Japan in the Rankings
Japan is the great runner-up of RList’s rankings. As of October 2026 it tops none of them, but it comes second or third again and again: second to France for Michelin three-star restaurants, owner of the world’s second-largest pension fund (behind only Norway’s oil fund), and the home of three of the ten oldest people ever verified, including Kane Tanaka, who lived to 119.
It also has the third-fastest train (the Shinkansen Hayabusa), three of the world’s ten busiest theme parks and one of the highest life expectancies anywhere. Here is every ranking where Japan makes the top 10.
Where Japan ranks
Japan’s best placing in each ranking where it makes the top 10. Unranked lists show “Pick”.
| Rank | Ranking | Entry | Figure | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #2 | The Largest Pension Funds in the World | Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) | 1,872.1Assets (US$ billion) | Money & Business |
| #2 | The Companies That Own the Most Bitcoin | Metaplanet (3350) | 44,000Bitcoin held | Money & Business |
| #2 | The Asian Countries with the Highest Prostate Cancer Rates | Japan | 50.1Incidence, age-standardised (per 100,000 men) | Health & Medicine |
| #2 | The Longest-Lived People Ever Verified | Kane Tanaka +2 more in the top 10 | 119 years, 107 daysAge (years, days) | People & Abilities |
| #2 | The Countries with the Most Michelin Three-Star Restaurants | Japan | 21Three-star restaurants | Restaurants & Food |
| #3 | The Largest Earthquakes Ever Recorded | Tōhoku (Great East Japan) earthquake | 9.1Magnitude (Mw) | Science & Space |
| #3 | The Biggest Buyers of Korean Beauty Products | Japan | $880.1M2025 exports (US$) | Money & Business |
| #3 | The Fastest Trains in the World | Shinkansen E5/H5 Hayabusa (Tokyo–Shin-Aomori) | 320Max operating speed (km/h) | Vehicles & Machines |
| #3 | The Most Visited Theme Parks in the World | Universal Studios Japan +2 more in the top 10 | 16.002024 attendance (millions) | Pop Culture & Entertainment |
| #3 | The Countries with the Highest Life Expectancy | Japan | 84.7Life expectancy (years) | Health & Medicine |
| #5 | The Countries with the Most Nobel Prizes | Japan | 34Total laureates | Science & Space |
| #5 | The Tallest Statues in Asia | Ushiku Daibutsu — Ushiku (1995) +1 more in the top 10 | 100 mHeight | Buildings & Structures |
| #5 | The Tallest Statues in the World | Ushiku Daibutsu — Ushiku, Japan (1995) +1 more in the top 10 | 100 mHeight | Buildings & Structures |
| #6 | The Largest Banks in Asia by Assets | Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group +2 more in the top 10 | $2.72TTotal assets | Money & Business |
| #7 | The Largest Optical Telescopes in the World | Subaru Telescope | 8.2Aperture (m) | Science & Space |
| #7 | The Most Expensive Luxury Train Rides in the World | Train Suite Shiki-Shima (Japan) +1 more in the top 10 | $2,150Cheapest cabin | Vehicles & Machines |
| #7 | The World's Most Liveable Cities in 2026 | Osaka +1 more in the top 10 | 96.0Overall (/100) | Geography & Countries |
| #8 | The Countries with the Most Registered Voters | Japan | 103.5Registered voters (millions) | Geography & Countries |
| #9 | The Most Decorated Olympians of All Time | Takashi Ono (Japan) | 13 (5G)Total medals | Sports & Fitness |
| Pick | Robots of CES 2026: The Ones to Watch | Poketomo | Tech & AI | |
| Pick | Smart Building Tech for Moving People in 2026 | Ville-feuille robot mobility support +1 more on the list | Tech & AI | |
| Pick | Smart Restroom Products in 2026 | TOTO Connect Public +1 more on the list | Tech & AI |
No matching rows.
More in the spotlight
All 22 rankings
The Largest Pension Funds in the World
Norway, Japan, the US federal Thrift Savings Plan and Korea each hold more than $1 trillion: a ranking of the 20 largest pension funds by assets, from the Thinking Ahead Institute and Pensions & Investments Global Top 300 study.
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The Largest Earthquakes Ever Recorded
The largest earthquakes ever recorded, ranked by moment magnitude from the USGS list: Valdivia, Chile (Mw 9.5, 1960) leads Alaska 1964 (9.2) and a tie at 9.1 for Sumatra 2004 and Tōhoku 2011. As of October 13, 2026.
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The Countries with the Most Nobel Prizes
Which countries have produced the most Nobel Prize laureates? The United States leads with 429 through the 2026 announcements, ahead of the United Kingdom (144), Germany (116) and France (79), with a breakdown by prize.
View ranking →The Biggest Buyers of Korean Beauty Products
The US bought $1.75 billion of Korean skincare and make-up in 2025, passing China as the biggest market. Japan, Hong Kong and Vietnam complete the top five, and Poland more than doubled its purchases to reach #9.
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The Companies That Own the Most Bitcoin
Strategy owns 848,250 bitcoin, about 4% of all that will ever exist and 2.5 times the other 24 companies on this list combined. Next come Metaplanet, Twenty One Capital, MARA Holdings and Strive, with SpaceX at #7.
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The Fastest Trains in the World
Passenger trains ranked by the top speed they actually run in regular service — China's Fuxing and Indonesia's Whoosh lead at 350 km/h, and the Shanghai Maglev now runs at 300.
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The Largest Optical Telescopes in the World
Operating optical and infrared telescopes ranked by effective aperture, from the 11.8 m Large Binocular Telescope to the 10.4 m Gran Telescopio Canarias and the twin 10 m Keck telescopes, plus JWST in space.
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The Asian Countries with the Highest Prostate Cancer Rates
New prostate cancer cases per 100,000 men, age-standardised, from IARC's GLOBOCAN 2022 estimates. Cyprus, Japan and Israel lead the 12 highest-rate countries in Asia, using the UN and IARC definition of the region.
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The Most Visited Theme Parks in the World
Disney's Magic Kingdom drew about 17.8 million visitors in 2024, the most of any theme park on Earth, and Disney-branded parks fill 10 of the top 15 spots. Rankings are per individual park (Magic Kingdom, not all of Walt Disney World), using 2024 attendance from the Themed Entertainment Association's annual report, the latest edition published.
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The Countries with the Most Registered Voters
Countries ranked by the number of people on the electoral roll at their most recent national election. The years differ by country (2023 to 2026), and registered voters are not the same as everyone eligible to vote.
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The Longest-Lived People Ever Verified
The 15 longest human lives ever independently validated, led by Jeanne Calment at 122 years, 164 days. Ages follow LongeviQuest, GRG and Guinness validation, with living ages as of October 5, 2026.
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The Countries with the Most Michelin Three-Star Restaurants
Michelin three-star restaurants by country, ranked: France leads with 30 (31 with Monaco), ahead of Japan with 21 and a tie between the US and Spain at 16. Counts as of October 4, 2026.
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The Countries with the Highest Life Expectancy
Life expectancy at birth, both sexes, from the UN World Population Prospects 2024 (2023 estimates). Monaco and San Marino lead the sovereign states, with Japan the highest large country; non-sovereign territories such as Hong Kong are excluded.
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The Largest Banks in Asia by Assets
China's giants dominate — Asia's largest banks by assets.
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The Most Expensive Luxury Train Rides in the World
Ranked by each train's cheapest standard cabin or seat, not its top suite.
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The World's Most Liveable Cities in 2026
Copenhagen, Vienna and Melbourne lead the EIU's Global Liveability Index 2026 — the world's ten most liveable cities, with their scores for stability, healthcare, culture, education and infrastructure.
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Robots of CES 2026: The Ones to Watch
From Boston Dynamics' production-ready Atlas to LG's laundry-folding CLOiD and a stair-climbing Roborock vacuum, the humanoids, home helpers, mowers and companion bots that stole the show at CES 2026 in Las Vegas.
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Smart Building Tech for Moving People in 2026
Connected elevators, AI lobby screening, elevator-riding delivery robots and indoor wayfinding: 25 real products that move people and parcels through buildings in 2026.
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Smart Restroom Products in 2026
Connected dispensers, stall-availability lights, odor sensors, touchless fixtures, smiley feedback kiosks and even a bathroom-cleaning robot: 20 real smart restroom products for offices, airports and public spaces in 2026.
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The Tallest Statues in Asia
Nearly every giant on Earth is here — Asia's tallest statues, by figure height.
View ranking →The Tallest Statues in the World
From India's Statue of Unity on down — the world's tallest completed statues, by figure height.
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The Most Decorated Olympians of All Time
The athletes who turned the podium into a habit.
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