Japan is an island country located in East Asia. It consists of 6,852 islands in a northeast-southwest arc that stretches for approximately 1,500 miles (2,400 km) through the western North Pacific Ocean.

Complexity and contrast are the keynotes of life in Japan—a country possessing an intricate and ancient cultural tradition yet one that, since 1950, has emerged as one of the world’s most economically and technologically advanced societies. Heavy emphasis is placed on education, and Japan is one of the world’s most literate countries.

Tokyo is the capital city of Japan and also the largest city. Other major cities include Osaka, Nagoya, and Sapporo. As of 2019, there are over 126 million people living in Japan, which has the tenth largest population in the world.

Japan is the host of the 2020 summer Olympic and Paralympic Games.2020 marks the 50th Anniversary of the Alberta Japan Office (AJO) in Tokyo, the 40th anniversary of the Alberta-Hokkaido sister relationship, and over 90 years of Canada-Japan diplomatic relations. Partnerships have been further strengthened through sister cities as well as sports, arts, academic and business exchanges. Japan is Alberta’s third largest trading partner.