World Context: Japan

Source and mapping status

This page maps the site registry entry “Japan” to the supplied dataset entity “Japan.” Mapping status: exact-name. The source is a frozen 2025 snapshot; dates embedded in individual fields remain controlling.

• Source entity count: 1.
• Selected public fields present: 19.
• Independent corroboration in this page: none.

Place and environment

Location: Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula Area: total : 377,915 sq km; land: 364,485 sq km; water: 13,430 sq km; note: includes Bonin Islands (Ogasawara-gunto), Daito-shoto, Minami-jima, Okino-tori-shima, Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto), and Volcano Islands (Kazan-retto) Climate: varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north Terrain: mostly rugged and mountainous Natural hazards: many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500 seismic occurrences (mostly tremors but occasional severe earthquakes) every year; tsunamis; typhoons; volcanism: both Unzen (1,500 m) and Sakura-jima (1,117 m), which lies near the densely populated city of Kagoshima, have been deemed Decade Volcanoes by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to their explosive history and close proximity to human populations; other notable historically active volcanoes include Asama (Honshu Island's most active volcano), Aso, Bandai, Fuji, Iwo-Jima, Kikai, Kirishima, Komaga-take, Oshima, Suwanosejima, Tokachi, Yake-dake, and Usu… Environmental issues: air pollution from power plants results in acid rain; acidification of lakes and reservoirs degrading water quality; waste management issues; ongoing environmental clean-up in small area of Fukushima after nuclear accident in 2011

Population, settlement, and language context

Population: total: 123,201,945 (2024 est.); male: 59,875,269; female: 63,326,676 Population distribution: all primary and secondary regions of high population density lie on the coast; one third of the population resides in and around Tokyo on the central plain (Kanto Plain) Urbanization: urban population: 92% of total population (2023); rate of urbanization: -0.25% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) Languages: Japanese

Public and legal context

Capital: name: Tokyo; geographic coordinates: 35 41 N, 139 45 E; time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time); etymology: originally known as Edo, meaning "estuary" because of its location on a bay; the name was changed to Tokyo, meaning "eastern capital," in 1868, as a contrast to Kyoto, the previous capital to the west Government type: parliamentary constitutional monarchy Legal system: civil law system based on German model; also reflects Anglo-American influence and Japanese traditions; Supreme Court reviews legislative acts

Economy and connectivity context

Economic overview: second-largest East Asian economy; trade-oriented and highly diversified; high public debt levels; following years of near-zero interest rates, gradual increases to address inflation and depreciation of yen; strong rebound in tourism; aging population poses challenges to labor force participation Industries: motor vehicles, electronic equipment, machine tools, steel and nonferrous metals, ships, chemicals, textiles, processed foods Electricity access: electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.) Internet users: percent of population: 87% (2023 est.) Airports: 280 (2025) Ports: total ports: 163 (2024); large: 11; medium: 26; small: 54; very small: 71; size unknown: 1; ports with oil terminals: 99; key ports: Kawasaki Ko, Kobe, Mikawa, Nagasaki, Nagoya Ko, Onomichi-Itozaki, Osaka, Tokyo Ko, Wakamatsu Ko, Wakayama-Shimotsu Ko, Yokohama Ko

Interpretation and freshness boundary

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