"Land of the Rising Sun" redirects here. For the national anthem of the former African state of Biafra, see "Land of the Rising Sun (national anthem)". For the article on the names of Japanese people, see "Japanese name". "Zipang" redirects here; for the manga series, see Zipang (manga); for the anime series, see Zipang (anime). The English word Japan is not the name used for their country by the Japanese themselves: it is an exonym. The Japanese names for Japan are Nippon (にっぽん) and Nihon (にほん). They are both written in Japanese using the Chinese characters 日本. The Japanese name Nippon is used for most official purposes, including Japanese money, postage stamps, and international sporting events. Nihon is a more casual term and the most frequently used in contemporary speech.
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