The Kanto region includes Japan's largest industrial area, centred on Tokyo and Yokohama. Tokyo is one of the largest cities on earth, and the centre of government, industry and commerce in Japan. Population With over 125.6 million people, Japan ranks seventh in the world after China, India, the United States, Indonesia, Brazil and Russia. The population density is approximately 335 persons per square kilometre, placing it among the world's most densely populated nations. It is expected to continue to grow moderately and reach 128 million by the year 2010.
Japan is a highly urbanised country, with approximately three in every four people living in cities.
The Japanese today constitute a very homogeneous society, although there are some minority groups. The Japanese language is unique to Japan, although much of the vocabulary is derived from Chinese and its structure is closely related to the Korean language. Dialects of Japanese are spoken in most regions, but a standardised form of Japanese is now widely used. The level of literacy is high. English is widely taught, but not widely spoken.