“Nippon” is the former name of:

Nippon (日本), also pronounced Nihon, is the official native name of Japan in the Japanese language. The two kanji characters 日 (Ni) meaning "sun" and 本 (Hon) meaning "origin" together translate to "Origin of the Sun." This is why Japan is widely known as the "Land of the Rising Sun." The name Japan is an English adaptation that originated from Chinese pronunciations and spread to Europe through early traders. In Japan, both Nippon and Nihon are used interchangeably, although Nippon is more commonly seen on currency, postage stamps, sporting events, and official national occasions.