Japan has hosted several major international sporting events, including the 1964 Summer Olympics and the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

The Meiji Restoration in the late 19th century saw the overthrow of the Tokugawa shogunate and the modernization of Japan.

Sword Art Online, created by Reki Kawahara in 2009, is a popular anime and light novel series that takes place in a virtual reality MMORPG world.