Japan — Capital, Flag and Country Facts

Explore Japan: capital Tokyo, population, flag, geography, languages, history and culture.

Japan is in Asia. Its capital is Tokyo.

Climate

Ranges from humid subtropical in the south to humid continental in the north, with heavy rainfall and typhoons in summer.

Mostly rugged and mountainous with narrow coastal plains. Volcanic peaks, including Mount Fuji, dominate the landscape.

Japan has more than 6,800 islands, but only about 430 are inhabited.

There are more than 5.5 million vending machines in Japan, roughly one for every 23 people.

Japan's Shinkansen bullet trains have an average delay of less than one minute per year.

710: Nara becomes Japan's first permanent capital

1603: Tokugawa Ieyasu founds the Edo shogunate, unifying Japan

1868: Meiji Restoration modernizes Japan and restores imperial rule

1945: Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki end World War II for Japan

1964: Tokyo hosts the Summer Olympics and launches the Shinkansen