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Adams, Will

(Encyclopedia)Adams, Will (William Adams), 1564?–1620, first Englishman to visit Japan. As pilot of a Dutch ship searching for gold and trade, he reached Japan in 1600. At first imprisoned and sentenced to death,...

Meiji

(Encyclopedia)Meiji māˈjē [key], 1852–1912, reign name of the emperor of Japan from 1867 to 1912; his given name was Mutsuhito. He ascended the throne when he was 15. A year later the shogun fell, and the powe...

Tomakomai

(Encyclopedia)Tomakomai tōmäˌkōˈmī [key], city (1990 pop. 160,118), Hokkaido prefecture, S Hokkaido, Japan, on the Pacific Ocean. It is a commercial port and the site of Japan's largest paper and newsprint in...

Nikko

(Encyclopedia)Nikko nēkˈkō [key], town (2011 est. pop. 91,000), Tochigi prefecture, central Honshu, Japan, partially in Nikko National Park. Mergers with surrounding municipalities, including Imaichi, have made ...

Kyoto

(Encyclopedia)Kyoto kyōˈtō [key], city (1990 pop. 1,461,140), capital of Kyoto prefecture, S Honshu, Japan, on the Kamo River. Yodo is its port. Kyoto is one of Japan's largest cities and an important cultural a...

mikado

(Encyclopedia)mikado mĭkäˈdō [key], a former title of the emperor of Japan used chiefly in the English language. ...

Ikeda, Hayato

(Encyclopedia)Ikeda, Hayato häyäˈtō ēkāˈdä [key], 1899–1965, Japanese political leader, prime minister (1960–64). After serving as an official in the finance ministry (1925–48) he entered politics, ga...

Abe, Shinzo

(Encyclopedia)Abe, Shinzo shēnˈzō äˈbā [key], 1954–2022, Japanese political leader. The son and grandson of politicians (his grandfather was Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi), he s...

Karatsu

(Encyclopedia)Karatsu käräˈtso͞o [key], city (1990 pop. 79,207), Saga prefecture, NW Kyushu, Japan, on Karatsu Bay. It is a summer resort and fishing port important historically as Japan's ancient communication...

Shinano

(Encyclopedia)Shinano shĭnäˈnō [key], river, longest of Honshu, Japan, c.230 mi (370 km) long. It rises in the mountains of central Honshu and flows generally NE to the Sea of Japan at Niigata. It waters the fe...