Japan Encyclopedia

Even in the twenty‐first century, Japan and the way of life of its 127 million population remain a mystery to many people drawn from Western cultures. This lack of understanding is in stark contrast with the profound knowledge that the Japanese have of every aspect and detail of Western societies. European and American capital cities have become normal places for Japanese scholars and tourists to visit, whereas few European language conversations are to be overheard in Tokyo, and it is noticeable that the net migration rate for Japan is zero, compared with 1.06 per 1,000 head of population for the...