Astro Boy, created by Osamu Tezuka in 1963, is considered the first modern anime and helped to popularize the genre both in Japan and around the world.

The Japanese women's national soccer team, also known as the Nadeshiko Japan, won the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2011 and has been a dominant force in women's soccer.

The 16th century saw the rise of Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu, who were instrumental in unifying Japan under a centralized government.