Japan has the world's second-biggest economy, achieving an economic miracle in the second half of the 20th Century that was the envy of the rest of the world.
Its role in the international community is considerable. It is a major aid donor and a source of global capital and credit.
For the majority, life in Japan is urban. More than three quarters of the population live in sprawling cities on the coastal fringes of Japan's four mountainous, wooded islands.
Japan's rapid post-war expansion - propelled by highly successful car and consumer electronics industries - ran out of steam by the 1990s.
AT-A-GLANCE
The 1997 Asian financial crisis, and bouts of recession, precipitated major banking, public spending and private sector reforms.
Japan remains a traditional society with strong social and employment hierarchies - Japanese men have tended to work for the same employer throughout their working lives.
But this and other traditions are under pressure as a young generation more in tune with Western culture and ideas grows up.
Japan's relations with its neighbours are still heavily influenced by the legacy of Japanese actions before and during World War II. Japan has found it difficult to accept and atone for its treatment of the citizens of countries it occupied.
A Japanese court caused outrage by overturning a compensation order for Korean women forced to work as sex slaves.
South Korea and China have also protested that Japanese school history books gloss over atrocities committed by the Japanese military. Japan has said China promotes an anti-Japanese view of history.
Following World War II, lawmakers forged a pacifist constitution.
But the deployment of Japanese troops in Iraq following the US-led invasion in 2003 divided public opinion and sparked claims that the move was unconstitutional.
Twenty percent of the world's earthquakes take place in Japan, which sits on the boundaries of at least three tectonic plates. The government has set targets for reducing the number of deaths and the economic damage after any future, powerful quake.
Head of state: Emperor Akihito
Akihito succeeded his father, Hirohito, in 1989. Under the 1947 constitution, Japan's emperors have a purely ceremonial role.
Prime minister: Taro Aso
Taro Aso succeeded Yasuo Fukuda as Liberal Democratic Party leader and prime minister in September 2008, the third since the resignation of Junichiro Koizumi in 2006.
Mr Aso comes from an influential political and business family, and has family ties to others - including the imperial house.
He headed the family-owned Aso Mining Company for six years before being elected to the Diet in 1979.
He rose to be foreign minister from 2005-2007 and secretary-general of the LDP in 2008. He has stood in each of the four LDP leadership contests since 2001.
After initial hopes that Mr Aso could revive the LDP's flagging political fortunes, Japan's swift descent into recession and a series of prominent gaffes left his popularity badly dented by the end of 2008.
The prime minister's woes have given the main opposition Democratic Party a fair chance of ending the LDP's long reign at the next election, which must be held by September 2009.
Mr Aso is said to be more charismatic than his two predecessors. He represented Japan in shooting at the 1976 Olympics and is known as a fan of the popular 'manga' comics.
He brings with this a tendency towards embarrassing off-the-cuff comments on Taiwan, Koreans and China's military spending, among other sensitive matters.
On foreign policy he is a noted hawk, advocating a firm line on North Korea's nuclear programme and China's regional role.
Unusually for a senior Japanese politician, he spent much time abroad as a young man - he studied at Stanford and the London School of Economics, and worked in Sierra Leone.
Mr Aso is also the first Roman Catholic to be appointed as premier in predominantly Buddhist and Shinto Japan.
Japan's broadcasting scene is advanced and vibrant, with established public and commercial outlets competing for audiences.
There are five national terrestrial TV companies, including the public broadcaster NHK which also runs national radio networks. Most of NHK's funding comes from the licence fees paid by viewers.
Japanese broadcasting is diversifying rapidly. Many millions of viewers now watch satellite and cable pay-TV services, including those provided by NHK.
The country has spearheaded high-definition TV (HDTV), and an NHK channel is dedicated to such transmissions. Digital terrestrial TV broadcasting is being rolled out.
News, drama, variety shows and sport - especially baseball - all garner large audiences. Imported TV programmes are not staple fare on Japan's main TV networks, but Western influences are often apparent in home-made programmes.
Japan was years ahead of the US and Europe in pioneering reality TV, in which ordinary people are placed in extraordinary situations.
Newspaper readership is very high, with some 80% of Japanese reading a paper every day. National dailies sell in their millions, boosted by afternoon and evening editions. However, circulation and advertising revenue are declining amid competition from the internet and other media.
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