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

Japan's economic miracle in the post-war period saw rapid economic growth and development, making it one of the world's leading economies.

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.