Japan
1. A country of Asia on an archipelago off the northeast coast of the mainland.
Traditionally settled c. 660 B.C., Japan's written history began in the 5th
century A.D. During the feudal period (12th-19th century) real power was held
by the shoguns, local warriors whose dominance was finally ended by the
restoration of the emperor Mutsuhito in 1868. At about the same time the
country was opened to Western trade and industrial technology. Expansionist
policies led to Japan's participation in World War II, which ended after atomic
bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki (August 1945). Today the country
is highly industrialized and noted for its advanced technology. Tokyo is the
capital and the largest city. Population, 121,047,196.
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Shown is Mount Fuji, Japan |