Japan

parliamentary constitutional monarchy

name: Tokyo geographic coordinates: 35 41 N, 139 45 E time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: originally known as Edo, meaning "estuary" because of its location on a bay; the name was changed to Tokyo, meaning "eastern capital," in 1868, as a contrast to Kyoto, the previous capital to the west

chief of state: Emperor NARUHITO (since 1 May 2019) head of government: Prime Minister Sanae TAKAICHI (since 21 October 2025) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister election/appointment process: the monarchy is hereditary; the leader of the majority party or majority coalition in the House of Representatives usually becomes prime minister election results: 2025: Sanae TAKAICHI (LDP) elected prime minister on 21 October 2025; upper house vote - 125 of 171 votes (runoff); lower house vote - 237 of 386 votes 2024: Shigeru ISHIBA (LDP) elected prime minister on 27 September 2024; upper house vote - 143 of 242 votes; lower house vote - 291 of 461 votes note: Shigeru ISHIBA resigned as prime minister on 7 September 2025; the party vote on the new prime minister is expected in early October 2025

legislature name: National Diet (Kokkai) legislative structure: bicameral

highest court(s): Supreme Court or Saiko saibansho (consists of the chief justice and 14 associate justices) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court chief justice designated by the Cabinet and appointed by the monarch; associate justices appointed by the Cabinet and confirmed by the monarch; all justices are reviewed in a popular referendum during the first general election of the House of Representatives after each judge's appointment and every 10 years afterward subordinate courts: 8 High Courts (Koto-saiban-sho), each with a Family Court (Katei-saiban-sho); 50 District Courts (Chiho saibansho), with 203 additional branches; 438 Summary Courts (Kani saibansho) note: the Supreme Court has jurisdiction in constitutional issues

history: previous 1890; latest approved 6 October 1946, adopted 3 November 1946, effective 3 May 1947 amendment process: proposed by the Diet; passage requires approval by at least two-thirds majority of both houses of the Diet and approval by majority in a referendum

ADB, AfDB (nonregional member), APEC, Arctic Council (observer), ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, CD, CE (observer), CERN (observer), CICA (observer), CP, CPLP (associate), EAS, EBRD, EITI (implementing country), FAO, FATF, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, G-20, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAIA (observer), MIGA, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE (partner), Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), Quad, SAARC (observer), SELEC (observer), SICA (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNMISS, UNOOSA, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

1.4% of GDP (2024 est.) 1.2% of GDP (2023 est.) 1.1% of GDP (2022 est.) 1% of GDP (2021 est.) 1% of GDP (2020 est.)

Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF): Ground Self-Defense Force (Rikujou Jieitai, GSDF; includes aviation), Maritime Self-Defense Force (Kaijou Jieitai, MSDF; includes naval aviation), Air Self-Defense Force (Koukuu Jieitai, ASDF) (2025) note: the Coast Guard is under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism; it is barred by law from operating as a military force, but in times of conflict Article 80 of the 1954 Self-Defense Forces Act permits the transfer of control of the coast guard to the Ministry of Defense with Cabinet approval

18-32 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; no conscription (2025) note: as of 2023, women made up about 9% of the military's full-time personnel

the Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) has a range of missions, including territorial defense, monitoring the country s air and maritime spaces, countering piracy and terrorism, and conducting humanitarian operations; the JSDF exercises regularly with the US military and increasingly with other regional countries, including Australia and the Philippines Japan s alliance with the US is one of the cornerstones of the country s security, as well as a large component of the US security posture in Asia; the US-Japan mutual defense treaty grants the US the right to base US military forces in Japan, including aircraft and ships, in return for US security guarantees; the Japanese Government provides approximately $3 billion on average per year to offset the cost of stationing US forces in Japan; in addition, it pays compensation to localities hosting US troops, rent for bases, and costs for new facilities to support the US presence; Japan also has Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA) status with the US, a designation under US law that provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense trade and security cooperation Japan was disarmed after its defeat in World War II; shortly after the Korean War began in 1950, US occupation forces in Japan created a 75,000-member lightly armed force called the National Police Reserve; the JSDF was founded in 1954; Article 9 of Japan s 1947 constitution renounced the use of force as a means of settling international disputes; however, Japan has interpreted Article 9 to mean that it can maintain a military for national defense purposes and, since 1991, has allowed the JSDF to participate in noncombat roles overseas in a number of UN peacekeeping missions and in the US-led coalition in Iraq; in 2014-2015, the Japanese Government reinterpreted the constitution as allowing for "collective self-defense," described as the use of force on others behalf if Japan s security was threatened; in 2022, the government released security policy documents that declared Japan s intention to develop "counterstrike capabilities, including armed drones and cruise missiles, and outlined plans to increase Japan s security-related expenditures to 2% of GDP (2025)

maintains a presence of about 400 military personnel at a permanent base in Djibouti (2025)

$5.715 trillion (2024 est.) $5.71 trillion (2023 est.) $5.627 trillion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

$46,100 (2024 est.) $45,900 (2023 est.) $45,000 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

0.1% (2024 est.) 1.5% (2023 est.) 0.9% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

2.7% (2024 est.) 3.3% (2023 est.) 2.5% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

215.9% of GDP (2022 est.) note: central government debt as a % of GDP

$922.447 billion (2024 est.) $923.488 billion (2023 est.) $922.813 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

$965.047 billion (2024 est.) $996.364 billion (2023 est.) $1.081 trillion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

2.6% (2024 est.) 2.6% (2023 est.) 2.6% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

revenues: $661.986 billion (2022 est.) expenditures: $897.03 billion (2022 est.) note: central government revenues and expenditures (excluding grants and social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

motor vehicles, electronic equipment, machine tools, steel and nonferrous metals, ships, chemicals, textiles, processed foods

rice, milk, sugar beets, vegetables, eggs, chicken, potatoes, onions, cabbages, pork (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

total: 123,201,945 (2024 est.) male: 59,875,269 female: 63,326,676

-0.45% (2025 est.)

0-14 years: 12.1% (male 7,701,196/female 7,239,389) 15-64 years: 58.4% (male 36,197,840/female 35,777,966) 65 years and over: 29.5% (2024 est.) (male 15,976,233/female 20,309,321)

6.84 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

12.04 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

0.73 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

total population: 85.2 years (2024 est.) male: 82.3 years female: 88.2 years

urban population: 92% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: -0.25% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Japanese 97.5%, Chinese 0.6%, Vietnam 0.4%, South Korean 0.3%, other 1.2% (includes Filipino, Brazilian, Nepalese, Indonesian, American, and Taiwanese) (2022 est.) note: data represent population by nationality; up to 230,000 Brazilians of Japanese origin migrated to Japan in the 1990s to work in industries; some have returned to Brazil

Japanese major-language sample(s): 必要不可欠な基本情報の源、ワールド・ファクトブック(Japanese) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Shintoism 48.6%, Buddhism 46.4%, Christianity 1.1%, other 4% (2021 est.) note: total adherents among persons claiming a religious affiliation

negligible mineral resources, fish note: with virtually no natural energy resources, Japan is almost totally dependent on imported sources of energy

refugees: 60,361 (2024 est.) IDPs: 29,244 (2024 est.) stateless persons: 505 (2024 est.)

280 (2025)

total: 27,311 km (2015) standard gauge: 4,800 km (2015) 1.435-m gauge (4,800 km electrified) narrow gauge: 124 km (2015) 1.372-m gauge (124 km electrified) dual gauge: 132 km (2015) 1.435-1.067-m gauge (132 km electrified) 22,207 km 1.067-mm gauge (15,430 km electrified) 48 km 0.762-m gauge (48 km electrified)

total: 5,229 (2023) by type: bulk carrier 166, container ship 49, general cargo 1,893, oil tanker 666, other 2,455

total subscriptions: 219 million (2023 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 168 (2022 est.)

percent of population: 87% (2023 est.)