The earliest record of 日本 appears in the Chinese Old Book of Tang, which notes the change in 703 when Japanese envoys requested that its name be changed. It is believed that the name change within Japan itself took place sometime between 665 and 703.
Japan was first mentioned as 'Cipangu' in the travel diaries of Marco Polo, though whether he actually visited Japan is still up for debate. It's suspected that the name came from Portuguese, as early Portuguese explorers may have heard '日本' pronounced 'Cipan' in northern China and interpreted it as 'Jipangu'.
The simple answer is that Nippon is the typical name in Japanese, but there are other names in other languages. It appears that the name "Japan" was derived from the Mandarin or Wu name for the country, which was usually transcribed as "Cipan".
Japan: 15 Million Years Old
Japan's first emperor, Jimmu, is reportedly the founder of this country. Japan came into existence in 660 B.C. Buddhism impacted Japanese culture to a large extent, if we go by historical records.
1945-1952: Allied occupation of Japan; democratic party government restored; women gain legal equality and right to vote. Enactment of the new (democratic) constitution transforms Japan's political life, making it a truly parliamentary state. With a peace treaty signed in 1951, Japan regains its independence.
Historians say the Japanese called their country Yamato in its early history, and they began using Nippon around the seventh century. Nippon and Nihon are used interchangeably as the country's name.
While reliable records date only to about 400 A.D., legend has it that Japan was founded in 600 B.C. by Emperor Jimmu, a direct descendent of Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess, and ancestor of the present ruling dynasty.
1. Iran. Iran is the oldest country in the world founded in 3200 B.C. and has a topography characterized by numerous mountains and mountain ranges. Iran was established as a country in 3200 B.C.
A series of wars and confrontations took place between 1880 and 1945, with Japan invading and seizing Taiwan, Manchuria and most of coastal China. Japan was eventually defeated and withdrew in 1945.
In China, Japan is called Rìběn, which is the Mandarin pronunciation for the characters 日本. The Cantonese pronunciation is Yahtbún [jɐt˨ pun˧˥], the Shanghainese pronunciation is Zeppen [zəʔpən], and the Hokkien pronunciation is Ji̍tpún / Li̍t-pún.
When the Genovese explorer's three ships sailed westward from Palo de la Frontera, Spain, on Aug. 2, 1492, he was bound, he thought, for “the noble island of Cipangu” — Japan. Cipangu would be his gateway to “the Indies,” then the term for Asia — land of gold, spices, silks, perfumes, jewels.
The People's Republic of China (Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó) and Republic of China (Zhōnghuá Mínguó) are the official names for the two contemporary sovereign states currently claiming sovereignty over the traditional area of China.
Japan's indigenous people, the Ainu, were the earliest settlers of Hokkaido, Japan's northern island.
China is called ZhongGuo in Mandarin Chinese (Simplified Chinese: 中国, Traditional Chinese: 中國; also romanized as Jhongguo or Chung-kuo), which is usually translated as “Middle Empire”, but could also be translated as “Central State” or “Central Country”.
Westerner ("seiyohjin" or "western ocean person") is used by Japanese in formal speech or writing to refer to Euramericans in general. But often they'll just use the term "gaijin" or, more politely "gaikokujin", (gai means "outside", and koku means "country"), meaning "foreigners" .
Using a different criterion, here are the nations World Population Review lists as the oldest in the world according to their respective dates of self-sovereignty: Japan - 660 BCE. China - 221 BCE. San Marino - 301 CE.
1. South Sudan. South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 after years of civil war, but violence continues to ravage the world's newest country. Civil War erupted in South Sudan in 2013 and continues today, as political leaders from different ethnic groups vie for power.
Greece. Dating back to the Ancient Greek era, the country of Greece has remained firmly in the grasp of Grecians for at least 5,000-6,000 years. The Greeks were known to have taught the world revolutionary concepts and created the foundations of modern Western civilization.
1. Mesopotamia, 4000-3500 B.C. Meaning “between two rivers” in Greek, Mesopotamia (located in modern-day Iraq, Kuwait and Syria) is considered the birthplace of civilization.
Shinto (Japanese: 神道, romanized: Shintō) is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion.
・Japan was in the Warring States period, and the potential for war among the feudal lords was substantial. Therefore, countries like Spain simply abandoned the idea of invasion. In fact, feudal lords throughout Japan had a large number of troops and a substantial number of firearms.
It is conventionally regarded that the shogunate imposed and enforced the sakoku policy in order to remove the colonial and religious influence of primarily Spain and Portugal, which were perceived as posing a threat to the stability of the shogunate and to peace in the archipelago.