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

The Japanese language is written using three scripts: kanji (Chinese characters), hiragana, and katakana (both phonetic scripts).

The Toyota Prius, first introduced in 1997, is the world's first mass-produced hybrid car and has become a symbol of eco-friendly transportation.