Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Japan: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna grade (MBA, ranked #8 of 195).
Japan is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy in Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula. The country's capital is Tokyo; it covers 377,915 sq km. Independence: 3 May 1947 (current constitution adopted as amendment to Meiji Constitution); notable earlier dates: 11 February 660 B.C. (mythological date of Emperor JIMMU founding the nation); 29 November 1890 (Meiji Constitution provides for constitutional monarchy). Terrain: mostly rugged and mountainous. Climate: varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north. Population: 123.2 million (2024 estimate). Population growth: +0.45% per year. Median age: 50.2 years.…
| Capital | Tokyo |
|---|---|
| Population | 123,201,945 (2024 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $5.715 trillion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $46,100 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | 0.1% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | 2.7% |
| Unemployment | 2.6% |
| Public debt | 215.9% of GDP (2022 est.) |
| Exports | $922.447 billion (2024 est.) |
| Imports | $965.047 billion (2024 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 85.2 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 50.2 |
| Urbanization | 92% of total population (2023) |
| Government | parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
| Independence | 3 May 1947 (current constitution adopted as amendment to Meiji Constitution); notable earlier dates: 11 February 660 B.C. (mythological date of Emperor JIMMU founding the nation); 29 November 1890 (Meiji Constitution provides for constitutional monarchy) |
| Languages | Japanese |
MBA · 72/100 — The Magna grade is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — five dimensions, 100+ indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum +2 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
Steady management under Japan's first woman premier: the defence build-up stayed on track toward the 2%-of-GDP target and the industrial pipeline advanced without drama.
No quarter-defining shock — Japan's momentum is the slow compound of an economy executing its plan.
Sanae Takaichi — Prime Minister. Emperor NARUHITO (since 1 May 2019)
Japan maintains 251 embassies abroad, hosts 155 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to African Union Addis Ababa, ASEAN Jakarta, Conference on Disarmament Geneva, EU Brussels, ICAO Montreal, NATO Brussels, OECD Paris, UN New York, UN Geneva, UN Vienna, UNESCO Paris. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 251 |
|---|---|
| Foreign missions hosted | 155 |
| Multilateral missions | African Union Addis Ababa, ASEAN Jakarta, Conference on Disarmament Geneva, EU Brussels, ICAO Montreal, NATO Brussels, OECD Paris, UN New York, UN Geneva, UN Vienna, UNESCO Paris |
Source: Lowy Institute Global Diplomacy Index 2024 (released 2024-02-25), https://globaldiplomacyindex.lowyinstitute.org/; Wikipedia 'List of diplomatic missions in Japan'
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Coastal — 29751 km of coastline. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 280 + 3036 heliports (registration prefix JA) |
| Major seaports | Kawasaki Ko, Kobe, Mikawa, Nagasaki, Nagoya Ko, Onomichi-Itozaki, Osaka, Tokyo Ko, Wakamatsu Ko, Wakayama-Shimotsu Ko, Yokohama Ko |
| Railways | 27311 km |
| Pipelines | 4,456 km gas, 174 km oil, 104 km oil/gas/water (2013) |
| Top container ports (TEU) | Tokyo (4,325,956 TEU, 2021); Yokohama (2,861,197 TEU, 2021); Kobe (2,823,774 TEU, 2021) |
Aomori Airport (AOJ) — Aomori; Chubu Centrair International Airport (NGO) — Tokoname; Fukuoka Airport (FUK) — Fukuoka; Hakodate Airport (HKD) — Hakodate; Hiroshima Airport (HIJ) — Hiroshima; Ibaraki Airport (IBR) — Omitama; Kadena Air Base (DNA) — Okinawa; Kagoshima Airport (KOJ) — Kagoshima; Kansai International Airport (KIX) — Osaka; Kitakyushu Airport (KKJ) — Kitakyushu.
Showing 10 of 15 major airports.
| LNG import terminals | Chita, Chita Midorihama, Fukuoka, Futtsu, Hachinone, Hakodate, Hatsukaichi, Higashi Ohgishima, Higashi Niigata, Himeiji, Hitachi, Ishikari, Joetsu, Kagoshima, Kawagoe, Hibiki, Mitzushima, Nagasaki, Naoetsu, Negishi, Ohgishima, Oita, Sakai, Sakaide, Senboku, Shin Minato, Shin-Sendai, Sodeshi Shimizu, Sodegaura, Soma, Tobata, Toyama Shinko, Yanai, Yokkaichi, Yoshinoura |
|---|
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28); theodora.com CIA mirror (CIA World Factbook Transportation section), scraped 2026-10-02
| Political system | parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
|---|---|
| Last election | 2026 — general; 2026-02-08; winner: Sanae Takaichi (LDP); snap election; LDP 315/465 supermajority thedailystar.net |
| Next election | 2028 — general (scheduled) |
Source: constitutional schedule / public election calendar
MBA · 72 Ranked #8 of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Japan.
