死亡。 千岛列岛/北方四岛 千岛列岛/北方四岛位置.日本政府一直宣称对在二战期间被苏联占领，苏联解体后仍然由俄罗斯控制的千岛列岛最南端的国后、择捉、齿舞、色丹四岛（日本称北方四岛）、北部千岛列岛、南桦太（库页岛）拥有主权。 独岛/竹岛 日本亦宣称他们拥有位于日本海的竹岛（韩国称“独岛”）的“主权”，该岛现由韩国控制，韩国在这个岛上驻扎大量警察。 【经济实力】 日本GDP ：49113.62亿美元 (列第2位) 人均GDP ：38533美元 (2007年) 政府以资本扶持工业与企业、强大的劳动力、高科技的发展以及较低的军事预算比例（占GDP的1％），帮助日本经济高速发展，并成为当今科技发达程度仅次于美国的经济体，以及仅次于美国的全球第二大经济体。日本的经济特点是生产商、供应商和经销商的紧密结合及由银行为中心的财阀式金融模式；为加工型经济；强大的企业联盟；以及部分城市人口的终身就业保障。然而这些特点目前都正随著时代与社会环境变迁而慢慢流失。日本的经济支柱—工业需要倚赖进口的原材料和能源。而较小的农业则倚赖政府的补助与保护，日本的大米能够自给自足，但其他农作物的50％则需要进口。日本是全球最大的渔业国家之一，捕鱼量占全球总捕鱼量的近15％。日本经济自1950年代末期起，保持了20多年的高度成长：1960年代政府提出“所得倍增计划”，出现平均10％的增长；1973年虽然碰上石油危机，平均仍有5％的增长；1980年代则为平均4％的增长。而从20世纪90年代开始，日本经济趋于不景气，主要是由于20世纪80年代末的过度投资所造成的资产膨胀，以及证券及房地产市场的“泡沫化”，最终在逾放比过高与日元不断升值下，泡沫经济瓦解。政府改革经济的努力成效不大，不过，1997年的亚洲金融危机和2001年的美国经济衰退只为当时的日本经济带来轻微影响。虽然日本经济增长减缓，但失业率依旧长期处于低水平。拥挤的居住环境的以及人口老龄化是两大长期问题。机器人制造则是主要的长期经济优势，全球720000个机器人中，日本拥有410000个，可以说是机器人王国。1985年，日本己成为世界最大债权国，1986年底海外净资产一千八百零四亿美元。1993年日本海外资产上升到六千八百五十亿，日本成了世界最大的供应国，东京国际金融市场的作用正在扩大，日本正在朝金融大国化方向发展。 【军事实力】 二战后，美军对日实行单独军事占领，日本旧军队全部解散。朝鲜战争爆发后，美利坚合众国支持日本发展军事力量。日本防卫的基本政策是：在和平宪法下，实行专守防卫，坚持日美安保体制，确保文官统治，遵守非核三原则，有节制地增强防卫力量。1976年制订《防卫计划大纲》，提出防卫总体设想和扩军方针：保持均衡发展的防卫态势，坚持重视质量的建军原则，使之能独立应付有限的小规模战争。至1990年已基本达到大纲所定指标。1990年12月，日本内阁会议批准了新“中期防卫力量整备计划”（1991—1995年），规定5年军费总额为22.75万亿日元，计划的重点是注重质量，提高武器装备水平，加强后勤、情报、通信建设，更多地承担驻日美军费用等。1995年11月日本政府又批准总额约25.1万亿日元为期五年的新《防卫计划大纲》。2000年12月，日本政府制订了新一期防卫力量整备计划（2001—2005年），总经费高达25.16万亿日元。1954年颁布《防卫厅设置法》和《自卫队法》，正式建立陆、海、空力量组成的自卫队，并成立防卫厅。内阁首相对自卫队拥有最高指挥监督权。1956年成立国防会议。1986年7月“安全保障会议”取代原“国防会议”，负责处理各种突发事件和一切与国家安全有关的重大事宜，由首相任主席。防卫厅隶属总理府，长官由文职人员担任，受首相之命，通过陆、海、空军幕僚长（参谋长）统帅陆海空自卫队。统合幕僚会议（参谋长联席会议）是防卫厅长官的辅助机构，负责拟定和调整三军的作战、训练和后勤补给计划，搜集分析军事情报。2006年3月27日，日本防卫厅设立统一指挥陆海空自卫队的统合幕僚监部（联合参谋本部），取代过去的统合幕僚会议。日本陆海空自卫队的幕僚长过去分别听从防卫厅长官指挥，各自向所属自卫队下达命令。今后，统合幕僚长将在防卫厅长官授权下，统一指挥陆海空自卫队，并在“紧急”情况下组建“统合任务部队”，执行弹道导弹防御、大规模地震救灾、国际救援等任务。自卫队实行志愿兵役制。陆上自卫队服役期为2至3年，海、空自卫队为3年。 军队名称：自卫队 【文化传统】 日本独特的地理条件和悠久的历史，孕育了别具一格的日本文化。樱花、和服、俳句与武士、清酒、神道教构成了传统日本的两个方面——菊与剑。在日本有著名的 "三道"，即日本民间的茶道、花道、书道。 茶道也叫作茶汤（品茗会），自古以来就作为一种美感仪式受到上流阶层的无比喜爱。茶道是一种独特的饮茶仪式和社会礼仪。现在，茶道被用作训练集中精神，或者用于培养礼仪举止，为一般民众所广泛地接受。日本国内有许多传授茶道各流派技法的学校，不少宾馆也设有茶室，可以轻松地欣赏到茶道的表演。但日本的茶道最终是由中国唐朝贞观年间传到日本的。在古代，日本与中国造有往来。盛唐时期，日本曾派大量使臣来中国，受中国影响较深。日本人民称"中国是日本茶道的故乡"。 花道作为一种在茶室内再现野外盛开的鲜花的技法而诞生。因展示的规则和方法的有所不同，花道可分成20多种流派，日本国内也有许多传授花道各流派技法的学校。另外，在宾馆、百货商店、公共设施的大厅等各种场所，可以欣赏到装饰优美的插花艺术。 书道也称日本书法，是日本人的琴棋书画四大艺术之一。 相扑来源于日本神道的宗教仪式。人们在神殿为丰收之神举行比赛，盼望能带来好的收成。在奈良和平安时期，相扑是一种宫廷观赏运动，而到了镰仓战国时期，相扑成为武士训练的一部分。18世纪兴起了职业相扑运动，它与现在的相扑比赛极为相似。神道仪式强调相扑运动，比赛前的跺脚仪式（四顾）的目的是将场地中的恶鬼趋走，同时还起到放松肌肉的作用。场地上还要撒盐以达到净化的目的，因为神道教义认为盐能驱赶鬼魅。相扑比赛在台子上进行。整个台子为正方形，中部为圆圈，其直径为4.55米。比赛时，两位力士束发梳髻，下身系一条兜带，近乎赤身裸体上台比赛。比赛中，力士除脚掌外任何部分不得触及台子表面，同时也不得超出圆圈。比赛在一二分钟甚至几秒钟内便能决出胜负。相扑的裁判共由6人组成。主裁判由手持折扇“行司”登台担任，其余5人分别在正面、东面、西面及裁判席上。大力士的最高等级是“横纲”。下面是大关、关胁、小结、前颈，这四个等级被称为“幕内”，属于力土中的上层。再次是十两、幕下，除此之外还有更低级的三段目、序三段。处于序之口、序二段的学员只能做一些打水扫地之类的打杂工作，只有到了三段目的时候，师傅才会传授一些技术，而到了十两的学员就是职业相扑选手了，被称为“力士”，不仅有工资，而且还可以参加各种比赛赢取奖金。能到达关协和大关的选手已是寥寥无几了。相扑手一旦达到了横纲，几乎就可以说是站在了日本相扑界的顶点，将拥有终身至高无上的荣耀。现在日本相扑史上的横纲一共只有68位；相扑与许多运动不同的，它的等级是不定的，会应不参加比赛或失败而导致等级下滑。 和服是日本传统民族服装的称呼。它在日本也称“着物”。和服是仿照中国隋唐服式和吴服改制的，所以在日本被称为"吴服"和"唐衣"，和服是西方人对吴服的称谓，现在日本人已经接受的这个称谓，但是很多卖和服的商店，还是写着"吴服"。公元八至九世纪，日本一度盛行过“唐风”服装。以后虽有改变形成日本独特的风格，但仍含有中国古代服装的某些特色。妇女和服的款式和花色的差别是区别年龄和结婚与否的标志。例如，未婚的姑娘穿紧袖外服，已婚妇女穿宽袖外服；梳“岛田”式发型(日本式发型之一，呈钵状)，穿红领衬衣的是姑娘，梳圆发髻，穿素色衬衣的是主妇。和服不用纽扣，只用一条打结的腰带。腰带的种类很多，其打结的方法也各有不同。比较广泛使用的一种打结方法叫“太鼓结”，在后腰打结处的腰带内垫有一个纸或布做的芯子，看去像个方盒。这就是我们常看到的和服背后的装饰品。由于打结很费事，战后又出现了备有现成结的“改良带”和“文化带”。虽然今天日本人的日常服装早已为西服所替代，但在婚礼、庆典、传统花道、茶道以及其他隆重的社交场合，和服仍是公认的必穿礼服。 柔道在全世界有广泛声誉。柔道的基本原理不是攻击、而是一种利用对方的力量的护身之术，柔道家的级别用腰带的颜色（初级∶白/高级∶黑）来表示。 剑道是指从武士的重要武艺剑术中派生而出的日本击剑运动。比赛者按照严格的规则，身着专用防护具，用一把竹刀互刺对方的头、躯体以及手指尖。 空手道是经琉球王国（现在的冲绳）从中国传入日本的格斗运动。空手道不使用任何武器、仅使用拳和脚，与其它格斗运动相比，是一种相当具有实战意义的运动形式。 合气道原来只是一种用于练习“形式”的运动，其基本理念是对于力量不采用力量进行对抗。与柔道和空手道等运动相比，没有粗野感的合气道作为一种精神锻炼和健身运动，很受老年人和女性的欢迎。 书道，提起书法，相信不少人会认为它是中国独有的一门艺术。其实，书法在日本不仅盛行，更是人们修行养性的方式之一。古代日本人称书法叫「入木道」或「笔道」，直到江户时代(十七世纪)，才出现「书道」这个名词。在日本，用毛笔写汉字而盛行书法，应当是在佛教传入之后。僧侣和佛教徒模仿中国，用毛笔抄录经书。 能剧是日本的传统戏剧，也是世界上现存的最古老的戏剧之一。能剧源于古代舞蹈戏剧形式和12世纪或13世纪在日本的神社和寺院举行的各种节庆戏剧。“能”具有才能或技能的意义。演员通过面部表情和形体动作暗示故事的本质，而不是把它表现出来。现在这一剧种在日本仍具有顽强的生命力。 歌舞伎和能剧一样是日本最有代表性的传统戏曲之一。和中国的京剧一样，也是以音乐和舞蹈为中心，由台词、歌曲、武打场面等构成的综合舞台艺术。歌舞伎起源于17世纪初的一位叫做“出云の阿国（出云之阿国）”的女性，她非常善于表演当时的社会习俗，受到人们的极大欢迎。然而，此后随着时代的变迁，歌舞伎改成了全部角色都由男性扮演，即使是女性角色也一样，这个传统一直延续到了现在。 寿司是以生鱼片【刺身（さしみ）】、生虾、生鱼粉等为原料，配以精白米饭、醋、海鲜、辣根等，捏成饭团后食用的一种食物。寿司的种类很多，不下数百种，各地区的寿司也有不同的特点。大多数是先用米饭加醋调制，再包卷鱼、肉、蛋类，加以紫菜或豆皮。吃生鱼寿司时，饮日本绿茶或清酒，别有一番风味。 【教育体制】 学制为小学6年、国中（初中）3年、高中3年、大学4年、大专2—3年。实行12年义务教育。大学有国立大学、公立大学和私立大学。日本是一个非常重视教育的国家，教师的地位非常高，著名的国立综合大学有东京大学，京都大学、名古屋大学、大阪大学、北海道大学，以及著名的私立大学早稻田大学和庆应大学等。 【新闻出版】 综合性日报社有121家。全国有影响的报纸通称六大报：《朝日新闻》、《读卖新闻》、《每日新闻》、《日本产经新闻》、《东京新闻》、《日本经济新闻》。全国发行的三大地方报为：《中日新闻》、《北海道新闻》、《西日本新闻》。较有影响的杂志有：《中央公论》、《东洋经济》、《经济学人》、《文艺春秋》等。广播电台、电视台有近200家。全国性的电视、广播公司主要有：日本广播协会（ＮＨＫ），1952年成立，属半官方性质；东京广播公司（ＴＢＳ），1951年成立；日本电视广播网公司（ＮＴＶ），1953年成立。除日本广播协会外，其他电视广播公司均为私营。共同通讯社是日本最大的通讯社，简称共同社。时事通讯社是日本第二大通讯社，简称时事社。 【文字语言】 日文文字分为汉字和假名,汉字有两种读法,一种是音读,一种是训读；假名又分为平假名和片假名。不论是平假名或片假名的字型都仿自中文。日本古代没有文字，和我国有了文化上的交流之后，日本人就利用汉字的草书字形创造了平假名，利用汉字的偏旁部首创造了片假名。也因为外来的语言、外国人名地名。拟声拟态语、动植物名。日文中平(ひら)是容易、简单的意思，片(かた)则是片面、不完全之意。如果觉得不太好记的话，就记得日本人平常生活上用的就是『平假名』，字体看起来像用的，一片一片的就是『片假名』了。日本语的发音并不困难，它基本上是由(あいうえお)五个母音为主所串成的音节。和汉语有十多个母音比较起来少了许多，而且日本语有的母音，汉语大致上都有。 【风俗民情】 日本人之间打招呼：基本上是以鞠躬来表示的。站着的时候，双脚合拢、直立，弯腰低头。从一般性行礼到上身至90度的鞠躬。根据礼节轻重程度的不同，低头的角度是各种各样的。在铺着“たたみ”(榻榻米)的房间里，必须要坐着行礼。以“正座”的姿势上身弯下，两手放在前面着地然后低头。 一般日本人行礼致意是互不接触身体的，传统上也没有握手的习惯。日本人有时候也握手，但大多在和外国人、竞选人和选民或明星和影迷等特殊场合。 坐的姿势：在学校、公司一般都坐椅子的。但在家庭里，日本人仍然保持着传统的坐在“たたみ”（榻榻米）上的生活。最近，在普通家庭里，西洋式的居室和餐室多起来了，所以不坐“たたみ”（榻榻米）的年轻一代在逐渐增多。 招手：把手掌朝下轻轻地放开，手腕从前方朝自己一边来回摆动几次。这种方式没有性别、年龄的限制，都能使用。但对地位、辈份高的人这样招手是失礼的，要尽量避免。 自己：表示“那是我”、“是我吗？”等意思时，用食指指着自己的鼻子。 万岁：这是在比赛中获胜或碰上好运时，举手表示高兴的动作。多数情况是，大家一起同时欢呼“万岁”，以表示庆贺幸运和祝愿幸福的心情。 洗澡：日本人洗澡不仅是为了洗净身体，而且是将身体浸在浴池里，慢慢地暖和身体的一种习惯。所以洗身体和去除污垢都在浴池外面进行。浴池里的热水可以加温，当热水减少时，可以再添水加温。几个人进同一个浴池，意味着大家是非常亲近、互相信任的朋友，最后一个人洗完澡后，放掉浴池里的水。 不吉利的数字：日本人忌讳“4”和“9”。因为“4”的读音和“死”相同；“9”和“苦”的读音相同，“9”意味着苦。 原本日本人年并不忌讳“13”的，但因欧美忌讳“13”这个数字，而受到欧美文化影响日本有许多人也开始觉得“13”也是不吉利的数字。现在日本许多旅馆房间号和停车位没有4、9、13这几个数字。 不收小费制：第二次世界大战前，一部分旅馆和交通机构有收小费的习惯，近年来基本上没有了。 在日本不宜有的习惯： 在人前接吻：日本人认为在人前接吻是难为情的事。 拥抱：接触他人的身体，在日本被认为是失礼的行为。男女之间除恋爱关系的双方外，一般不握手。 在人前嚼口香糖：允许抽烟，但嚼口香糖不行。别人没吃，自己独自吃东西，也被视为失礼。 穿着鞋子进屋：进入日本住宅，必须脱鞋。 窥视别人家的厨房：在日本，访问别人家庭时，窥视厨房是不礼貌的行为。 民事纠纷轻易诉诸法院：日本人在个人生活中比契约关系更重视信赖关系。因此，遇事大多数通过当事人之间的协商解决或通过中间人解决。唯有当事人之间的关系明显恶化时才上法院。律师的人数仅是美国的1/30。 日本人不邀请工作上的客人进家门： 日本人不习惯在自己家里接待业务上的客人或全家出来交际。除个体经营外，妻子都不参与丈夫的工作。 在有必要和业务方面的客户联谊时，就到专门提供酒宴的地方举行。 干部有时也在家里招待部下、与自己地位相同的人或上司，一般只限于建造新房的时候。 【节日假期】 元旦——1月1日民间历来就有庆新年之风俗，但确定为国家节日是在1948年。按传统习俗，“大晦日”（除夕）进行大扫除。门前摆上松、竹、梅（“松门”）（现多已改为画片代替），以示吉祥如意。除夕完餐，全家吃过年面（荞麦面条），饭后一面看专为新年播送的电视节目，一面等待新年钟声，称“守岁”。元旦早餐吃杂煮（年糕汤），喝屠苏酒，吃“御节料理“（各种美味及节日菜肴）。元旦一般休假5~7天。 成人节——1月15日 1948年定为国家节日。按日本法律规定：20岁为成年。这一天凡年满20岁的青年都身着盛装去参加成人庆祝仪式。并以这一天为人生的新起点，开始具备履行法律的权利和义务。 建国纪念日——2月11日日本神话传说，公元前660年2月11日神武天皇统一日本后建立日本国，并作了日本第一代天皇。旧时（二战结束前）称为“纪元节”，1945年被废除，1966年恢复后改称为现名。 建国纪念日——2月11日 1966年12月，佐藤内阁提出把2月11日作为建国纪念日，第二年开始实施。缘由公元前660年2月11日第一代天皇建国即位。 樱花祭——3月15日 阳春三月樱花盛开，日本人民认为樱花具有高雅、刚劲、清秀质朴和独立的精神。他们把樱花作为勤劳、勇敢、智慧的象征。一般日本人选择在这个时候出游，赏樱，同时也是赞美大自然，放松身心的绝好时刻。不过同种植物的花期不可能实在同一天，总有先后；而且樱花的花期很短，所以在三月这个樱花观赏月里选定了15日（三月中旬）为樱花节（这时候绝大多樱花也开了，早樱还未全谢）。 樱花是日本的国花。“欲问大和魂，朝阳底下看山樱。”樱花在日本已经有一千多年的历史，日本人认为人生短暂，活着就要像樱花一样灿烂。而且，樱花热烈、纯洁、高尚，严冬过后，它最先带来春天的消息。因此，日本政府把每年的3月15日至4月15日定为“樱花节”。这时，人们带上亲属，邀上友人，在樱花树下席地而坐，边赏樱、边畅饮，实为人生一大快事。 女儿节——3月3日 祈求女孩健康成长并获得幸福 春分——3月20日 旧称“春季皇灵祭”，是天皇春季祭祖的日子，日本人也在这一天进行扫墓活动，祭祀自己的祖先。这一天，也是赞美大自然，爱护生物的日子。 绿节——4月29日 原昭和天皇生日 宪法纪念日——5月3日 1947年5月3日日本国宪法实行 男孩节——5月5日 祝愿男孩子茁壮成长，1948年定为国定节日（旧时称为“端午节”），现作为男孩子的节日。这一天凡有男孩子的家庭都在屋顶悬挂布制大鲤鱼（称“鲤帜”），门上摆菖蒲叶，全家吃糕团粽子。 夏日祭——8月15日 在这天政府会举办祭奠游行，政府及其民间的社团会举行很多表演，人们装上漂亮的和服，上街逛街，买东西，参加娱乐活动（也就是中国所说的游园）；周边的店面在这天也会装饰一新，开展各种特别活动。这种庙会的原始习俗原先来自中国，后来传到日本，结合日本的本土文化，就有了今天各种各样的祭奠活动，逐渐形成了日本自己的民族文化特色。 盂兰盆会————农历七月十五 在农历七月十五举行。盂兰盆节是日本民间最大的传统节日，又称"魂祭"、"灯笼节"、"佛教万灵会"等，原是追祭祖先、祈祷冥福的日子，现已是家庭团圆、合村欢乐的节日。每到盂兰盆节时，日本各企业均放假７至１５天，人们赶回故乡团聚。在小镇和农村生活的人还要穿着夏季的单和服跳盂兰盆舞。 月见————农历8月15日 在东方世界大都有赏月的习惯，日本在8月15日这天会准备有丸子、季节性水果等物品摆在窗边供奉月亮，然后再一边赏月。月亮高挂在澄静的秋空中会显得格外的美，对以农为本的日本人来说赏月的原意是祈求农作物丰收的形式，但在现在已是纯粹的赏月而已了。 敬老节——9月15日 1966年定为国家假日，以表示对社会作出贡献的老人的尊重，并祝愿他们健康长寿。这一天全国各地举行庆祝会，向老人赠送纪念品。 秋分——9月23日 旧称“秋季皇灵祭”，是天皇秋季祭祖的日子。民间也在这一天祭祀祖先，以缅怀先人。 体育节——10月10日 1964年东京奥运会开幕日，1966年被定为国家节日。秋季运动会一般也在这一天举行。 文化节——11月3日 于1937年定。旧称“明治节”，是为了纪念明治天皇的诞辰日。现在是作为向科学、文化事业上有突出贡献的人授“文化勋章”的日子。因勋章上刻有菊花图案，所以也称之为“菊花日”。这一天各级学校都停课，组织一些有意义的活动。 753儿童节——11月15日 特别为7岁和3岁的女孩，以及5岁的男孩过的节日。 劳动感谢节——11月23日 于1948年定。旧称“新尝祭”，是天皇品尝新米的日子。这一天也是尊重劳动、庆祝生产的日子。 天皇诞生日——12月23日 明仁天皇生于1933年12月23日。建国纪念日：2月11日，系按阳历推算出的古代神武天皇元年的元旦。 圣诞节——12月25日 在日本也不只限基督徒，有很多人都会在圣诞夜与家人或男、女朋友互换圣诞礼物和一起享受丰盛的圣诞大餐。通常都还会准备有装饰圣诞节式样的蛋糕来庆祝。为刺激消费意欲各百货公司和企业在圣诞节前就会开始炒作所谓的圣诞节活动。大约在每年的11月后半月起，百货公司和商店街就会装点的非常美丽，进而开始展开一连串的圣诞特卖活动。 【名胜古迹】 富士山 东京塔 金阁寺 银阁寺 唐招提寺 阿苏火山 东大寺 严岛神社 平安神宫 那智瀑布 清水寺 东寻坊 天之桥立（天桥） 樱岛 世界文化遗产—白山历史乡村 是将日本传统完整保存的范例。村庄靠种植桑树，发展养蚕业而得以在漫长的历史进程中几乎被人类遗忘的山地中延续下来。为了减轻寒冷冬季的积雪压力，居民们把屋顶倾斜度加大，建成独特的双层茅草陡坡顶木住宅。这种木屋一般长18米，宽10米，内有3-4层楼面，一般居住一大家族人。由于屋顶的形状很像日本人拜神时双手合掌的样子，故称“合掌屋”也称“三角屋”。这些村庄除了在经济繁荣上的意义外，更向世人展示了古代劳动者适应环境，发展经济的勤劳品质和智慧。 【历史名人】 古代名人 阿倍仲麻吕 菅原道真 板上田村麻吕 圣德太子 源赖朝 源义经 足利义满 战国名人 织田信长 丰臣秀吉 德川家康 武田信玄 上杉谦信 毛利元就 伊达政宗 明智光秀 近代政治家 坂本龙马 胜海舟 大久保利通 西乡隆盛 木户孝允 伊藤博文 福泽谕吉 东条英机 田中角荣 近代文学、艺术、科技名人 夏目漱石 川端康成 大江健三郎 黑泽明 村上春树 东山魁夷 野口英世 龟梨和也 日本的著名高僧—圆仁法师 圆仁是日本天台宗的高僧。838年，他与两个弟子到中国求法，历经九年之多，在山东地区游历近四年。他与僧众、百姓广泛接触，相处融洽，结下了深厚的友情。847年，圆仁回国。他以亲身见闻写成《入唐求法巡礼行记》一书，被誉为日本的玄奘。 樱花与日本精神 樱花是日本的国花，无疑也被日本人视为精神的象征。樱树通常被日本人视为神树，从最北的北海道到最南的冲绳岛，到处都有种植。这种美丽的植物每年春季开放，或绯红或纯白，然而花期却非常短暂，花开时即是花落时，届时大片樱雨如漫天飞雪洋洋洒洒，一夜之间，花落满地。日本人常以次为喻，认为人生便需如樱花一般，只求最华美灿烂的一瞬，短暂亦无妨。这种信念通常会体现在他们生活、处事之道中，自古如此，久而久之便培养出了日本人特有的不惜一切力求向上、坚忍不拔的民族精神。 日本起源：据说是徐福那小子带的船队的后裔 【日本历史上发生的大地震】 1923年9月1日，东京发生里氏7.9级地震，造成142807人死亡。 1927年3月7日，日本西部京都地区发生里氏7.3级地震，造成2925人死亡。 1933年3月3日，本州岛北部三陆发生里氏8.1级地震，造成3008人死亡。 1943年9月10日，日本西海岸鸟取县发生里氏7.2级地震，造成1083人死亡。 1944年12月7日，日本中部太平洋海岸发生里氏7.9级地震，造成998人死亡。 1945年1月13日，日本中部名古屋附近三川发生里氏6.8级地震，造成2306人死亡。 1946年12月21日，日本西部大面积地区发生里氏8.0级地震，造成1443人死亡。 1995年1月17日，日本西部神户及附近地区发生里氏7.3级地震，造成6437人死亡或失踪。 2004年10月23日，日本中部新潟发生里氏6.8级地震，造成67人死亡。 2008年 6月14日，日本岩手县发生里氏7.3级地震，已经造成27人死亡，15人失踪，190多人受伤。 【工业区】 北九州工业区 濑户内海工业区 阪神工业区 名古屋工业区 东海新工业区 京滨工业区 北陆新工业区 （主要分布在：太平洋沿岸和濑户内海沿岸） Japan comprises over 3,000 islands making it an archipelago. The largest islands are Honshū, Hokkaidō, Kyūshū and Shikoku, together accounting for 97% of Japan's land area. Most of the islands are mountainous, many volcanic; for example, Japan’s highest peak, Mount Fuji, is a volcano. Japan has the world's tenth largest population, with about 128 million people. The Greater Tokyo Area, which includes the de facto capital city of Tokyo and several surrounding prefectures, is the largest metropolitan area in the world, with over 30 million residents. 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 first century AD. Influence from the outside world followed by long periods of isolation has characterized Japan's history. Since adopting its constitution in 1947, Japan has maintained a unitary constitutional monarchy with an emperor and an elected parliament, the Diet. A major economic power, Japan has the world's second largest economy by nominal GDP. It is a member of the United Nations, G8, G4, OECD and APEC, with the world's fifth largest defense budget. It is also the world's fourth largest exporter and sixth largest importer and a world leader in technology and machinery. The English word Japan is an exonym not used in the Japanese language. The Japanese names for Japan are Nippon (にっぽん) and Nihon (にほん). They are both written in Japanese using the kanji 日本. The Japanese name Nippon is used for most official purposes, including on Japanese money, postage stamps, and for many international sporting events. Nihon is a more casual term and the most frequently used in contemporary speech. Both Nippon and Nihon literally mean "the sun's origin" and are often translated as the Land of the Rising Sun. This nomenclature comes from Imperial correspondence with Chinese Sui Dynasty and refers to Japan's eastward position relative to China. Before Japan had relations with China, it was known as Yamato and Hi no moto, which means "source of the sun". The English word for Japan came to the West from early trade routes. The early Mandarin Chinese or possibly Wu Chinese word for Japan was recorded by Marco Polo as Cipangu. The modern Shanghainese (a Wu Chinese dialect 呉語) pronunciation of characters 日本 (Japan) is still Zeppen [zəʔpən] (in Wu language, 日 has two pronounciations 白读：niʔ or 文读：zəʔ, in some regions in South Wu, it is pronounced as niʔpən, similar to that of Japanese). The old Malay word for Japan, Jepang (modern spelling Jepun, although Indonesian has retained the older spelling), was borrowed from a Chinese language, and this Malay word was encountered by Portuguese traders in Malacca in the 16th century. It is thought the Portuguese traders were the first to bring the word to Europe. It was first recorded in English in 1577 spelled Giapan. History The first signs of occupation on the Japanese Archipelago appeared with a Paleolithic culture around 30,000 BC, followed from around 14,000 BC by the Jōmon period, a Mesolithic to Neolithic semi-sedentary hunter-gatherer culture of pit dwelling and a rudimentary form of agriculture. Decorated clay vessels from this period, often with plaited patterns, are some of the oldest surviving examples of pottery in the world. The Yayoi period, starting around the third century BC, introduced new practices, such as wet-rice farming, iron and bronze-making and a new style of pottery, brought by migrants from China or Korea. With the development of Yayoi culture, a predominantly agricultural society emerged in Japan. The Japanese first appear in written history in China’s Book of Han. According to the Chinese Records of Three Kingdoms, the most powerful kingdom on the archipelago during the third century was called Yamataikoku. The Great Buddha in Kamakura (1252).Buddhism was first introduced to Japan from Baekje of the Korean Peninsula, but the subsequent development of Japanese Buddhism and Buddhist sculptures were primarily influenced by China. Despite early resistance, Buddhism was promoted by the ruling class and eventually gained growing acceptance since the Asuka period. The Nara period of the eighth century marked the first emergence of a strong central Japanese state, centered around an imperial court in the city of Heijō-kyō, or modern day Nara. In addition to the continuing adoption of Chinese administrative practices, the Nara period is characterized by the appearance of a nascent written literature with the completion of the massive chronicles Kojiki (712) and Nihon Shoki (720). (Nara was not the first capital city in Japan, though. Before Nara, Fujiwara-kyō and Asuka served as capitals of the Yamato state.) In 784, Emperor Kammu moved the capital from Nara to Nagaoka-kyō for a brief ten-year period, before relocating it to Heian-kyō (modern day Kyoto) in 794, where it remained for more than a millennium. This marked the beginning of the Heian period, during which time a distinctly indigenous Japanese culture emerged, noted for its art, poetry and literature. Lady Murasaki's The Tale of Genji and the lyrics of modern Japan's national anthem, Kimi ga Yo were written during this time. Japan's feudal era was characterized by the emergence of a ruling class of warriors, the samurai. In 1185, following the defeat of the rival Taira clan, Minamoto no Yoritomo was appointed Shogun and established a base of power in Kamakura. After Yoritomo's death, the Hōjō clan came to rule as regents for the shoguns. Zen Buddhism was introduced from China in the Kamakura period (1185–1333) and became popular among the samurai class. The Kamakura shogunate managed to repel Mongol invasions in 1274 and 1281, aided by a storm that the Japanese interpreted as a kamikaze, or Divine Wind. The Kamakura shogunate was eventually overthrown by Emperor Go-Daigo, who was soon himself defeated by Ashikaga Takauji in 1336. The succeeding Ashikaga shogunate failed to control the feudal warlords (daimyo), and a civil war erupted (the Ōnin War) in 1467 which opened a century-long Sengoku period. During the sixteenth century, traders and Jesuit missionaries from Portugal reached Japan for the first time, initiating active commercial and cultural exchange between Japan and the West (Nanban trade). The 1945 atomic bombing of Nagasaki.Oda Nobunaga conquered numerous other daimyo by using European technology and firearms and had almost unified the nation when he was assassinated in 1582. Toyotomi Hideyoshi succeeded Nobunaga and united the nation in 1590. Hideyoshi invaded Korea twice, but following several defeats by Korean and Ming China forces and Hideyoshi's death, Japanese troops were withdrawn in 1598. After Hideyoshi's death, Tokugawa Ieyasu utilized his position as regent for Hideyoshi's son Toyotomi Hideyori to gain political and military support. When open war broke out, he defeated rival clans in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. Ieyasu was appointed shōgun in 1603 and established the Tokugawa shogunate at Edo (modern Tokyo). The Tokugawa shogunate enacted a variety of measures such as Buke shohatto to control the autonomous daimyo. In 1639, the shogunate began the isolationist sakoku ("closed country") policy that spanned the two and a half centuries of tenuous political unity known as the Edo period. The study of Western sciences, known as rangaku, continued during this period through contacts with the Dutch enclave at Dejima in Nagasaki. The Edo period also gave rise to kokugaku, or literally "national studies", the study of Japan by the Japanese themselves. On March 31, 1854, Commodore Matthew Perry and the "Black Ships" of the United States Navy forced the opening of Japan to the outside world with the Convention of Kanagawa. Subsequent similar treaties with the Western countries in the Bakumatsu period brought Japan into economic and political crises. The abundance of the prerogative and the resignation of the shogunate led to the Boshin War and the establishment of a centralized state unified under the name of the Emperor (Meiji Restoration). Adopting Western political, judicial and military institutions, the Cabinet organized the Privy Council, introduced the Meiji Constitution, and assembled the Imperial Diet. The Meiji Restoration transformed the Empire of Japan into an industrialized world power that embarked on a number of military conflicts to expand the nation's sphere of influence. After victories in the First Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895) and the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905), Japan gained control of Taiwan, Korea, and the southern half of Sakhalin. The early twentieth century saw a brief period of "Taisho democracy" overshadowed by the rise of expansionism and militarization. World War I enabled Japan, which joined the side of the victorious Allies, to expand its influence and territorial holdings. Japan continued its expansionist policy by occupying Manchuria in 1931. As a result of international condemnation for this occupation, Japan resigned from the League of Nations two years later. In 1936, Japan signed the Anti-Comintern Pact with Nazi Germany, joining the Axis powers in 1941. In 1937, Japan invaded other parts of China, precipitating the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945), after which the United States placed an oil embargo on Japan. On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked the United States naval base in Pearl Harbor and declared war on the United States, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. This act brought the United States into World War II. After the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, along with the Soviet Union joining the war against it, Japan agreed to an unconditional surrender on August 15 (Victory over Japan Day). The war cost Japan millions of lives and left much of the country's industry and infrastructure destroyed. The International Military Tribunal for the Far East, was convened by the Allies (on May 3, 1946) to prosecute Japanese leaders for war crimes such as the Nanking Massacre. In 1947, Japan adopted a new pacifist constitution emphasizing liberal democratic practices. The Allied occupation ended by the Treaty of San Francisco in 1952 and Japan was granted membership in the United Nations in 1956. Japan later achieved spectacular growth to become the second largest economy in the world, with an annual growth rate averaging 10% for four decades. This ended in the mid-1990s when Japan suffered a major recession. Positive growth in the early twenty-first century has signaled a gradual recovery. Government and politics The National Diet Building, in Nagatachō, Tokyo.Japan is a constitutional monarchy where the power of the Emperor is very limited. As a ceremonial figurehead, he is defined by the constitution as "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people". Power is held chiefly by the Prime Minister of Japan and other elected members of the Diet, while sovereignty is vested in the Japanese people. The Emperor effectively acts as the head of state on diplomatic occasions. Akihito is the current Emperor of Japan. Naruhito, Crown Prince of Japan, stands as next in line to the throne. Japan's legislative organ is the National Diet, a bicameral parliament. The Diet consists of a House of Representatives, containing 480 seats, elected by popular vote every four years or when dissolved and a House of Councillors of 242 seats, whose popularly-elected members serve six-year terms. There is universal suffrage for adults over 20 years of age, with a secret ballot for all elective offices. The liberal conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has been in power since 1955, except for a short-lived coalition government formed from opposition parties in 1993. The largest opposition party is the social liberal Democratic Party of Japan. The Prime Minister of Japan is the head of government. The position is appointed by the Emperor of Japan after being designated by the Diet from among its members and must enjoy the confidence of the House of Representatives to remain in office. The Prime Minister is the head of the Cabinet (the literal translation of his Japanese title is "Prime Minister of the Cabinet") and appoints and dismisses the Ministers of State, a majority of whom must be Diet members. Yasuo Fukuda currently serves as the Prime Minister of Japan. Historically influenced by Chinese law, the Japanese legal system developed independently during the Edo period through texts such as Kujikata Osadamegaki. However, since the late nineteenth century, the judicial system has been largely based on the civil law of Europe, notably France and Germany. For example, in 1896, the Japanese government established a civil code based on the German model. With post-World War II modifications, the code remains in effect in present-day Japan. Statutory law originates in Japan's legislature, the National Diet of Japan, with the rubber stamp approval of the Emperor. The current constitution requires that the Emperor promulgates legislation passed by the Diet, without specifically giving him the power to oppose the passing of the legislation. Japan's court system is divided into four basic tiers: the Supreme Court and three levels of lower courts. The main body of Japanese statutory law is a collection called the Six Codes. Foreign relations and military Yasuo Fukuda with US President George W. Bush Sailors aboard the JMSDF training vessel JDS KashimaJapan maintains close economic and military relations with its key ally the United States, with the U.S.-Japan security alliance serving as the cornerstone of its foreign policy. A member state of the United Nations since 1956, Japan has served as a non-permanent Security Council member for a total of 18 years, most recently in 2005–2006. It is also one of the G4 nations seeking permanent membership in the Security Council. As a member of the G8, the APEC, the "ASEAN Plus Three" and a participant in the East Asia Summit, Japan actively participates in international affairs. It is also the world's second-largest donor of official development assistance, donating US$8.86 bn in 2004. Japan contributed non-combatant troops to the Iraq War but subsequently withdrew its forces from Iraq. Japan is engaged in several territorial disputes with its neighbors: with Russia over the South Kuril Islands, with South Korea over the Liancourt Rocks, with the People's Republic of China and Taiwan over the Senkaku Islands and the EEZ around Okinotorishima. Japan also faces an ongoing dispute with North Korea over its abduction of Japanese citizens and its nuclear weapons and missile program (see also Six-party talks). As a result of the Kuril Islands dispute, Japan is technically still at war with Russia since no treaty resolving the issue was ever signed. Japan's military is restricted by the Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, which renounces Japan's right to declare war or use military force as a means of settling international disputes. Japan's military is governed by the Ministry of Defense, and primarily consists of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF), the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF). The forces have been recently used in peacekeeping operations and the deployment of Japanese troops to Iraq marked the first overseas use of its military since World War II. Administrative divisions Map of the prefectures of Japan in ISO 3166-2:JP order and the regions of Japan.While there exist eight commonly defined regions of Japan, administratively Japan consists of forty-seven prefectures, each overseen by an elected governor, legislature and administrative bureaucracy. The former city of Tokyo is further divided into twenty-three special wards, each with the same powers as cities. The nation is currently undergoing administrative reorganization by merging many of the cities, towns and villages with each other. This process will reduce the number of sub-prefecture administrative regions and is expected to cut administrative costs. Japan has dozens of major cities, which play an important role in Japan's culture, heritage and economy. Those in the list below of the ten most populous are all prefectural capitals and government ordinance cities, except where indicated: Geography Japan from space, May 2003. Mount Fuji Mount Yari, Nagano Prefecture in August Beach in Minnajima, Okinawa in SeptemberJapan is a country of over three thousand islands extending along the Pacific coast of Asia. The main islands, running from north to south, are Hokkaidō, Honshū (the main island), Shikoku and Kyūshū. The Ryukyu Islands, including Okinawa, are a chain of islands south of Kyushū. Together they are often known as the Japanese Archipelago. About 70% to 80% of the country is forested, mountainous, and unsuitable for agricultural, industrial, or residential use. This is because of the generally steep elevations, climate and risk of landslides caused by earthquakes, soft ground and heavy rain. This has resulted in an extremely high population density in the habitable zones that are mainly located in coastal areas. Japan is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire, at the juncture of three tectonic plates, gives Japan frequent low-intensity tremors and occasional volcanic activity. Destructive earthquakes, often resulting in tsunamis, occur several times each century. The most recent major quakes are the 2004 Chūetsu earthquake and the Great Hanshin Earthquake of 1995. Hot springs are numerous and have been developed as resorts. The climate of Japan is predominantly temperate, but varies greatly from north to south. Japan's geographical features divide it into six principal climatic zones: Hokkaidō: The northernmost zone has a temperate climate with long, cold winters and cool summers. Precipitation is not heavy, but the islands usually develop deep snow banks in the winter. Sea of Japan: On Honshū's west coast, the northwest wind in the wintertime brings heavy snowfall. In the summer, the region is cooler than the Pacific area, though it sometimes experiences extremely hot temperatures, because of the foehn wind phenomenon. Central Highland: A typical inland climate, with large temperature differences between summer and winter, and between day and night. Precipitation is light. Seto Inland Sea: The mountains of the Chūgoku and Shikoku regions shelter the region from the seasonal winds, bringing mild weather throughout the year. Pacific Ocean: The east coast experiences cold winters with little snowfall and hot, humid summers because of the southeast seasonal wind. Ryukyu Islands: The Ryukyu Islands have a subtropical climate, with warm winters and hot summers. Precipitation is very heavy, especially during the rainy season. Typhoons are common. The hottest temperature ever measured in Japan — 40.9 degrees Celsius — was recorded on August 16, 2007. The main rainy season begins in early May in Okinawa, and the stationary rain front responsible for this gradually works its way north until it dissipates in northern Japan before reaching Hokkaidō in late July. In most of Honshū, the rainy season begins before the middle of June and lasts about six weeks. In late summer and early autumn, typhoons often bring heavy rain. Japan is home to nine forest ecoregions which reflect the climate and geography of the islands. They range from subtropical moist broadleaf forests in the Ryūkyū and Bonin islands, to temperate broadleaf and mixed forests in the mild climate regions of the main islands, to temperate coniferous forests in the cold, winter portions of the northern islands. Environment Japan's environmental history and current policies reflect a tenuous balance between economic development and environmental protection. In the rapid economic growth after the World War II, environmental policies were downplayed by the government and industrial corporations. As an inevitable consequence, some crucial environmental pollution (see Pollution in Japan) occurred in 1950s and 1960s. In the rising concern over the problem, the government introduced many environmental protection laws in 1970 and established the Ministry of the Environment in 1971. The Oil crisis in 1973 also encouraged the efficient use of energy due to Japan's lack of natural resources. Current priority environmental issues include urban air pollution (NOx, suspended particulate matter, toxics), waste management, water eutrophication, nature conservation, climate change, chemical management and international co-operation for environmental conservation. Today Japan is one of the world's leaders in the development of new environment-friendly technologies. Honda and Toyota hybrid electric vehicles were named to have the highest fuel economy and lowest emissions. This is due to the advanced technology in hybrid systems, biofuels, use of lighter weight material and better engineering. Japan also takes issues surrounding climate change and global warming seriously. As a signatory of the Kyoto Protocol, and host of the 1997 conference which created it, Japan is under treaty obligations to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions and to take other steps related to curbing climate change. The Cool Biz campaign introduced under former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was targeted at reducing energy use through the reduction of air conditioning use in government offices. Japan is preparing to force industry to make big cuts in greenhouse gases, taking the lead in a country struggling to meet its Kyoto Protocol obligations. Japan is ranked 30th best in the world in the Environmental Sustainability Index. Economy The automobile industry is among the chief elements of the country's economy and exports.Japan's economy is characterized by low overall taxation and overwhelmingly private sector economy compared to most Western countries, high economic freedom, close government-industry cooperation for economic growth, emphasis on science and technology, and strong work ethic. Extraordinary relationship-based - rather than productive - arrangements in the financial sector and employment, along with relatively shallow international competition in domestic markets, are among widely acknowledged causes behind the protracted lost decade in the 1990s. Slowly progressing reforms took pace in the mid-2000s and higher growth rates were seen after 2005. Japan is the second largest economy in the world, after the United States, at around US$4.5 trillion in terms of nominal GDP and third after the United States and China in terms of purchasing power parity. Banking, insurance, real estate, retailing, transportation and telecommunications are all major industries. Japan has a large industrial capacity and is home to some of the largest, leading and most technologically advanced producers of motor vehicles, electronic equipment, machine tools, steel and nonferrous metals, ships, chemicals, textiles and processed foods. Construction has long been one of Japan's largest industries, with the help of multi-billion dollar government contracts in the civil sector. Distinguishing characteristics of the Japanese economy have included the cooperation of manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and banks in closely-knit groups called keiretsu and the guarantee of lifetime employment in big corporations. Recently, Japanese companies have begun to abandon some of these norms in an attempt to increase profitability. The Tokyo Stock Exchange is the second largest in the world.Japan is also home to some of the largest financial services companies, business groups and bank such as Sony, Sumitomo, Mitsubishi and Toyota. It is also home to the world's largest bank by asset, Japan Post Bank (US$3.2 trillion) and others such as Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (US$1.2 trillion), Mizuho Financial Group (US$1.4 trillion) and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (US$1.3 trillion). The Tokyo Stock Exchange with a market capitalization of over 549.7 trillion Yen as of December 2006 stands as the second largest in the world. From the 1960s to the 1980s, overall real economic growth has been called a "miracle": a 10% average in the 1960s, a 5% average in the 1970s and a 4% average in the 1980s. Growth slowed markedly in the 1990s, largely because of the after-effects of over-investment during the late 1980s and domestic policies intended to wring speculative excesses from the stock and real estate markets. Government efforts to revive economic growth met with little success and were further hampered in 2000 to 2001 by the deceleration of the global economy. However, the economy showed strong signs of recovery after 2005. GDP growth for that year was 2.8%, with an annualized fourth quarter expansion of 5.5%, surpassing the growth rates of the US and European Union during the same period. Because only about 15% of Japan's land is suitable for cultivation, a system of terrace farming is used to build in small areas. This results in one of the world's highest levels of crop yields per unit area, while the agricultural subsidies and protection are costly to the economy. Japan imports about 50% of its requirements of grain and fodder crops other than rice, and it relies on imports for most of its supply of meat. In fishing, Japan is ranked second in the world behind China in tonnage of fish caught. Japan maintains one of the world's largest fishing fleets and accounts for nearly 15% of the global catch. Japan relies on foreign countries for almost all oil and food. Overall taxation as a percentage of GDP was 26.4% in 2007, less than any major Western country. Less than half of employees pay income tax at all and VAT is very low at 5%, albeit corporate tax rates are high. Transportation in Japan is highly developed. As of 2004, there are 1,177,278 km (731,683 s) of paved roadways, 173 airports, and 23,577 km (14,653 miles) of railways. Air transport is mostly operated by All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines (JAL). Railways are operated by Japan Railways Group among others. There are extensive international flights from many cities and countries to and from Japan. Japan's main export partners are the United States 22.8%, the European Union 14.5%, China 14.3%, South Korea 7.8%, Taiwan 6.8% and Hong Kong 5.6% (for 2006). Japan's main exports are transport equipment, motor vehicles, electronics, electrical machinery and chemicals. With very limited natural resources to sustain economic development, Japan depends on other nations for most of its raw materials; thus it imports a wide variety of goods. Its main import partners are China 20.5%, U.S. 12.0%, the European Union 10.3%, Saudi Arabia 6.4%, UAE 5.5%, Australia 4.8%, South Korea 4.7% and Indonesia 4.2% (for 2006). Japan's main imports are machinery and equipment, fossil fuels, foodstuffs (in particular beef), chemicals, textiles and raw materials for its industries. Overall, Japan's largest trading partners are China and the United States. Science and technology Press release photo of the most recent ASIMO model.Japan is one of the leading nations in the fields of scientific research, particularly technology, machinery and biomedical research. Nearly 700,000 researchers share a US$130 billion research and development budget, the third largest in the world. For instance some of Japan's more prominent technological contributions are found in the fields of electronics, automobiles, machinery, industrial robotics, optics, chemicals, semiconductors and metals. Japan leads the world in robotics production and use, possessing more than half (402,200 of 742,500) of the world's industrial robots used for manufacturing. It also produced QRIO, ASIMO and AIBO. Japan is the world's largest producer of automobiles and home to six of the world's fifteen largest automobile manufacturers and seven of the world's twenty largest semiconductor sales leaders as of today. Japan has plans in space exploration, including building a moonbase by 2030. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) conducts space and planetary research, aviation research, and development of rockets and satellites. It is a participant in the International Space Station and the Japanese Experiment Module (Kibo) is slated to be added to the International Space Station during Space Shuttle assembly flights in 2008. Demographics A view of Shibuya crossing, an example of Tokyo's often crowded streets. Shinto torii at Fushimi Inari-taisha, Kyoto.Japan's population is estimated at around 127.3 million. For the most part, Japanese society is linguistically and culturally homogeneous with small populations of foreign workers, Zainichi Koreans, Zainichi Chinese, Filipinos, Japanese Brazilians and others. The most dominant native ethnic group is the Yamato people; the primary minority groups include the indigenous Ainu and Ryukyuan, as well as social minority groups like the burakumin. Japan has one of the highest life expectancy rates in the world, at 81.25 years of age as of 2006. The Japanese population is rapidly aging, the effect of a post-war baby boom followed by a decrease in births in the latter part of the twentieth century. In 2004, about 19.5% of the population was over the age of 65. The changes in the demographic structure have created a number of social issues, particularly a potential decline in the workforce population and increases in the cost of social security benefits such as the public pension plan. Many Japanese youth are increasingly preferring not to marry or have families as adults. Japan's population is expected to drop to 100 million by 2050 and to 64 million by 2100. Demographers and government planners are currently in a heated debate over how to cope with this problem. Immigration and birth incentives are sometimes suggested as a solution to provide younger workers to support the nation's aging population. Japanese religiosity religion percent Shinto and Buddhism 95% Others 4% Christianity 0.8% The highest estimates for the amount of Buddhists and Shintoists in Japan is 84-96%, representing a large number of believers in a syncretism of both religions. However, these estimates are based on people with an association with a temple, rather than the number of people truly following the religion. Professor Robert Kisala (Nanzan University) suggests that only 30 percent of the population identify themselves as belonging to a religion. Taoism and Confucianism from China have also influenced Japanese beliefs and customs. Religion in Japan tends to be syncretic in nature, and this results in a variety of practices, such as parents and children celebrating Shinto rituals, students praying before exams, couples holding a wedding at a Christian church and funerals being held at Buddhist temples. A minority (0.7%) profess to Christianity. In addition, since the mid-19th century, numerous religious sects (Shinshūkyō) have emerged in Japan, such as Tenrikyo and Aum Shinrikyo (or Aleph). About 99% of the population speaks Japanese as their first language. It is an agglutinative language distinguished by a system of honorifics reflecting the hierarchical nature of Japanese society, with verb forms and particular vocabulary which indicate the relative status of speaker and listener. According to a Japanese dictionary Shinsen-kokugojiten, Chinese-based words comprise 49.1% of the total vocabulary, indigenous words are 33.8% and other loanwords are 8.8%. The writing system uses kanji (Chinese characters) and two sets of kana (syllabaries based on simplified Chinese characters), as well as the Latin alphabet and Arabic numerals. The Ryukyuan languages, also part of the Japonic language family to which Japanese belongs, are spoken in Okinawa, but few children learn these languages. The Ainu language is moribund, with only a few elderly native speakers remaining in Hokkaidō. Most public and private schools require students to take courses in both Japanese and English. Largest cities of Japan view • talk • edit Core City Prefecture Population Core City Prefecture Population 1 Tokyo Tokyo 8,483,050 Tokyo Yokohama 7 Kyoto Kyoto 1,474,764 2 Yokohama Kanagawa 3,579,133 8 Fukuoka Fukuoka 1,400,621 3 Osaka Osaka 2,628,776 9 Kawasaki Kanagawa 1,327,009 4 Nagoya Aichi 2,215,031 10 Saitama Saitama 1,176,269 5 Sapporo Hokkaidō 1,880,875 11 Hiroshima Hiroshima 1,159,391 6 Kobe Hyōgo 1,525,389 12 Sendai Miyagi 1,028,214 Source: 2005 Census Education and health Yasuda Auditorium, University of Tokyo.Primary, secondary schools and universities were introduced into Japan in 1872 as a result of the Meiji Restoration. Since 1947, compulsory education in Japan consists of elementary school and middle school, which lasts for nine years (from age 6 to age 15). Almost all children continue their education at a three-year senior high school, and, according to the MEXT, about 75.9% of high school graduates attend a university, junior college, trade school, or other post-secondary institution in 2005. Japan's education is very competitive, especially for entrance to institutions of higher education. The two top-ranking universities in Japan are the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University. The Programme for International Student Assessment coordinated by the OECD, currently ranks Japanese knowledge and skills of 15-year-olds as the 6th best in the world. In Japan, healthcare services are provided by national and local governments. Payment for personal medical services is offered through a universal health care insurance system that provides relative equality of access, with fees set by a government committee. People without insurance through employers can participate in a national health insurance program administered by local governments. Since 1973, all elderly persons have been covered by government-sponsored insurance. Patients are free to select physicians or facilities of their choice. Culture and recreation The Great Wave off Kanagawa (1832), an ukiyo-e from Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji by Hokusai.Japanese culture has evolved greatly over the years, from the country's original Jōmon culture to its contemporary culture, which combines influences from Asia, Europe and North America. Traditional Japanese arts include crafts (ikebana, origami, ukiyo-e, dolls, lacquerware, pottery), performances (bunraku, dance, kabuki, noh, rakugo), traditions (games, tea ceremony, Budō, architecture, gardens, swords) and cuisine. The fusion of traditional woodblock printing and Western art led to the creation of manga, a typically Japanese comic book format that is now popular within and outside Japan. Manga-influenced animation for television and film is called anime. Japanese-made video game consoles have prospered since the 1980s. Japanese music is eclectic, having borrowed instruments, scales and styles from neighboring cultures. Many instruments, such as the koto, were introduced in the ninth and tenth centuries. The accompanied recitative of the Noh drama dates from the fourteenth century and the popular folk music, with the guitar-like shamisen, from the sixteenth. Western music, introduced in the late nineteenth century, now forms an integral part of the culture. Post-war Japan has been heavily influenced by American and European modern music, which has led to the evolution of popular band music called J-pop. Karaoke is the most widely practiced cultural activity. A November 1993 survey by the Cultural Affairs Agency found that more Japanese had sung karaoke that year than had participated in traditional cultural pursuits such as flower arranging or tea ceremony. A Japanese gardenThe earliest works of Japanese literature include two history books the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki and the eighth century poetry book Man'yōshū, all written in Chinese characters. In the early days of the Heian period, the system of transcription known as kana (Hiragana and Katakana) was created as phonograms. The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter is considered the oldest Japanese narrative. An account of Heian court life is given by The Pillow Book written by Sei Shōnagon, while The Tale of Genji by Lady Murasaki is often described as the world's first novel. During the Edo period, literature became not so much the field of the samurai aristocracy as that of the chōnin, the ordinary people. Yomihon, for example, became popular and reveals this profound change in the readership and authorship. The Meiji era saw the decline of traditional literary forms, during which Japanese literature integrated Western influences. Natsume Sōseki and Mori Ōgai were the first "modern" novelists of Japan, followed by Akutagawa Ryūnosuke, Tanizaki Jun'ichirō, Yasunari Kawabata, Yukio Mishima and, more recently, Haruki Murakami. Japan has two Nobel Prize-winning authors — Yasunari Kawabata (1968) and Kenzaburo Oe (1994). Sports Sumo, a traditional Japanese sport.Traditionally, sumo is considered Japan's national sport and it is one of the most popular spectator sports in Japan. Martial arts such as judo, karate and kendō are also widely practiced and enjoyed by spectators in the country. After the Meiji Restoration, many Western sports were introduced in Japan and began to spread through the education system. The professional baseball league in Japan was established in 1936. Today baseball is the most popular spectator sport in the country. One of the most famous Japanese baseball players is Ichiro Suzuki, who, having won Japan's Most Valuable Player award in 1994, 1995 and 1996, now plays in North American Major League Baseball. Prior to that, Sadaharu Oh was well-known outside Japan, having hit more home runs during his career in Japan than his contemporary, Hank Aaron, did in America. Since the establishment of the Japan Professional Football League in 1992, association football (soccer) has also gained a wide following. Japan was a venue of the Intercontinental Cup from 1981 to 2004 and co-hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup with South Korea. Japan is one of the most successful soccer teams in Asia, winning the Asian Cup three times. Golf is also popular in Japan, as is auto racing, the Super GT sports car series and Formula Nippon formula racing. Twin Ring Motegi was completed in 1997 by Honda in order to bring IndyCar racing to Japan. |
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