Japan's surrender in World War II was announced on August 15, 1945, and marked the end of the war in the Pacific.

The first novel ever written, The Tale of Genji, was written in Japan in the 11th century by a noblewoman named Murasaki Shikibu.

The bullet train (Shinkansen), which began operation in 1964, was the first high-speed train system in the world and is still one of the fastest.