Japan
Japan (日本, Nippon) is a country in Asia. It has many islands. Four of them are big, and the biggest is the 7th largest island in the world. This island is called Honshu. The islands are near the East Asian coast, in the western part of the Pacific Ocean.
Japanese people call their country "Nihon" or "Nippon", which means "the origin of the sun" in Japanese.
HISTORY
In 1941, Japan hit Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, a water base of the United States and destroyed or damaged many ships and airplanes. This started the United States' involvement in World War II. American and Japanese forces fought each other in the Pacific. Once airbases were established within range of the Japanese mainland America began to win, and started dropping bombs on Japanese cities. America was able to bomb most of the important cities and quickly brought Japan close to defeat. To make Japan surrender, the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing 150,000 Japanese citizens. Soon after this the Soviet Union began to fight against Japan and the Japanese army in Manchuria lost. Japan surrendered and gave up all the places it took from other countries, accepting the Potsdam Proclamation. The United States occupied Japan and forced it to write a new constitution, in which it promised to never go to war again.
Settled by migrants from the Asian mainland back in the mists of prehistory, Japan has seen the rise and fall of emperors, rule by samurai, isolation from the outside world, expansion over most of Asia, defeat and rebound. One of the most war-like of nations in the early twentieth century, today Japan often serves as a voice of pacifism and restraint on the international stage.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Much science in Japan was learnt either from China or from Europe in the Meiji Era. However in recent decades Japan has been a leading innovator in several fields, including chemical engineering, nanotechnology and robotics.
The robot Asimo was
Japanese people call their country "Nihon" or "Nippon", which means "the origin of the sun" in Japanese.
HISTORY
In 1941, Japan hit Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, a water base of the United States and destroyed or damaged many ships and airplanes. This started the United States' involvement in World War II. American and Japanese forces fought each other in the Pacific. Once airbases were established within range of the Japanese mainland America began to win, and started dropping bombs on Japanese cities. America was able to bomb most of the important cities and quickly brought Japan close to defeat. To make Japan surrender, the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing 150,000 Japanese citizens. Soon after this the Soviet Union began to fight against Japan and the Japanese army in Manchuria lost. Japan surrendered and gave up all the places it took from other countries, accepting the Potsdam Proclamation. The United States occupied Japan and forced it to write a new constitution, in which it promised to never go to war again.
Settled by migrants from the Asian mainland back in the mists of prehistory, Japan has seen the rise and fall of emperors, rule by samurai, isolation from the outside world, expansion over most of Asia, defeat and rebound. One of the most war-like of nations in the early twentieth century, today Japan often serves as a voice of pacifism and restraint on the international stage.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Much science in Japan was learnt either from China or from Europe in the Meiji Era. However in recent decades Japan has been a leading innovator in several fields, including chemical engineering, nanotechnology and robotics.
The robot Asimo was