Japan History
![Picture](/uploads/1/9/3/1/19311457/8299951.gif)
Japan is an island nation in East Asia and located in Pacific Ocean. It is an archipelago of more than 6500 islands and located east of Korea and Russia. Japan is a developed country with rich cultural heritage. It is the third largest economy in the world and fourth largest exporter. The urban areas are densely populated. Japan is a home of 127 million people. Its history goes back to 1st century AD. At present it is a democratic country with the emperor as the figure head of the country. Japan was ruled by feudal military dictators from 12th to 19th century. Towards the end of that period, Japan was isolated from the world. Though under American influence they had to open up to the world, they still are isolated in some ways. Language is one of the major barriers in opening up. Text books of schools, universities, websites, software, magazines, etc are all written in Japanese. Foreigners in Japan are treated as aliens and immigrants are never granted citizenship. Spouses of Japanese citizens are also never granted citizenship. Only children born out of marriages between Japanese men and foreigner women are granted citizenship. Immigrants are granted permanent residence ship generations after generations. Japan managed to successfully hold their rich culture though the youth today are slowly moving towards pop culture. Sumo wrestling is very popular still even with the youth. Sakura festival is still very popular in Japan which is celebrated in the beginning of the summer. People spend a day underneath the sakura trees playing their favourite music, playing games and drinking warm Japanese wine called sake. Summer is the time of festivities. It is celebrated with bursting crackers in the evening. Kimono is ethnic dress of Japanese people and they wear them for attending the summer festivals and dances. Just like any other developed country, security in Japan is good. Crimes rates are low. USA provides a military security umbrella as per the treaty signed between Japan and USA after the surrender of Japan in the Second World War. Politically, Japan is a stable country. Japan has a parliamentary democracy with the emperor as the head. However, the emperor is the figure head with limited authority.