10 Facts About Japan to Get You Rolling

Everyone knows something about Japan. Sushi. Sumo wrestling. Origami. Samurai. Manga. Anime. Cars. World War II. As far as Asian countries go, this one is the opposite of Indonesia, as in definitely not under-the-radar. But there’s always something to learn, because the more you know, the more you realize you don’t know. Or something like that. Anyway, here are 10 facts about Japan to take your knowledge a bit deeper.

 

1

Japan is thought to have been inhabited since around 30,000 BCE. Its original inhabitants are known as Jōmon, with a period in Japanese history called the Jōmon period dating from approximately 14,000 – 300 BCE. Towards the end of that period, the Yayoi people arrived in the archipelago from modern-day Korea and/or China. Modern Japanese are therefore a mix of these two groups, with a much stronger Yayoi ancestry on average.

 

2

The population of Japan is about 124 million, making it the 11th or 12th most-populated country in the world. Its current capital, Tokyo, is considered the most-populated metropolitan area in the world, home to over 37 million residents. That’s in the same ballpark as the entire country of Canada.

Japan is known for one of the most ethnically homogeneous populations in the world (over 98 percent Japanese) as well as its aging population. More than 25 percent of the country is over age 65—compare that to India, where about 6.5 percent of the country falls into that category. Intertwined in this statistic is the fact that Japan has one of the longest average life expectancies in the world (85 years).

 

3

Japan has a constitutional monarchy, with the head of state being an emperor. Yes, an emperor. The monarch, however, has minimal political power, and a parliamentary government (headed by a prime minister and cabinet) runs the show as outlined in the 1947 constitution.

 

4

Japan has 6,852 islands, about 430 of which are inhabited. Of these, four islands house the vast majority of the population, namely Honshu (home to over 80 percent of residents), Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku. The country is subdivided into 47 prefectures that provide the layer of government below the national government. Japan has no land borders, though it does have maritime borders with Russia, China, Taiwan, North Korea, South Korea, the Philippines, and the US (via the Northern Mariana Islands). Here’s a map.

 

5

Japan lies on the Ring of Fire, the horseshoe-shaped belt on the rim of the Pacific Ocean that accounts for the majority of Earth’s volcanoes and earthquakes. The country has 111 active volcanoes, including Mount Fuji—the nation’s tallest and most iconic peak at 12,389 feet—which last erupted from 1707 – 1708. The 2011 magnitude 9.0 Tōhoku earthquake was unfortunately associated with a tsunami and resulted in approximately 20,000 deaths.

 

6

The official language of Japan is, of course, Japanese, known as Nihongo. In keeping with the ethnic homogeneity, the country has an extremely low linguistic diversity index.

 

7

Japan has the third largest nominal GDP in the world (behind the US and China) and the fourth largest GDP when adjusted for purchasing power parity. If expressed per capita, the latter number falls to 36.

 

8

Japan has earned the reputation of a manufacturing and technological powerhouse. Well-known companies include Canon, Epson, Fujitsu, Hitachi, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nikon, Nintendo, Nissan, Panasonic, Sony, Subaru, Suzuki, Toshiba, and Toyota. The country is also known for its high-speed and extremely punctual rail system.

 

9

As far as spectator sports go, baseball is king in Japan, with soccer (football) being number two in viewing popularity. Many other sports have significant traction in the country including the de facto national sport of sumo wrestling, various martial arts, golf, tennis, motorsport, and rugby. Japan has hosted the Winter Olympics twice (Sapporo in 1972 and Nagano in 1998), the Summer Olympics twice (Tokyo in 1964 and 2021), and the World Cup of soccer once (2002 as a co-host with South Korea).

 

10

For all the amazing contributions that the country has made to world culture, J-pop (Japanese pop music) is not one of them. Here’s an example.

 

If someone can convince me this is good music, please tell me why in the comments.

 

As is the case with all my articles, these facts about Japan are not remotely going to make you an expert. They might, however, give you an idea of where to dig next. If that happens regarding number 10, I apologize in advance.

(This article was updated on August 11, 2023.)