Information: A country.

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies off the eastern coast of the Asian mainland and stretches from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and China in the southwest.

From the 12th century until 1868, Japan was ruled by successive feudal military shōguns who ruled in the name of the Emperor. Japan entered into a long period of isolation in the early 17th century, which was ended in 1853 when a United States fleet pressured Japan to open to the West. The Empire of Japan invaded other parts of China in 1937, precipitating the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945).

In World War I, Japan joined the Allies and captured German possessions, and made advances into China. On December 7–8, 1941, Japanese forces carried out surprise attacks on Pearl Harbor, British forces in Malaya, Singapore, and Hong Kong and declared war on the United States and the British Empire, bringing the United States and the United Kingdom into World War II in the Pacific.

Although Japan has officially renounced its right to declare war, it maintains a modern military with the world's eighth-largest military budget, used for self-defense and peacekeeping roles. Japan is a highly developed country with a very high standard of living. Its population enjoys the highest life expectancy and the third lowest infant mortality rate in the world.

National Dance: Noh Mai

Location: Asia, Far East

Language: Japanese

Religions: Shinto, Buddhism