Demographics
Japanese society is ethnically and linguistically homogeneous, with small populations of primarily North and South Koreans (1 million), Okinawan (1.5 million), Chinese and Taiwanese (0.5 million), Filipinos (0.5 million), and Brazilians — mostly of Japanese descent — (250,000), as well as the indigenous Ainu minority in Hokkaido. 99% of the population speaks Japanese as their first language.
Japanese citizenship is conferred on an infant when a family member registers the infant's birth in the family registry held by a neighborhood ward office. Simply being born in Japan does not assure citizenship. Monolingual Japanese-speaking minorities often reside in Japan for generations under permanent residency status without acquiring citizenship in their country of birth. People of Japanese heritage returning to Japan from overseas have citizenship if their birth in a foreign country was registered on their behalf by a family member. Sometimes these returnees are not considered truly Japanese and sometimes suspected of being a descent of old feudal Burakumin "unclean" caste, a group of people known to have immigrated to South American countries, and subject to discrimination.
The Japanese population is rapidly aging, the effect of a post-war baby boom followed by a decrease in births as the country modernized in the latter part of the 20th century (notable aspects including the shift from agricultural to urban lifestyles and the increasing tendency for women to remain in the workplace). Japan now also has the highest life expectancy in the world. By 2007, when Japan's population growth could stop completely, over 20% of the population will be over the age of 65. The changes in the demographic structure have created a number of social issues, particularly potential decline in workforces and increase in the cost of social securities like the public pension plan. Japanese government planners are currently in a heated debate over how to cope with this problem. Immigration and birth incentives are sometimes suggested as a possible solution to provide younger workers to support the graying society. Immigration is not publicly popular as recent increased crime rates are often attributed to foreigners living in Japan.
Religion
The Japanese people's concern with religion is usually related to mythology, traditions, and neighborhood activities rather than just the source of morality or the guidance for one's life. For one, Confucianism, or even Taoism tends to serve as the basis for the moral code and shakai-tunen (social common idea). When asked to identify their religion, most would profess to believe in either Shintoism (54%) or Buddhism (40%), for simple reasons like their family has belonged to some sect of Buddhism or to avoid contention with religious foreigners. Nonetheless, most of the people are by no means atheists, and the tendency is often identified with syncretism. This results a variety of practices such as parents and children celebrating Shinto rituals, students praying before exams, couples holding a wedding at a Christian church and funerals being held at Buddhist temples. A minority profess to Christianity (0.7%) and other religions (4.7%) like shamanism. Also since the middle of the 19th century many religious sects called Shinkosyukyo and later shinshukyo emerged.
Education
Compulsory education was introduced into Japan in 1872 as one result of the Meiji restoration. Since 1947 compulsory education consists of elementary school and middle school, which last for 9 years (from age 6 to age 15). Almost all children continue their education at a three-year senior high school, and 96% of high school graduates attend a university, junior college, trade school, or other post-secondary institution.
Language
Main article: Japanese Language
Before the 4th century the Japanese had no writing system of their own. They began to import and adapt the Chinese writing script along with many other aspects of Chinese culture.
At first, the Japanese wrote in Classical Chinese or in a Japanese-Chinese combination. An example of this style is the Kojiki, which was written in 712 AD. They then started to use Chinese characters to write Japanese in a style known as manyo-gana, a ten thousand syllabic script which used characters depicting their own values.
Over time, a writing system was constructed. Chinese characters (called "kanji") were used to write either words borrowed from Chinese, or Japanese words with the same or similar meanings. Chinese characters were also used to write grammatical elements and were simplified and eventually became two syllabic scripts; hiragana and katakana.
Japanese literature reached a high point during the 11th century with the Genji Monogatari (Tale of Genji) by Lady Murasaki Shikibu. Many other Japanese literary works were also written by women.
Modern Japanese is written in a mixture of hiragana, katakana and kanji. Modern Japanese texts may also include ro-maji (The standard way of writing Japanese with the Latin alphabet), eimoji (Non-Japanese words written in their own script), and other various symbols known as kigo-.
Culture
Japanese culture has evolved greatly over the years, from the country's original Jomon culture to its contemporary hybrid culture, which combines a number of influences from Europe, America, and East Asia.
Historically, China and Korea were first mostly influential, starting with the development of the Yayoi culture from around 300 BC. Southern Asian and Central Asian cultural traditions, transmitted through the Silk Road, influenced the arts and religions of Japan from the 6th century AD, culminating with the introduction of Mahayana Buddhism. In the pre-modern era, Japan developed a unique original culture, in its arts (ikebana, origami, ukiyo-e), crafts (dolls, lacquerware, pottery), performances (bunraku, dance, kabuki, noh, rakugo), and traditions (games, onsen, sento, tea ceremony, architecture, gardens, swords), as well as a unique cuisine.
From the mid-19th century onward, European influence prevailed, with American influences becoming predominant following the end of World War II. This influence is apparent in Japan's contemporary popular culture, which combines Asian, European, and, 1950 onward, American influences in its fashion, films, literature, television, video games, and music. Today, Japan is a major exporter of such culture, which has gained popularity around the world, particularly in the other countries of East Asia. Especially notable contributions of modern Japan to the rest of the world include animation (anime) and graphic novels (manga). Traditional and modern Japanese culture have attracted many devotees in Europe and the Americas as well.
For more information, please visit Japan at Wikipedia.org, Demographics of Japan, Religions of Japan, Japanese Mythology, Education in Japan, Japanese Language, Culture of Japan, Japanese Clothing, Japanese Festivals, Japanese New Year, Japanese Sports, Tourism in Japan, and Japanese Traditional Dance.