Name: Japan Continent: Asia Population: 126,800,000 Religion: Shinto & Buddhist 84%; Christian 1%; Other 15%

While retaining its time-honored culture, Japan rapidly absorbed Western technology during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. After its devastating defeat in World War II, Japan recovered to become the second most powerful economy in the world and a staunch ally of the US. While the emperor retains his throne as a symbol of national unity, actual power rests in networks of powerful politicians, bureaucrats, and business executives. The economy experienced a major slowdown in the 1990s following three decades of unprecedented growth. Information from the CIA World Fact Book

Timeline of Events Date Event 690   690 Shinto Shrine of Ise first built in its current form in Japan 1549   1549 Christianity reaches Japan 1882   1882 Bank of Japan established 1894   1894 Sino-Japanese War 1904 8 February 1904 Japan defeats Russia in the Russo-Japanese War; First victory of an Asian state over a European one in modern era 1931 18 September 1931 Japan invades Manchuria 1941 7 December 1941 Japanese launch surprise attack on U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor 8 December 1941 United States declares war on Japan 1942 8 May 1942 American forces at Corregidor in the Philippines surrender 4 June 1942 Americans destroy 4 Japanese aircraft carriers at the battle of Midway 7 August 1942 United States Marines land on Guadalcanal 1943 18 April 1943 Admiral Yamamoto dies when the transport he was riding was shot down near Bougainville 1945 19 February 1945 U. S. Marines land on the island of Iwo Jima 2 September 1945 Japanese sign surrender terms on board the USS Missouri 2 September 1945 U.S. and Japanese Sign Surrender Go here for timeline sources.