| COUNTRIES | GEOGRAPHIC NAMES | GEOLOGY | USA STATS | CHINA STATS | COUNTRY CODES | AIRPORTS | RELIGION | JOBS |

Japan Introduction 2011
https://theodora.com/wfb2011/japan/japan_introduction.html
SOURCE: 2011 CIA WORLD FACTBOOK AND OTHER SOURCES


















Japan Introduction 2011
SOURCE: 2011 CIA WORLD FACTBOOK AND OTHER SOURCES

Page last updated on January 12, 2011

Background:
In 1603, after decades of civil warfare, the Tokugawa shogunate (a military-led, dynastic government) ushered in a long period of relative political stability and isolation from foreign influence. For more than two centuries this policy enabled Japan to enjoy a flowering of its indigenous culture. Japan opened its ports after signing the Treaty of Kanagawa with the US in 1854 and began to intensively modernize and industrialize. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Japan became a regional power that was able to defeat the forces of both China and Russia. It occupied Korea, Formosa (Taiwan), and southern Sakhalin Island. In 1931-32 Japan occupied Manchuria, and in 1937 it launched a full-scale invasion of China. Japan attacked US forces in 1941 - triggering America's entry into World War II - and soon occupied much of East and Southeast Asia. After its defeat in World War II, Japan recovered to become an economic power and an ally of the US. While the emperor retains his throne as a symbol of national unity, elected politicians hold actual decision-making power. Following three decades of unprecedented growth, Japan's economy experienced a major slowdown starting in the 1990s, but the country remains a major economic power.


NOTE: The information regarding Japan on this page is re-published from the 2011 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Japan Introduction 2011 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Japan Introduction 2011 should be addressed to the CIA.






This page was last modified 09-Feb-11
Copyright © 1995-2020 ITA (all rights reserved).