Japan country profile (2024)

Japan has the world's third-largest economy, having achieved remarkable growth in the second half of the 20th Century after the devastation of World War Two.

Its role in the international community is considerable. It is a major aid donor, and a source of global capital and credit.

More than three quarters of the population live in sprawling cities on the coastal fringes of Japan's four mountainous, heavily-wooded islands.

Japan's rapid post-war expansion - propelled by highly successful car and consumer electronics industries - ran out of steam by the 1990s under a mounting debt burden that successive governments have failed to address.

Japan's relations with its neighbours are still heavily influenced by the legacy of Japanese actions before and during World War Two. Japan has found it difficult to accept and atone for its treatment of the citizens of countries it occupied.

Head of State: Emperor Naruhito

Crown Prince Naruhito succeeded to the throne as emperor when his father Akihito abdicated on the last day of April 2019, after a reign of 30 years.

Akihito had no political power, but played an important role in working to heal the wounds of a war waged across Asia in the name of his own father, the Emperor Hirohito.

He also promoted a more approachable image of the imperial family among the Japanese public, a style that the new emperor is expected to continue.

Emperor Naruhito, who studied at Oxford University, has said that his reign will bear the name Reiwa, which "beautiful harmony".

Prime minister: Fumio Kishida

This scion of a political dynasty won a snap election to become prime minister in October 2021 following the resignation of Yoshihide Suga, who had beaten him to the premiership a year earlier.

Mr Suga resigned over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, allowing the former foreign minister to take over.

Mr Kishida, who is also leader of the conservative Liberal Democratic Party, is seen as more liberal than his recent predecessors. His government has been hit by a political scandal related to his party's links to the Unification Church that came to light after the assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe in 2022.

Japan's broadcasting scene is competitive and technologically-advanced.

While the use of online media and social platforms is ubiquitous, the printed press has a very high readership and is highly trusted.

Some key dates in Japan's history:

1853 - US fleet forces Japan to open up to foreign influence after over 200 years of self-imposed isolation.

1868 - Empire of Japan proclaimed, and country enters period of rapid industrialisation and imperial expansion.

1894-95 - Japan goes to war with China, and its better-equipped forces win victory in just nine months. China cedes Taiwan and permits Japan to trade on mainland.

1904 - Japan becomes first Asian country in modern times to defeat an European power when it routs Russia in Manchuria.

1910 - Japan annexes Korea after three years of fighting, becoming one of the world's leading powers.

1914 - Japan joins World War One on the side of Britain and her allies, gaining some Pacific islands from Germany.

1923 - Earthquake in Tokyo region kills more than 100,000 people.

British Empire ends 21-year alliance with Japan, signalling Western and US apprehension of Japan's growing power in East Asia.

1925 - Universal male suffrage is instituted. The electorate increases fivefold.

Late 1920s - Extreme nationalism begins to take hold in Japan as world economic depression hits. The emphasis is on a preservation of traditional Japanese values, and a rejection of "Western" influence.

1931 - Japanese army invades Chinese province of Manchuria, installs puppet regime.

1932 - Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi killed during failed coup by nationalist army officers. Military holds increasing influence in the country.

1936 - Japan signs alliance with Nazi Germany.

1937 - Japan goes to war with China, capturing Shanghai, Beijing and Nanjing amid atrocities like the "Rape of Nanjing", in which up to 300,000 Chinese civilians were killed.

1939 - Outbreak of World War Two in Europe. With fall of France in 1940, Japan moves to occupy French Indo-China.

1941 - Japan launches a surprise attack on US Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. US and main allies declare war on Japan.

1942 - Japan occupies succession of countries, including Philippines, Dutch East Indies, Burma and Malaya. In June, US aircraft carriers defeat the Japanese at the Battle of Midway. The US begins a strategy of "'island-hopping", cutting the Japanese support lines as its forces advance.

1945 - US planes drop two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August. Emperor Hirohito surrenders and relinquishes divine status. Japan placed under US military government. All Japanese military and naval forces disbanded.

1947 - New constitution comes into force, establishes parliamentary system with all adults eligible to vote. Japan renounces war and pledges not to maintain land, sea or air forces for that purpose. Emperor granted ceremonial status.

1951 - Japan signs peace treaty with US and other nations. But there is no peace treaty with Russia, as the legal successor to the Soviet Union.

1952 - Japan regains independence. US retains several islands for military use, including Okinawa.

1955 - Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) formed. Apart from brief interludes, party governs into 21st century.

1956 - Japan joins United Nations.

1972 - Japanese prime minister visits China and normal diplomatic relations are resumed. Japan subsequently closes embassy in Taiwan.

Okinawa is returned to Japanese sovereignty, but US retains bases there.

1989 - Emperor Hirohito dies, succeeded by Akihito.

1995 - An earthquake hits central Japan, killing thousands and causing widespread damage. The city of Kobe is hardest hit.

A religious sect, Aum Shinrikyo, releases the deadly nerve gas sarin on the Tokyo underground railway system, killing 12 and injuring thousands.

2006 - Parliament approves the creation of a fully-fledged defence ministry, the first since World War Two.

2011 - Huge offshore earthquake and subsequent tsunami devastate miles of shoreline. Damage to the f*ckushima nuclear plant causes a radiation leak that leaves extensive areas uninhabitable and contaminates food supplies.

2015 - Lower house of parliament backs bills allowing troops to fight overseas for first time since 1945, prompting protests at home and criticism from China.

2019 - Akihito abdicates and his son Naruhito becomes emperor,

2022 - There is worldwide shock over the assassination of former prime minister Japan Shinzo Abe - the country's longest serving premier. His killing triggers questions over links between politicians and the Unification Church.