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Japan (Japanese: 日本国; Nihon-koku or Nippon-koku) is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea in the south. The Japanese archipelago consists of four major islands—Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu—and thousands of smaller islands. The capital of Japan and its largest city is Tokyo; the Greater Tokyo Area is the largest metropolitan area on Earth. Japan is divided into 47 administrative prefectures and eight traditional regions. About three-quarters of the country's terrain is mountainous and heavily forested, concentrating its agriculture and highly urbanized population along its eastern coastal plains. The country sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, making its islands prone to destructive earthquakes and tsunamis.

Political System

Japan is a constitutional monarchy and a sovereign state whereby the power of the Emperor is limited. As a ceremonial figurehead, the Emperor of Japan is defined by the constitution to be "The Symbol Of The State And Of The Unity Of The People." Executive power is wielded chiefly by the Prime Minister and his cabinet, while sovereignty is vested in the Japanese people. Japan's legislative organ is the National Diet, a bicameral parliament; It consists of a lower House of Representatives with 465 seats, elected by popular vote every four years or when dissolved, and an upper House of Councilors with 245 seats, whose popularly-elected members serve six-year terms. There is universal suffrage for adults over 18 years of age, with a secret ballot for all elected offices. The prime minister as the head of government has the power to appoint and dismiss Ministers of State, and is appointed by the emperor after being designated from among the members of the Diet.

Military

Japan Self Defense Forces (自衛隊 Jieitai), JSDF, also referred to as the Self-Defense Forces (SDF), Japan Defense Forces (JDF), or the Japanese Armed Forces, are the unified military forces of Japan that were established in 1954 and are controlled by the Ministry of Defense. The JSDF consists of three branches: JMSDF (Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force), JASDF (Japan Air Self-Defense Force) and JGSDF (Japan Ground Self-Defense Force).

The country's military is restricted by Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, which renounces Japan's right to declare war or use military force in international disputes; it prevents Japan from researching and manufacturing offensive weapons. Nevertheless, an amendment would later be written in the constitution thus enabling Japan to participate in existing conflicts. Despite being branded as a "Self-Defense Force," the JSDF ranks among the top 10 strongest military on Earth.

Geography

Japan spans over an archipelago of 6852 islands covering 377,975 square kilometers (145,937 sq. mi); the five main islands are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa. The Ryukyu Islands, which include Okinawa, are a chain to the south of Kyushu. The Nanpō Islands are south and east of the main islands of Japan.

Because of its mountainous terrain, approximately 67% of Japan's land is uninhabitable. The habitable zones, mainly in coastal areas, have extremely high population densities. As of 2014, approximately 0.5% of Japan's total area is reclaimed land.

Tokyo is Japan's capital and largest city; other major cities include Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Kobe, and Kyoto.

Japan is the primary location of the Gate, leading to the Special Region.

Notable Citizens