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Introduction | Japan

Background: | In 1603, a Tokugawa shogunate (military dictatorship) ushered in a long period of isolation from foreign influence in order to secure its power. For 250 years this policy enabled Japan to enjoy stability and a flowering of its indigenous culture. Following the Treaty of Kanagawa with the United States in 1854, Japan opened its ports and began to intensively modernize and industrialize. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Japan became a regional power that was able to defeat the forces of both China and Russia. It occupied Korea, Formosa (Taiwan), and southern Sakhalin Island. In 1933 Japan occupied Manchuria and in 1937 it launched a full-scale invasion of China. Japan attacked US forces in 1941 - triggering America's entry into World War II - and soon occupied much of East and Southeast Asia. After its defeat in World War II, Japan recovered to become an economic power and a staunch ally of the US. While the emperor retains his throne as a symbol of national unity, actual power rests in networks of powerful politicians, bureaucrats, and business executives. The economy experienced a major slowdown starting in the 1990s following three decades of unprecedented growth, but Japan still remains a major economic power, both in Asia and globally. In 2005, Japan began a two-year term as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.

Geography | Japan

Location: | Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula
Geographic coordinates: | 36 00 N, 138 00 E
Map references: | Asia
Area: | total: 377,835 sq km note: includes Bonin Islands (Ogasawara-gunto), Daito-shoto, Minami-jima, Okino-tori-shima, Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto), and Volcano Islands (Kazan-retto) water: 3,091 sq km land: 374,744 sq km
Area - comparative: | slightly smaller than California
Land boundaries: | 0 km
Coastline: | 29,751 km
Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 12 nm; between 3 nm and 12 nm in the international straits - La Perouse or Soya, Tsugaru, Osumi, and Eastern and Western Channels of the Korea or Tsushima Strait contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate: | varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north
Terrain: | mostly rugged and mountainous
Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Hachiro-gata -4 m highest point: Mount Fuji 3,776 m
Natural resources: | negligible mineral resources, fish
Land use: | arable land: 12.19% permanent crops: 0.96% other: 86.85% (2001)
Irrigated land: | 26,790 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: | many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500 seismic occurrences (mostly tremors) every year; tsunamis; typhoons
Environment - current issues: | air pollution from power plant emissions results in acid rain; acidification of lakes and reservoirs degrading water quality and threatening aquatic life; Japan is one of the largest consumers of fish and tropical timber, contributing to the depletion of these resources in Asia and elsewhere
Environment - international agreements: | party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
Geography - note: | strategic location in northeast Asia

People | Japan

Population: | 127,333,002 (July 2004 est.)
Age structure: | 0-14 years: 14.3% (male 9,337,867; female 8,876,996) 15-64 years: 66.7% (male 42,697,264; female 42,196,835) 65 years and over: 19% (male 10,169,190; female 14,054,850) (2004 est.)
Median age: | total: 42.3 years male: 40.5 years female: 44.1 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate: | 0.08% (2004 est.)
Birth rate: | 9.56 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate: | 8.75 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate: | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate: | total: 3.28 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 3.54 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 81.04 years male: 77.74 years female: 84.51 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate: | 1.38 children born/woman (2004 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | less than 0.1% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 12,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: | 500 (2003 est.)
Nationality: | noun: Japanese (singular and plural) adjective: Japanese
Ethnic groups: | Japanese 99%, others 1% (Korean 511,262, Chinese 244,241, Brazilian 182,232, Filipino 89,851, other 237,914) note: up to 230,000 Brazilians of Japanese origin migrated to Japan in the 1990s to work in industries; some have returned to Brazil (2004)
Religions: | observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including Christian 0.7%)
Languages: | Japanese
Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2002)

Government | Japan

Country name: | conventional long form: none conventional short form: Japan
Government type: | constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government
Capital: | Tokyo
Administrative divisions: | 47 prefectures; Aichi, Akita, Aomori, Chiba, Ehime, Fukui, Fukuoka, Fukushima, Gifu, Gumma, Hiroshima, Hokkaido, Hyogo, Ibaraki, Ishikawa, Iwate, Kagawa, Kagoshima, Kanagawa, Kochi, Kumamoto, Kyoto, Mie, Miyagi, Miyazaki, Nagano, Nagasaki, Nara, Niigata, Oita, Okayama, Okinawa, Osaka, Saga, Saitama, Shiga, Shimane, Shizuoka, Tochigi, Tokushima, Tokyo, Tottori, Toyama, Wakayama, Yamagata, Yamaguchi, Yamanashi
Independence: | 660 BC (traditional founding by Emperor Jimmu)
National holiday: | Birthday of Emperor AKIHITO, 23 December (1933)
Constitution: | 3 May 1947
Legal system: | modeled after European civil law system with English-American influence; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Suffrage: | 20 years of age; universal
Executive branch: | chief of state: Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989) elections: Diet designates prime minister; constitution requires that prime minister commands parliamentary majority; following legislative elections, leader of majority party or leader of majority coalition in House of Representatives usually becomes prime minister; monarch is hereditary cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister head of government: Prime Minister Junichiro KOIZUMI (since 26 April 2001)
Legislative branch: | bicameral Diet or Kokkai consists of the House of Councillors or Sangi-in (242 seats - members elected for six-year terms; half reelected every three years; 144 members in multi-seat constituencies and 98 by proportional representation); House of Representatives or Shugi-in (480 seats - members elected for four-year terms; 300 in single-seat constituencies; 180 members by proportional representation in 11 regional blocs) election results: House of Councillors - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - LDP 115, DPJ 82, Komeito 24, JCP 9, SDP 5, others 7; distribution of seats as of October 2004 - LDP 114, DPJ 84, Komeito 24, JCP 9, SDP 5, others 6 : House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - LDP 49.38%, DPJ 36.88%, Komeito 7.09%, JCP 1.88%, SDP 1.25%, NCP .84%; seats by party - LDP 237, DPJ 177, Komeito 34, JCP 9, SDP 6, NCP 4, others 13; distribution of seats as of December 2004: LDP 249, DPJ 177, Komeito 34, JCP 9, SDP 6, others 3, vacant 2 note: Liberal Party merged with Democratic Party of Japan in September 2003; Conservative New Party merged with Liberal Democratic Party following election in November 2003 (2004) elections: House of Councillors - last held 11 July 2004 (next to be held in July 2007); House of Representatives - last held 9 November 2003 (next election by November 2007)
Judicial branch: | Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the monarch after designation by the cabinet; all other justices are appointed by the cabinet)
Political parties and leaders: | Democratic Party of Japan or DPJ [Katsuya OKADA, leader; Tatsuo KAWABATA, secretary general]; Japan Communist Party or JCP [Kazuo SHII, chairman; Tadayoshi ICHIDA, secretary general]; Komeito [Takenori KANZAKI, president; Tetsuzo FUYUSHIBA, secretary general]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Junichiro KOIZUMI, president; Tsutomu TAKEBE, secretary general]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Mizuho FUKUSHIMA, chairperson; Seiji MATAICHI, secretary general]
Political pressure groups and leaders: | NA
International organization participation: | AfDB, APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, CE (observer), CERN (observer), CP, EBRD, FAO, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA, MIGA, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE (partner), Paris Club, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMOVIC, UNRWA, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Ryozo KATO FAX: [1] (202) 328-2187 consulate(s): Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands) consulate(s) general: Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Hagatna (Guam), Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Portland (Oregon), San Francisco, and Seattle chancery: 2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 238-6700
Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Howard H. BAKER, Jr. embassy: 10-5 Akasaka 1-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420 mailing address: Unit 45004, Box 258, APO AP 96337-5004 telephone: [81] (03) 3224-5000 FAX: [81] (03) 3505-1862 consulate(s) general: Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, Sapporo consulate(s): Fukuoka, Nagoya
Flag description: | white with a large red disk (representing the sun without rays) in the center

Economy | Japan

Economy - overview: | Government-industry cooperation, a strong work ethic, mastery of high technology, and a comparatively small defense allocation (1% of GDP) helped Japan advance with extraordinary rapidity to the rank of second most technologically-powerful economy in the world after the US and third-largest economy after the US and China. One notable characteristic of the economy is the working together of manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors in closely-knit groups called keiretsu. A second basic feature has been the guarantee of lifetime employment for a substantial portion of the urban labor force. Both features are now eroding. Industry, the most important sector of the economy, is heavily dependent on imported raw materials and fuels. The much smaller agricultural sector is highly subsidized and protected, with crop yields among the highest in the world. Usually self-sufficient in rice, Japan must import about 50% of its requirements of other grain and fodder crops. Japan maintains one of the world's largest fishing fleets and accounts for nearly 15% of the global catch. For three decades overall real economic growth had been spectacular: a 10% average in the 1960s, a 5% average in the 1970s, and a 4% average in the 1980s. Growth slowed markedly in the 1990s, averaging just 1.7%, largely because of the after effects of overinvestment during the late 1980s and contractionary domestic policies intended to wring speculative excesses from the stock and real estate markets. Government efforts to revive economic growth have met with little success and were further hampered in 2000-2003 by the slowing of the US, European, and Asian economies. Japan's huge government debt, which totals more than 150% of GDP, and the ageing of the population are two major long-run problems. Robotics constitutes a key long-term economic strength with Japan possessing 410,000 of the world's 720,000 "working robots." Internal conflict over the proper way to reform the ailing banking system continues.
GDP: | purchasing power parity - $3.582 trillion (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: | 2.7% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita: | purchasing power parity - $28,200 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 1.3% industry: 25.4% services: 73.3% (2003 est.)
Investment (gross fixed): | 23.9% of GDP (2003)
Population below poverty line: | NA
Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 4.8% highest 10%: 21.7% (1993)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: | 24.9 (1993)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): | -0.3% (2003 est.)
Labor force: | 66.66 million (2003)
Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture 5%, industry 25%, services 70% (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate: | 5.3% (2003)
Budget: | revenues: $1.327 trillion expenditures: $1.646 trillion, including capital expenditures (public works only) of about $71 billion (2003 est.)
Public debt: | 154.6% of GDP (2003)
Agriculture - products: | rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit, pork, poultry, dairy products, eggs, fish
Industries: | among world's largest and technologically advanced producers of motor vehicles, electronic equipment, machine tools, steel and nonferrous metals, ships, chemicals, textiles, processed foods
Industrial production growth rate: | 3.3% (2003 est.)
Electricity - production: | 1.037 trillion kWh (2001)
Electricity - consumption: | 964.2 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2001)
Oil - production: | 17,330 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption: | 5.29 million bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports: | 93,360 bbl/day (2001)
Oil - imports: | 5.449 million bbl/day (2001)
Oil - proved reserves: | 29.29 million bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production: | 2.519 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: | 80.42 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports: | 77.73 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves: | 20.02 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
Current account balance: | $135.9 billion (2003)
Exports: | $447.1 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Exports - commodities: | motor vehicles, semiconductors, office machinery, chemicals
Exports - partners: | US 24.8%, China 12.1%, South Korea 7.3%, Taiwan 6.6%, Hong Kong 6.3% (2003)
Imports: | $346.6 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Imports - commodities: | machinery and equipment, fuels, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, raw materials (2001)
Imports - partners: | China 19.7%, US 15.6%, South Korea 4.7%, Indonesia 4.3% (2003)
Reserves of foreign exchange & gold: | $664.6 billion (2003)
Debt - external: | NA (2002 est.)
Economic aid - donor: | ODA, $7 billion (FY03/04)
Currency: | yen (JPY)
Currency code: | JPY
Exchange rates: | yen per US dollar - 115.933 (2003), 125.388 (2002), 121.529 (2001), 107.765 (2000), 113.907 (1999)
Fiscal year: | 1 April - 31 March

Communications | Japan

Telephones - main lines in use: | 71.149 million (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular: | 86,658,600 (2003)
Telephone system: | general assessment: excellent domestic and international service domestic: high level of modern technology and excellent service of every kind international: country code - 81; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region), and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific and Indian Ocean regions); submarine cables to China, Philippines, Russia, and US (via Guam) (1999)
Radio broadcast stations: | AM 215 plus 370 repeaters, FM 89 plus 485 repeaters, shortwave 21 (2001)
Radios: | 120.5 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: | 211 plus 7,341 repeaters note: in addition, US Forces are served by 3 TV stations and 2 TV cable services (1999)
Televisions: | 86.5 million (1997)
Internet country code: | .jp
Internet hosts: | 12,962,065 (2003)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 73 (2000)
Internet users: | 57.2 million (2002)

Transportation | Japan

Railways: | total: 23,705 km (16,519 km electrified) standard gauge: 3,204 km 1.435-m gauge (3,204 km electrified) narrow gauge: 77 km 1.372-m gauge (77 km electrified); 20,393 km 1.067-m gauge (13,227 km electrified); 11 km 0.762-m gauge (11 km electrified) (2003)
Highways: | total: 1,161,894 km paved: 534,471 km (including 6,455 km of expressways) unpaved: 627,423 km (1999)
Waterways: | 1,770 km (seagoing vessels use inland seas) (2004)
Pipelines: | gas 2,719 km; oil 170 km; oil/gas/water 60 km (2004)
Ports and harbors: | Akita, Amagasaki, Chiba, Hachinohe, Hakodate, Higashi-Harima, Himeji, Hiroshima, Kawasaki, Kinuura, Kobe, Kushiro, Mizushima, Moji, Nagoya, Osaka, Sakai, Sakaide, Shimizu, Tokyo, Tomakomai
Merchant marine: | total: 568 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 10,149,196 GRT/12,680,544 DWT by type: bulk 113, cargo 39, chemical tanker 18, combination bulk 31, combination ore/oil 1, container 14, liquefied gas 53, passenger 8, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 170, refrigerated cargo 6, roll on/roll off 58, short-sea/passenger 7, vehicle carrier 49 registered in other countries: 1,989 (2004 est.) foreign-owned: China 1, Panama 1, Philippines 1, Singapore 1
Airports: | 174 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: | total: 143 over 3,047 m: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 37 914 to 1,523 m: 28 under 914 m: 32 (2004 est.) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 39
Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 31 over 3047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 26 (2004 est.)
Heliports: | 15 (2003 est.)

Military | Japan

Military branches: | Ground Self-Defense Force (Army), Maritime Self-Defense Force (Navy), Air Self-Defense Force (Air Force), Coast Guard
Military manpower - military age and obligation: | 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)
Military manpower - availability: | males age 15-49: 29,179,095 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 15-49: 25,189,438 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: | males: 700,931 (2004 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $42,488.1 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 1% (2003)

Transnational Issues | Japan

Disputes - international: | The sovereignty dispute over the islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, and Shikotan, and the Habomai group, known in Japan as the "Northern Territories" and in Russia as the "Southern Kuril Islands", occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, now administered by Russia and claimed by Japan, remains the primary sticking point to signing a peace treaty formally ending World War II hostilities; intensified media coverage and protests highlight dispute over the fishing-rich Liancourt Rocks (Tok-do/Take-shima) also claimed by South Korea; China and Taiwan have intensified their claims to the Senkaku Islands (Diaoyu Tai) administered by Japan

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005