Japan (日本国) as every one knows is an island state located in East Asia.
Situated between the Pacific Ocean and the famous Sea of Japan, it stretches out to the east of Republic of China, Koreas and Russian Federation, stretching out from the Okhotsk See in the China Sea.
The hieroglyphs that collectively bring in up Japan country name maybe translated as 'sun origin', which perhaps is why Japan also is sometimes described as the 'Land of the Rising Sun'.
The English Language word for Japan went to the West from first trade routes. The first Mandarin Chinese or maybe Wu Chinese expression for Japan was picked up by Marco Polo as Cipangu.
The ancient Malay name for Japan, Jepang (new spelling Jepun, although Indonesian retains ancient spelling), was taken from traditional Chinese language, and this Malay was encountered by several Portuguese merchants in southern Malacca in the sixteenth century. It is believed the Portuguese merchants were the initiative to get this term to Europe. It was originally written down in English Language in 1577 as Giapan.
The Japan beside of its major island is Honshu, includes 3 other big ones - Hokkaido on the north, Shikoku and southern Kyushu. More than four thousand other islands surround these four.
Japan really is a constitutional monarchy where the great power of the Emperor is extremely restricted. As a traditional figurehead, he is classified by the Japan constitution as 'the symbolic representation of the country and of the harmony of the nation'. Power is controlled principally by the Prime Minister of Japan and elected members of the Parliament. The Emperor efficiently acts as the person in charge of country on political occasions. Akihito is the current emperor of Japan kingdom.
There is no more than one language spoken in Japan - Japanese language. However, a lot of Japanese are able to keep a conversation in English, since it is the foreign language that everyone must be study as part of school learning.
Japan's people currently are more than 120 million. Most Japanese live in heavily settled metropolitan regions. Japan's main largest city is Tokyo. The residential population of the Japanese Capital Metropolitan Area consisting of the Tokyo itself, number of its inner suburbs and the surrounding region is about twelve million.
More information can be found:
Japan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Japan (日本, Nihon or Nippon?, officially 日本国 Nippon-koku or Nihon-koku) is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of ...
japan-guide.com - Japan Travel and Living Guide
Everything about modern and traditional Japan with emphasis on travel and living related information.
Japan.com.
What about this? ... JAPAN.COM is a publication of World.com Media. Other leading publications include Asia.com for the Best Deals on Travel in Asia, Lawyer.com for Legal Advice ...
Japan News, Headlines and Latest Stories on Yahoo! News
Japan clinches win over Philippines in Davis Cup Sports Illustrated - Sat Mar 6, 12:34 pm ET. OSAKA, Japan (AP) -- Japan has taken an insurmountable 3-0 lead over the Philippines ...
Japan: History, Geography, Government, & Culture — Infoplease ...
Learn about the history of Japan and find current population, economic, and demographic statistics. Included is information about Japan's rulers, dynasties, and its involvement in ...
Australian Stocks Rise; Japanese Shares Drop in New York on Yen - BusinessWeek
 Earthtimes (press release) | Australian Stocks Rise; Japanese Shares Drop in New York on Yen BusinessWeek Japanese shares slid in New York as a stronger yen dimmed the earnings outlook for companies dependent on US demand. David Jones Ltd., Australia's ... Japanese bond yields fall Japan's Futures Rise on Chips; Australia Stocks Drop on Metals Japan Economic Indicators Positive; Stocks Down |
Japan Confirms Cold War Secret Deals with US - The Chosun Ilbo
 New York Daily News | Japan Confirms Cold War Secret Deals with US The Chosun Ilbo Japan's centrist government criticized its conservative predecessors Tuesday for keeping nuclear and military deals with the US secret during the Cold War. ... Japan Confirms Cold War Agreements With U.S. US plays down impact of Japan probe into US nukes Japan confirms Cold War-era 'secret' pacts with US |
Sony Japan's 3DTV dates and pricing - Slippery Brick
 The Hindu | Sony Japan's 3DTV dates and pricing Slippery Brick 3D continues to hit Japan in a big way. The 3DTV from Sony has now made it to Japan beating both Panasonic and Samsung. The edge-lit LED LX900 comes with ... Sony 3D TVs to be launched in Japan in June Sony 3D TVs to arrive in June Sony TV 3D first model from June on sale in Japan |
Japan's Hatoyama tries to shift more power to the politicians - Christian Science Monitor
 Boston Globe | Japan's Hatoyama tries to shift more power to the politicians Christian Science Monitor Japan's Hatoyama, the new prime minister, is carrying out a campaign promise to push aside bureaucrats and shift more power to the politicians. ... Japan Tilts Closer to China? Mr. Hatoyama's Climate Headache DPJ kingmaker pressured to step down as Cabinet support plummets |
Oscar and the dolphins: Coming to a Japanese cinema? - Sydney Morning Herald
 New York Times (blog) | Oscar and the dolphins: Coming to a Japanese cinema? Sydney Morning Herald It depicts dolphin hunting in Japan and has only been shown there once. But its Oscar win may change that Oscar buzz can generate bums on seats like little ... 'The Cove' Moves to the Dragon's Lair Japan's reaction to Cove Oscar Oscar puts Japan in deep water over dolphins |
US plays down impact of Japan probe into US nukes (AFP via Yahoo! News) The United States said Tuesday it did not expect serious harm to ties with Japan after the new center-left government in Tokyo lifted the lid on past nuclear and military deals with Washington.
US says 'faithfully honored' Japan agreements (AFP via Yahoo! News) The United States said Tuesday it has been faithful to agreements with Japan but declined comment on findings that it quietly brought nuclear weapons onto the allied nation's territory.
Japan's Hatoyama tries to shift more power to the politicians (The Christian Science Monitor via Yahoo! News) For decades, Japan's weekly political calendar was fixed. Before the cabinet met on Tuesdays, the top civil servants from each ministry would meet on Mondays. If the bureaucrats had not already set government policy, the wags said, the ministers would have nothing to rubber stamp.
Japan confirms Cold War-era 'secret' pacts with US (AP via Yahoo! News) Japan confirmed Tuesday secret Cold War-era pacts with Washington that tacitly allowed nuclear warships in Japanese ports in violation of a hallowed postwar principle, effectively acknowledging that previous governments had lied about them for decades.
Japan lifts lid on Cold War nuclear pacts with US (AFP via Yahoo! News) Japan's new centre-left government lifted a veil of secrecy Tuesday surrounding nuclear and military deals struck with the United States, formally abandoning decades of denials over the Cold War pacts.