The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, originally scheduled for 2020 but postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, are set to take place in 2021.

The Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011 and subsequent tsunami devastated Japan's northeast coast and caused the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Hayao Miyazaki, one of the most famous and influential anime directors of all time, has created many classic anime films such as Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and Howl's Moving Castle.