The JapanAPIs package provides a unified interface to access open data from the World Bank API, Nager.Date API, and the REST Countries API, with a focus on Japan. It allows users to retrieve up-to-date or historical information on topics such as economic indicators, population statistics, national holidays, and basic geopolitical details.

In addition to API-access functions, the package includes one of the largest curated collections of open datasets related to Japan. These datasets cover a wide range of topics including natural disasters, economic production, the vehicle industry, air quality, demographic trends, and administrative divisions.

You can install the JapanAPIs package from CRAN with the following R function:

install.packages("JapanAPIs")

After installation, load the package and start exploring and using its functions and datasets.

library(JapanAPIs)

Below is a list of the main functions included in the package:

• get_japan_child_mortality(): Get Under-5 Mortality Rate in Japan from World Bank

• get_japan_cpi(): Get Japan's Consumer Price Index from World Bank

• get_japan_energy_use(): Get Japan's Energy Use (kg of oil equivalent per capita) from World Bank

• get_japan_gdp(): Get Japan's GDP (Current US$) from World Bank

• get_japan_holidays(): Get official public holidays in Japan for a given year, e.g. get_japan_holidays(2025)

• get_japan_hospital_beds(): Get Hospital Beds per 1,000 People in Japan from World Bank

• get_japan_life_expectancy(): Get Japan's Life Expectancy at Birth from World Bank

• get_japan_literacy_rate(): Get Japan's Literacy Rate (Age 15+) from World Bank

• get_japan_population(): Get Japan's Total Population from World Bank

• get_japan_unemployment(): Get Japan's Unemployment Rate from World Bank

• get_country_info_jp(): Get Key Country Information About Japan from the REST Countries API

• view_datasets_JapanAPIs(): View Available Datasets in JapanAPIs

Each dataset in JapanAPIs is labeled with a suffix to indicate its structure and type:

• _df: A standard data frame.

• _tbl_df: A tibble data frame object.

• _ts: A time series object.

• _vec: A numeric vector object.

In addition to API access functions, JapanAPIs offers one of the largest curated collections of open datasets focused on Japan. These preloaded datasets cover a wide range of topics including demography, natural disasters, public health, sports, centenarians, atomic bomb survivors, earthquakes, and administrative data. Below are some featured examples:

• jpn_usd_exchange_df: A Data frame containing weekly observations of the yen-dollar exchange rate from 1975 to 1989.

• jpn_prefectures_tbl_df: A tibble representing Japan’s 47 prefectures arranged in a 7x7 grid layout.

• kobe_quake_1995_ts: A time series containing data related to the 1995 Kobe earthquake.

# Load the package

library(JapanAPIs)

# Retrieves essential information about Japan

get_country_info_jp()

# Get Japan's Population (Total) from World Bank

get_japan_population()

# Load a dataset

data(japan_population_tbl_df)

# Shows six rows of the dataset

head(japan_population_tbl_df)

# Display the structure of the dataset

str(japan_population_tbl_df)

# Shows the whole dataset

View(japan_population_tbl_df)