Geography
Islands
Cities
Volcanoes
2023:40 active volcanoes
Earthquakes
2025: Waiting for a mega-earthquake in Nankai Trench
In the worst case, a mega-earthquake in the Nankai Trench will destroy 2.34 million buildings and claim 298,000 lives.
The probability that such an earthquake will occur within 30 years is 80%.
A magnitude 9 earthquake between Shizuoka and Miyazaki prefectures will cause tsunamis of up to 30m.
2022: 4th in the world in the number of significant earthquakes in 32 years
History
Main article: History of Japan
Population
Main article: Population of Japan
Main article: Birth and mortality rates in Japan
Armed Forces
Main article: Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF)
Politics
Parties
Liberal Democratic Party
In January 2026, the murderer of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was sentenced to life in prison. Yamagami pleaded guilty and said he chose Abe as a target because of his ties to a fringe religious group (formerly the Unification Church), which he said ruined his family with excessive donations.
The case was controversial because of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's ties to the church, and an investigation found that roughly half of LDP members had ties to the group.
In 2024, the election of a new LDP leader was held in the person of Shigeru Ishiba.
In September 2020, Yoshihide Suga became the new chairman of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Japan. The politician replaced Shinzo Abe in this post, who at the end of August announced his intention to resign for health reasons.
Parliament
2026: Liberal Democratic Party wins 316 seats in Parliament
In February 2026, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi won a landslide victory in the early parliamentary elections. Its Liberal Democratic Party of Japan won the largest one-party majority in post-war history - 316 seats, and the ruling coalition took 352 out of 465 seats in the lower house.
This strengthens its power and gives the mandate to conduct large-scale economic policy.
The super-majority also simplifies the adoption of laws and can return to the agenda the issue of revising the pacifist constitution.
2025: Women hold just 15.7% of seats in the lower house of parliament
As of September 2025, women hold only 15.7% of seats in the lower house of parliament, and Japan is 118th out of 148 countries on the Gender Inequality Index.
2024: LDP-led ruling coalition loses majority in lower house of parliament following election
According to the results of the vote in October 2024, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and their allies in the person of the Komeito party took 215 seats, which is several dozen less than in the elections in 2021.
The alternative LDP force - the Constitutional Democratic Party - received 148 seats. In total, the opposition gained 250 seats, but this number includes parties opposing the two main ones.
The election was a failure for the LDP for several reasons. These include last year's corruption scandal, as well as the economic problems faced by ordinary Japanese citizens. Due to these factors, the party's ratings have recently been at very low levels.
The election of a new LDP leader in the person of Shigeru Ishiba was supposed to change the situation - this is exactly what the Prime Minister, who announced early elections just a week after being appointed to office, put it. However, the measures did not work, and the LDP's financial support for the candidates who appeared in the corruption scandal added fuel to the fire.
As a result, the parties will have to make concessions and form new coalitions, since none of the leading political forces has enough mandates to occupy a majority in the lower house of parliament.
2023: Proportion of women in Parliament - 10.3%
Government
2025: Takaichi becomes first female prime minister
Sanae Takaichi takes office in October 2025 at a difficult moment: inflation, political instability and discord in the coalition after the exit of the Komeito party. It has already formed a new alliance with the Japan Innovation Party, but the ruling bloc still lacks a majority in the lower house.
Japan's Innovation Party, known as Isin, was created in 2010 to shake up Japan's political establishment and loosen Tokyo's administrative grip. Now the unification intends to help the Liberal Democratic Party extend its seventy-year dominance.
The sudden departure of Komeito from the ruling coalition threatened to disrupt the plans of Liberal Democrat leader Sanae Takaichi for the premiership and for the first time in more than a decade to deprive her party of power. Isin's decision to enter the new coalition excludes this possibility.
The prime minister plans an aggressive economic policy in the spirit of "Abenomics" - more government spending and pressure on the Bank of Japan, which has already caused the weakening of the yen and the growth of stocks. Among the first appointments is Satsuki Katayama, the first ever female finance minister.
2024
Ex-Minister of Defense of the country Ishiba elected new Prime Minister of Japan
On September 27, 2024, former Japanese Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba was elected chairman of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) following the second round of voting. He will become the country's new prime minister. Read more here.
Minister of Digital Transformation became a presidential candidate
At the end of August 2024, it became known that the Minister for Digital Transformation of Japan Taro Kono (Taro Kono) nominated himself for the post of chairman of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Ex-Minister of Economic Security Takayuki Kobayashi and former Japanese Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba also announced their candidacies. Read more here
2021
Fumio Kishida is Japan's new prime minister
On September 29, 2021, ex-Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida was elected the new Prime Minister of Japan. In the second round, he bypassed the "Minister of Vaccination" (as local media call the post of Minister for Administrative Reform, who is responsible for the vaccination campaign) Taro Kono. Read more here.
The Minister for Loneliness appeared in Japan
In February 2021, the post of Minister for Loneliness appeared in Japan due to an increase in the number of suicides in the country. This decision was made by the Prime Minister and Yoshihide Suga. The new position was taken by Sakamoto Tetsushi. Read more here.
2020: Yoshihide Suga's appointment as Japan's prime minister
In mid-September 2020, Yoshihide Suga was elected the new Prime Minister of Japan. Sugu's candidacy was supported by 314 out of 462 deputies of the lower house of parliament. Now he must announce the new composition of the government. Read more here.
Economy
Automobile traffic
Japan is a left-handed country.
Health care
Religion
2022: Japan creates digital Buddha for believers
In early October 2022, experts from Kyoto University in Japan announced the development of an experimental AI Buddha system - a virtual Buddha based on artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR) technologies. Read more here.
2021:34% of the population say they adhere to a certain religion
Education
Ecology
Export of plastic waste
Information Technology
Electronic public administration
Software
Information security
2019
Digital passports were not needed by the Japanese
In early September 2019, it became known about the weak interest of the Japanese in the My Number system. It is used by only 13.9% of the country's population by August 22, Mainichi reports. Read more here.
Imposing a fine for drunken drone control
In mid-June 2019, Japan introduced a new law according to which the use of a drone while intoxicated can lead to a fine or even imprisonment of up to one year. Read more here.
Television and Radio
2018: 8K TV channel launch
In early December 2018, broadcasting of the world's first 8K channel began. The company told about such an achievement. NHK More. here
Crime
2025: 4.9% increase in crime to 774,142 cases
According to statistics released by the National Police Department of Japan in February 2026, the total number of reported crimes in the country in 2025 increased by 4.9% compared to the previous year, reaching 774,142 cases. This indicator demonstrates growth for the fourth year in a row, exceeding the level of 2019 (about 749 thousand).
The main body of offenses is still theft, which accounted for more than 60% of the total number of crimes. In 2025, 513,931 similar incidents were recorded, which is 2.5% more than a year earlier. Store theft showed a significant increase: the number of such cases increased by 7%, reaching 105,135.
The category of fraud and similar crimes showed a sharp jump - by 25%, to 77,473 episodes. In almost 40% of cases, attackers attributed their actions to "everyday difficulties." The total material damage from illegal actions of this type increased by 31%, exceeding 402.9 billion yen. Of particular concern to the department is the growth of the so-called "special" fraud: according to preliminary data, losses from it amounted to about 141.4 billion yen.
The situation remains extremely serious with damage from investment scams through social networks and romantic scams, where losses increased by 40% and reached 182.7 billion yen. Law enforcers believe that anonymous and non-permanent criminal groups known as "tokuryu" are involved in the commission of these crimes.
The total number of detainees for criminal offenses increased by 4.8% and amounted to 301,055 people. Of these, 17,614 are foreign tourists (31.4% more than in 2024). 550 visitors were arrested for serious crimes, which is 48 people more than the statistics of 2024. The overall crime detection rate remained at 38.9%.[1]
2024: Senior citizens specifically commit petty crimes to go to jail
In Japanese prisons, the number of elderly criminals is increasing every year.
This phenomenon has been known to local media for a long time. Elderly citizens specifically commit petty crimes of the type of theft to go to prison. There they don't have to pay for accommodation, food and other household expenses.
Such actions are a good way to "live for free," to cope with loneliness, since some of the prisoners have no relatives, and also, as criminals notice, to save money, because they continue to receive a pension.
So far, there are no statistics that would prove that this is the case for most elderly criminals. A much more serious problem is the increase in the number of such prisoners due to the aging population in Japan, which places an additional burden on the prison system in principle.
2019: Minimum age for children to be jailed
2018: Total 45 prisoners per 100 thousand citizens
Culture
1963
1954
1900
1885
1832
In 1832, Hokusai created the engraving "Big Wave." Only a few dozen copies were printed on plain paper. For sale in a trading shop for pilgrims. On the way to Mount Fuji, they bought her image.
After some time, engravings reached Europe, where they quickly spread through collections and every year only grew in price.
A huge wave is about to cover boats with fishermen. The foam in the form of flakes falls down and the illusion is created that it is snowing over Mount Fuji.
That is, the artist combined incredible drama in the foreground and the all-consuming calmness of the background.
Religion
2026: Japanese government dissolves Unification Church
In March 2026, the Tokyo High Court upheld the decision to dissolve the Unification Church. The reason is social harm: the collection of large donations caused damage to more than 1,500 people for $130 million. The decision took effect immediately.
The unification church has been operating in Japan since 1964. She was closely associated with ex-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and his grandfather Nobusuke Kishi contributed to her advancement in the country.
Abe in 2022 was shot dead because of ties with her. The killer's mother was a follower of the organization and ruined the family with donations. Now the authorities have recognized the danger of the movement and disbanded it.
The organization is subjected to persecution in South Korea. The president called for the dissolution of the church, and its members were involved in political scandals, including with the former first lady. There is an opinion that through connections with this and other similar organizations, the former South Korean president mobilized the electorate.
The unification church could also interfere in Japanese politics - in 2025, rumors surfaced that the organization was helping deputies from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in Japan with elections to the lower house of parliament in 2021. And internal party investigations showed that 180 members of this political force had ties to the sect.
Therefore, perhaps the influence of this religious structure in Japan cannot be eradicated by dissolution alone. And it is difficult to call the verdict a full-fledged liquidation - the organization will simply lose its religious status, as well as the tax benefits that go with it. But at the same time, it can be reformatted into a public organization and continue to work, albeit in a stripped-down format.
1961
Sport
2023: $700 million to one person - Japanese baseball player lands record contract in sports history
In December 2023, Japanese baseball player Sehei Ohtani signed a new contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers MLB club, and this was a record agreement in the history of the sport. The 29-year-old athlete made a deal for 10 years, during which time he will receive $700 million. Read more here.
2022: The most popular sport is baseball
in
Calendar
Fauna
2025: Sharp rise in bear attacks on people: 230 killed and injured
From April to November 2025 in Japan, bears killed or injured a record 230 people. The most cases are in northern Tohoku. 97% of attacks are related to the Asian black bear, which increasingly goes out to people due to abandoned farmland and deserted mountainous areas.
From April to October, almost 37 thousand observations of bears were recorded - twice as much as a year earlier; in Tokyo - 142. There are fewer hunters able to control the population.
Japanese authorities are strengthening security measures, while businesses are actively responding to the growing demand for protection from bears.
Notes
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