The Mongol invasions of Japan in the 13th century were repelled by a combination of strategic planning and a typhoon that destroyed the invading fleet.

The Taisho period, which lasted from 1912 to 1926, was marked by political instability and social change, including the rise of labor unions and women's rights movements.

The Japanese giant salamander is one of the world's largest amphibians and is native to Japan's freshwater rivers and streams.