Japan consists of several thousands of islands and its area is comparable to that of Germany or California. Japan's closest neighbours are Korea, Russia and China. The Sea of Japan separates the Asian continent from the Japanese archipelago. Japan has the world's second-biggest economy, but it remains a traditional society. The economic miracle achieved by Japan in the second half of the 20th century, especially its highly successful car and consumer electronics industries, was the envy of the rest of the world.

• Population: 127.9 million (UN, 2005)
• Capital: Tokyo
• Major language: Japanese
• Monetary unit: yen
• International dialling code: +81