Population: approximately 127.4 million
Capital: Tokyo
Language: Japanese
Location: Japan is an archipelago of roughly 3,000 islands. It rests on the East side of China and Korea. (I HOPE you know where Japan is.)
Climate: Japan is mostly temperate, but there is a large difference in temperatures between the north and south islands. (Yes, yes, yes, I KNOW the north Island of Hokkaido gets snow!)
History: The famous Japanese imperial court began some time in the 8th century. In the 700s Japan mostly copied Chinese government and art, but around 794 true Japanese culture began to emerge.
Then came the feudal era, in which Japan was ruled by the warrior class, the samurai. Additionally, Mongols attempted to invade Japan in 1274 and 1281, but they were repelled by gargantuan typhoons both times.
In 1854 Commodore Perry of the US Navy forced Japan to open it’s shores to trade. Shortly after Emperor Meiji ascended to the throne, and was used by a group of world changing men to radically change Japan.
Japan became westernized by these men, who decided to keep Japan alive by adopting the ways of the westerners. It became the most powerful Asian country, and in 1937 invaded China. It continued to attack, eventually joining in World War II, and dragged America in as well by attacking Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.
Japan lost to America after two atomic bombs were dropped on its land. American soldiers created a constitution for Japan, which is still in use today. Japan has no real army as part of the post-war agreement, but it has one of the largest economies in the world.