The history of Japan dates back to the first Emperor Jimmu who is supposed to have ascended to the throne in 660 B.C. Actual recorded history in Japan dates to around 250 A.D. with the Kofun era that included characteristic large burial mounds known as "tumuli".
Buddhism was introduced to the Japanese people around 500-600 A.D. This is also the time that the Chinese writing style was introduced to Japan.
In the 700's A.D. an Imperial Court was set up by the Yamato clan. Throughout the next period the rise of the "samurai" warrior as a distinct class was prevalent.
The year 1192 began the 700 year rule of successive "shoguns" or military dictators. Contact with the Western nations was made in 1542 with the visit of a Portuguese trading vessel. Trading with Western nations, however, was prohibited up through 1867.
In 1868 came the rise of the emperor Meiji and the abolishing of the shogun system. Japanese government converted to a parliamentary system starting in 1889. This was a period of rapid modernization.
The Russo-Japanese war was fought from 1904-1905 and resulted in Japanese victory and territory expansion. Japan participated in World War I and gained control over several Pacific islands as a result.
In 1931, Japan invaded Manchuria in China and in 1936 they joined the group of countries know as the Axis Powers.
In December of 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor resulting in the inclusion of the United States in the Second World War. In 1945, the United States dropped the new atomic bomb on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This resulted in the surrender of the Japanese shortly after to American forces resulting in the loss of many Pacific islands.
In 1947, Japan adopted a new constitution that made the emperor largely a figurehead. Japan saw great economic growth in the 1970s and 80s that made them the second largest economy in the world.
The most recent historic event was the tragic earthquake and ensuing tsunami that struck Japan damaging the large Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.
