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Japan

Japan

Nippon-koku Nihon-koku

Flag Imperial Seal

Anthem:

"Kimigayo"

""Government Seal of Japan

(Go-Shichi no Kiri)

Capital

and largest cityTokyo3541N13946E

[1]

Official languages None[2]

Recognised regional languages Aynu itak Ryukyuan languages Eastern Japanese Western Japanese

several other Japanese dialects

National language Japanese

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Japan 2

Ethnic groups ([]

) 98.5% Japanese

0.5% Korean 0.4% Chinese 0.6% other

Demonym Japanese

Government Unitaryparliamentary democracy under constitutional monarchy

- Emperor Akihito

- Prime Minister Shinz Abe

Legislature National Diet

- Upper house House of Councillors

- Lower house House of Representatives

Formation

- National Foundation Day 11 February 660 BC[3]

- Meiji Constitution 29 November 1890

- Current constitution 3 May 1947

- San FranciscoPeace Treaty

28 April 1952

Area

- Total 377,944 km2[4]

(62nd)145,925 sq mi

- Water (%) 0.8

Population

- 2012 estimate 126,659,683[5] (10th)

- 2010 census 128,056,026[6]

- Density 337.1/km2 (36th)873.1/sq mi

GDP(PPP) 2012 estimate

- Total $4.628 trillion[] (4th)

- Per capita $36,266[] (23rd)

GDP(nominal) 2012 estimate

- Total $5.964 trillion[] (3rd)

- Per capita $46,736[]

(14th)

Gini(2008) 37.6[7]

medium

HDI (2013) 0.912[]

very high10th

Currency Yen () /En( or ) (JPY)

Time zone JST(UTC+9)

- Summer (DST) not observed (UTC+9)

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Date format yyyy-mm-dd

yyyymd Era yymd (CE1988)

Drives on the left

Calling code +81

ISO 3166 code JP

Internet TLD .jp

Japan i/dpn/ (Japanese: Nihon or Nippon; formally Nippon-koku or Nihon-koku,

literally "[the] State of Japan") is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the

Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the

East China Sea and Taiwan in the south. The characters that make up Japan's name mean "sun-origin", which is why

Japan is sometimes referred to as the "Land of the Rising Sun".

Japan is an archipelago of 6,852 islands. The four largest islands are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku,

which together comprise about ninety-seven percent of Japan's land area. Japan has the world's tenth-largest

population, with over 127 million people. Honsh's Greater Tokyo Area, which includes the de facto capital city ofTokyo and several surrounding prefectures, is the largest metropolitan area in the world, with over 30 million

residents.

Archaeological research indicates that people lived in Japan as early as the Upper Paleolithic period. The first written

mention of Japan is in Chinese history texts from the 1st century AD. Influence from other nations followed by long

periods of isolation has characterized Japan's history. From the 12th century until 1868, Japan was ruled by

successive feudal military dictatorships (shogunates) in the name of the Emperor. Japan entered into a long period of

isolation in the early 17th century, which was only ended in 1853 when a United States fleet pressured Japan to open

to the West. Nearly two decades of internal conflict and insurrection followed before the Meiji Emperor was restored

as head of state in 1868 and the Empire of Japan was proclaimed, with the Emperor as a divine symbol of the nation.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, victory in the First Sino-Japanese War, the Russo-Japanese War and World

War I allowed Japan to expand its empire during a period of increasing militarism. The Second Sino-Japanese War

of 1937 expanded into part of World War II in 1941, which came to an end in 1945 following the atomic bombings

of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Since adopting its revised constitution in 1947, Japan has maintained a unitary

constitutional monarchy with an emperor and an elected legislature called the Diet.

A major economic power,[] Japan has the world's third-largest economy by nominal GDP and the world's

fourth-largest economy by purchasing power parity. It is also the world's fourth-largest exporter and fourth-largest

importer. Although Japan has officially renounced its right to declare war, it maintains a modern military with the

sixth largest military budget,[8] used for self-defense and peacekeeping roles. After Singapore, Japan has the lowest

homicide rate (including attempted homicide) in the world.[9]

According to Japan's health ministry, Japanese womenhave the second highest life expectancy of any country in the world.[10] According to the United Nations, Japan also

has the third lowest infant mortality rate.[][]

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Etymology

The English wordJapan derives from the Chinese pronunciation of the Japanese name, , pronouncedNippon

listenWikipedia:Media helpImage:ja-nippon( ).ogg or Nihon listenWikipedia:Media

helpImage:ja-nihon().ogg in Japanese. The pronunciation Nippon is more formal, and is in Japanese used for

most official purposes, including international sporting events.

From the Meiji Restoration until the end of World War II, the full title of Japan was Dai Nippon Teikoku (

), meaning "the Empire of Great Japan". Today the name Nippon-koku orNihon-koku () is used as a

formal modern-day equivalent; countries like Japan whose long form does not contain a descriptive designation are

generally given a name appended by the character koku (), meaning "country", "nation" or "state".

Japanese people refer to themselves as Nihonjin () and to their language as Nihongo (). Both

Nippon andNihon mean "sun-origin" and are often translated asLand of the Rising Sun. This nomenclature comes

from Japanese missions to Imperial China and refers to Japan's eastward position relative to China. Before Nihon

came into official use, Japan was known as Wa () or Wakoku ().[11]

The English word for Japan came to the West via early trade routes. The early Mandarin or possibly Wu Chinese

(

) pronunciation of Japan was recorded by Marco Polo as Cipangu. In modern Shanghainese, a Wu dialect, thepronunciation of characters 'Japan' is Zeppen [zpn]. The old Malay word for Japan, Jepang, was

borrowed from a southern coastal Chinese dialect, probably Fukienese or Ningpo, [12] and this Malay word was

encountered by Portuguese traders in Malacca in the 16th century. Portuguese traders were the first to bring the word

to Europe.[13] It was first recorded in English in a 1565 letter, spelled Giapan.[14]

History

Prehistory and ancient history

The Golden Hall and five-storey pagoda of

Hry-ji, among the oldest wooden buildings in

the world, National Treasures, and a UNESCO

World Heritage Site

A Paleolithic culture around 30,000 BC constitutes the first known

habitation of the Japanese archipelago. This was followed from around

14,000 BC (the start of the Jmon period) by a Mesolithic to Neolithic

semi-sedentary hunter-gatherer culture, who include ancestors of both

the contemporary Ainu people and Yamato people,[15][16]

characterized by pit dwelling and rudimentary agriculture.[17]

Decorated clay vessels from this period are some of the oldest

surviving examples of pottery in the world. Around 300 BC, the Yayoi

people began to enter the Japanese islands, intermingling with the

Jmon.[18] The Yayoi period, starting around 500 BC, saw the

introduction of practices like wet-rice farming,

[19]

a new style ofpottery,[20] and metallurgy, introduced from China and Korea.[21]

Japan first appears in written history in the Chinese Book of Han.[22] According to the Records of the Three

Kingdoms, the most powerful kingdom on the archipelago during the 3rd century was called Yamataikoku.

Buddhism was first introduced to Japan from Baekje of Korea, but the subsequent development of Japanese

Buddhism was primarily influenced by China.[23] Despite early resistance, Buddhism was promoted by the ruling

class and gained widespread acceptance beginning in the Asuka period (592710).[24]

The Nara period (710784) of the 8th century marked the emergence of a strong Japanese state, centered on an

imperial court in Heij-ky (modern Nara). The Nara period is characterized by the appearance of a nascent

literature as well as the development of Buddhist-inspired art and architecture.[25] The smallpox epidemic of

735737 is believed to have killed as much as one-third of Japan's population. [26] In 784, Emperor Kammu moved

the capital from Nara to Nagaoka-ky before relocating it to Heian-ky (modern Kyoto) in 794.

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Samurai warriors face Mongols, during the Mongol invasions of

Japan.

This marked the beginning of the Heian period

(7941185), during which a distinctly indigenous

Japanese culture emerged, noted for its art, poetry and

prose. Lady Murasaki's The Tale of Genji and the lyrics

of Japan's national anthem Kimigayo were written

during this time.[27]

Buddhism began to spread during the Heian era chiefly

through two major sects, Tendai by Saich, and

Shingon by Kkai. Pure Land Buddhism (Jdo-sh,

Jdo Shinsh) greatly becomes popular in the latter half

of the 11th century.

Feudal era

Japan's feudal era was characterized by the emergence and dominance of a ruling class of warriors, the samurai. In

1185, following the defeat of the Taira clan, sung in the epic Tale of Heike, samurai Minamoto no Yoritomo wasappointed shogun and established a base of power in Kamakura. After his death, the Hj clan came to power as

regents for the shoguns. The Zen school of Buddhism was introduced from China in the Kamakura period

(11851333) and became popular among the samurai class.[28] The Kamakura shogunate repelled Mongol invasions

in 1274 and 1281, but was eventually overthrown by Emperor Go-Daigo. Go-Daigo was himself defeated by

Ashikaga Takauji in 1336.

A Samurai could kill a commoner for the slightest

insult and were widely feared by the Japanese

population. Edo period, 1798.

Ashikaga Takauji establishes the shogunate in Muromachi, Kyoto. It is

a start of Muromachi Period (13361573). The Ashikaga shogunate

receives glory in the age of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, and the culture

based on Zen Buddhism (art of Miyabi) has prospered. It evolves to

Higashiyama Culture, and has prospered until the 16th century. On theother hand, the succeeding Ashikaga shogunate failed to control the

feudal warlords (daimyo), and a civil war (the nin War) began in

1467, opening the century-long Sengoku period ("Warring States").[29]

During the 16th century, traders and Jesuit missionaries from Portugal

reached Japan for the first time, initiating direct commercial and

cultural exchange between Japan and the West. Oda Nobunaga

conquered many other daimyo using European technology and

firearms; after he was assassinated in 1582, his successor Toyotomi Hideyoshi unified the nation in 1590. Hideyoshi

invaded Korea twice, but following defeats by Korean and Ming Chinese forces and Hideyoshi's death, Japanese

troops were withdrawn in 1598.[30] This age is called AzuchiMomoyama period (15731603).

Tokugawa Ieyasu served as regent for Hideyoshi's son and used his position to gain political and military support.

When open war broke out, he defeated rival clans in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. Ieyasu was appointed shogun

in 1603 and established the Tokugawa shogunate at Edo (modern Tokyo). [31] The Tokugawa shogunate enacted

measures including buke shohatto, as a code of conduct to control the autonomous daimyo; [32] and in 1639, the

isolationist sakoku ("closed country") policy that spanned the two and a half centuries of tenuous political unity

known as the Edo period (16031868).[33] The study of Western sciences, known as rangaku, continued through

contact with the Dutch enclave at Dejima in Nagasaki. The Edo period also gave rise to kokugaku ("national

studies"), the study of Japan by the Japanese.[34]

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Japan 6

Modern era

On 31 March 1854, Commodore Matthew Perry and the "Black Ships" of the United States Navy forced the opening

of Japan to the outside world with the Convention of Kanagawa. Subsequent similar treaties with Western countries

in the Bakumatsu period brought economic and political crises. The resignation of the shogun led to the Boshin War

and the establishment of a centralized state nominally unified under the Emperor (the Meiji Restoration). [35]

Adopting Western political, judicial and military institutions, the Cabinet organized the Privy Council, introducedthe Meiji Constitution, and assembled the Imperial Diet. The Meiji Restoration transformed the Empire of Japan into

an industrialized world power that pursued military conflict to expand its sphere of influence. After victories in the

First Sino-Japanese War (18941895) and the Russo-Japanese War (19041905), Japan gained control of Taiwan,

Korea, and the southern half of Sakhalin.[36] Japan's population grew from 35 million in 1873 to 70 million in

1935.[37]

Emperor Meiji (18681912), in whose

name imperial rule was restored at the

end of the Tokugawa shogunate

The early 20th century saw a brief period of "Taish democracy"

overshadowed by increasing expansionism and militarization. World War I

enabled Japan, on the side of the victorious Allies, to widen its influence and

territorial holdings. It continued its expansionist policy by occupying

Manchuria in 1931; as a result of international condemnation of this

occupation, Japan resigned from the League of Nations two years later. In

1936, Japan signed the Anti-Comintern Pact with Nazi Germany, and the

1940 Tripartite Pact made it one of the Axis Powers.[38] In 1941, Japan

negotiated the SovietJapanese Neutrality Pact.[39]

The Empire of Japan invaded other parts of China in 1937, precipitating the

Second Sino-Japanese War (19371945). The Imperial Japanese Army

swiftly captured the capital Nanjing and conducted the Nanking Massacre [40]

. In 1940, the Empire then invaded French Indochina, after which the United

States placed an oil embargo on Japan.[41] On 7 December 1941, Japanattacked the US naval base at Pearl Harbor and declared war, bringing the US

into World War II.[42][43] After the Soviet invasion of Manchuria and the

atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, Japan agreed to an unconditional surrender on 15 August. [44]

The war cost Japan and the rest of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere millions of lives and left much of the

nation's industry and infrastructure destroyed. The Allies (led by the US) repatriated millions of ethnic Japanese from

colonies and military camps throughout Asia, largely eliminating the Japanese empire and restoring the

independence of its conquered territories.[45] The Allies also convened the International Military Tribunal for the Far

East on 3 May 1946 to prosecute some Japanese leaders for war crimes. However, the bacteriological research units

and members of the imperial family involved in the war were exonerated from criminal prosecutions by the Supreme

Allied Commander despite calls for trials for both groups. [46]

In 1947, Japan adopted a new constitution emphasizing liberal democratic practices. The Allied occupation ended

with the Treaty of San Francisco in 1952[47] and Japan was granted membership in the United Nations in 1956.

Japan later achieved rapid growth to become the second-largest economy in the world, until surpassed by China in

2010. This ended in the mid-1990s when Japan suffered a major recession. In the beginning of the 21st century,

positive growth has signaled a gradual economic recovery.[48] On 11 March 2011, Japan suffered the strongest

earthquake in its recorded history; this triggered the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, one of the worst disasters in

the history of nuclear power.[]

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Japan 7

Government and politics

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko

Japan is a constitutional monarchy where the power of the

Emperor is very limited. As a ceremonial figurehead, he is defined

by the constitution as "the symbol of the state and of the unity of

the people". Power is held chiefly by the Prime Minister of Japan

and other elected members of the Diet, while sovereignty is vestedin the Japanese people.[]Akihito is the current Emperor of Japan;

Naruhito, Crown Prince of Japan, stands as next in line to the

throne.

Japan's legislative organ is the National Diet, a bicameral

parliament. The Diet consists of a House of Representatives with

480 seats, elected by popular vote every four years or when

dissolved, and a House of Councillors of 242 seats, whose

popularly elected members serve six-year terms. There is universal

suffrage for adults over 20 years of age,[]

with a secret ballot for all elected offices.[]

The Diet is dominated by thesocial liberal Democratic Party of Japan and the conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). The LDP has enjoyed

near continuous electoral success since 1955, except for a brief 11 month period between 1993 and 1994, and from

2009 to 2012. It holds 294 seats in the lower house and 83 seats in the upper house.

The Prime Minister of Japan is the head of government and is appointed by the Emperor after being designated by

the Diet from among its members. The Prime Minister is the head of the Cabinet, and he appoints and dismisses the

Ministers of State. Following the LDP's landslide victory in the 2012 general election, Shinz Abe replaced

Yoshihiko Noda as the Prime Minister on 26 December 2012.[49] Although the Prime Minister is formally appointed

by the Emperor, the Constitution of Japan explicitly requires the Emperor to appoint whoever is designated by the

Diet.[]

Historically influenced by Chinese law, the Japanese legal system developed independently during the Edo period

through texts such asKujikata Osadamegaki.[50] However, since the late 19th century the judicial system has been

largely based on the civil law of Europe, notably Germany. For example, in 1896, the Japanese government

established a civil code based on a draft of the German Brgerliches Gesetzbuch; with postWorld War II

modifications, the code remains in effect.[51] Statutory law originates in Japan's legislature and has the rubber stamp

of the Emperor. The Constitution requires that the Emperor promulgate legislation passed by the Diet, without

specifically giving him the power to oppose legislation.[] Japan's court system is divided into four basic tiers: the

Supreme Court and three levels of lower courts.[52] The main body of Japanese statutory law is called the Six

Codes.[53]

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Japan 8

Foreign relations and military

JDSKong (DDG-173) guided missile

destroyer launching a Standard Missile 3

anti-ballistic missile.

Japan is a member of the G8, APEC, and "ASEAN Plus Three", and is a

participant in the East Asia Summit. Japan signed a security pact with

Australia in March 2007[54] and with India in October 2008.[55] It is the

world's third largest donor of official development assistance after the

United States and France, donating US$9.48 billion in 2009.[56]

Japan has close economic and military relations with the United States;

the US-Japan security alliance acts as the cornerstone of the nation's

foreign policy.[57] A member state of the United Nations since 1956,

Japan has served as a non-permanent Security Council member for a total

of 20 years, most recently for 2009 and 2010. It is one of the G4 nations

seeking permanent membership in the Security Council.[58]

Japan is engaged in several territorial disputes with its neighbors: with

Russia over the South Kuril Islands, with South Korea over the Liancourt

Rocks, with China and Taiwan over the Senkaku Islands, and with Chinaover the EEZ around Okinotorishima.[59] Japan also faces an ongoing

dispute with North Korea over the latter's abduction of Japanese citizens

and its nuclear weapons and missile program (see also Six-party talks). [60]

Japan maintains one of the largest military budgets of any country in the world.[61] Japan contributed non-combatant

troops to the Iraq War but subsequently withdrew its forces.[] The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force is a regular

participant in RIMPAC maritime exercises.[62]

Japan's military is restricted by Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, which renounces Japan's right to declare war

or use military force in international disputes. Japan's military is governed by the Ministry of Defense, and primarily

consists of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF), the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) and theJapan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF). The forces have been recently used in peacekeeping operations; the

deployment of troops to Iraq marked the first overseas use of Japan's military since World War II.[] Nippon

Keidanren has called on the government to lift the ban on arms exports so that Japan can join multinational projects

such as the Joint Strike Fighter.[63]

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Japan 9

Administrative divisions

Japan consists of forty-seven prefectures, each overseen by an elected governor, legislature and administrative

bureaucracy. Each prefecture is further divided into cities, towns and villages.[64] The nation is currently undergoing

administrative reorganization by merging many of the cities, towns and villages with each other. This process will

reduce the number of sub-prefecture administrative regions and is expected to cut administrative costs. [65]

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Japan 10

Geography

Topographic map of the Japanese archipelago.

Hanami celebrations under the cherry blossom in Ueno Park, Tokyo.

Autumn maple leaves (momiji) at Kongbu-ji on Mount Kya, a

UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Japan has a total of 6,852 islands extending along the

Pacific coast of East Asia.[66][67] The country,

including all of the islands it controls, lies between

latitudes 24 and 46N, and longitudes 122 and 146E.

The main islands, from north to south, are Hokkaid,Honsh, Shikoku and Kysh. The Ryky Islands,

including Okinawa, are a chain to the south of Kysh.

Together they are often known as the Japanese

Archipelago.[68]

About 73 percent of Japan is forested, mountainous,

and unsuitable for agricultural, industrial, or residential

use.[][69] As a result, the habitable zones, mainly

located in coastal areas, have extremely high

population densities. Japan is one of the most denselypopulated countries in the world.[70]

The islands of Japan are located in a volcanic zone on

the Pacific Ring of Fire. They are primarily the result

of large oceanic movements occurring over hundreds of

millions of years from the mid-Silurian to the

Pleistocene as a result of the subduction of the

Philippine Sea Plate beneath the continental Amurian

Plate and Okinawa Plate to the south, and subduction of

the Pacific Plate under the Okhotsk Plate to the north.

Japan was originally attached to the eastern coast of the

Eurasian continent. The subducting plates pulled Japan

eastward, opening the Sea of Japan around 15 million

years ago.[71]

Japan has 108 active volcanoes. Destructive

earthquakes, often resulting in tsunami, occur several

times each century.[72] The 1923 Tokyo earthquake

killed over 140,000 people.[73] More recent major

quakes are the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake and the

2011 Thoku earthquake, a 9.0-magnitude[]

quakewhich hit Japan on 11 March 2011, and triggered a

large tsunami.[] On 24 May 2012, 6.1 magnitude

earthquake struck off the coast of northeastern Japan.

However, no tsunami was generated.[74]

Climate

The climate of Japan is predominantly temperate, but

varies greatly from north to south. Japan's geographical

features divide it into six principal climatic zones:

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Hokkaid, Sea of Japan, Central Highland, Seto Inland Sea, Pacific Ocean, and Ryky Islands. The northernmost

zone, Hokkaido, has a humid continental climate with long, cold winters and very warm to cool summers.

Precipitation is not heavy, but the islands usually develop deep snowbanks in the winter. []

In the Sea of Japan zone on Honsh's west coast, northwest winter winds bring heavy snowfall. In the summer, the

region is cooler than the Pacific area, though it sometimes experiences extremely hot temperatures because of the

foehn wind. The Central Highland has a typical inland humid continental climate, with large temperature differencesbetween summer and winter, and between day and night; precipitation is light, though winters are usually snowy.

The mountains of the Chgoku and Shikoku regions shelter the Seto Inland Sea from seasonal winds, bringing mild

weather year-round.[]

The Pacific coast features a humid subtropical climate that experiences milder winters with occasional snowfall and

hot, humid summers because of the southeast seasonal wind. The Ryukyu Islands have a subtropical climate, with

warm winters and hot summers. Precipitation is very heavy, especially during the rainy season. The generally humid,

temperate climate exhibits marked seasonal variation such as the blooming of the spring cherry blossoms, the calls of

the summer cicada and fall foliage colors that are celebrated in art and literature.[]

The average winter temperature in Japan is 5.1 C (41.2 F) and the average summer temperature is 25.2 C

(77.4 F).[75] The highest temperature ever measured in Japan40.9 C (105.6 F)was recorded on 16 August

2007.[76] The main rainy season begins in early May in Okinawa, and the rain front gradually moves north until

reaching Hokkaid in late July. In most of Honsh, the rainy season begins before the middle of June and lasts about

six weeks. In late summer and early autumn, typhoons often bring heavy rain. []

Biodiversity

Japan has nine forest ecoregions which reflect the climate and geography of the islands. They range from subtropical

moist broadleaf forests in the Ryky and Bonin Islands, to temperate broadleaf and mixed forests in the mild

climate regions of the main islands, to temperate coniferous forests in the cold, winter portions of the northern

islands.

[77]

Japan has over 90,000 species of wildlife, including the brown bear, the Japanese macaque, the Japaneseraccoon dog, and the Japanese giant salamander.[78] A large network of national parks has been established to protect

important areas of flora and fauna as well as thirty-seven Ramsar wetland sites. [79][80]Four sites have been inscribed

on the UNESCO World Heritage List for their outstanding natural value.[81]

Environment

In the period of rapid economic growth after World War II, environmental policies were downplayed by the

government and industrial corporations; as a result, environmental pollution was widespread in the 1950s and 1960s.

Responding to rising concern about the problem, the government introduced several environmental protection laws

in 1970.[82] The oil crisis in 1973 also encouraged the efficient use of energy because of Japan's lack of natural

resources.[83] Current environmental issues include urban air pollution (NOx, suspended particulate matter, andtoxics), waste management, water eutrophication, nature conservation, climate change, chemical management and

international co-operation for conservation.[84]

Japan is one of the world's leaders in the development of new environment-friendly technologies, and is ranked 20th

best in the world in the 2010 Environmental Performance Index.[85] As a signatory of the Kyoto Protocol, and host of

the 1997 conference which created it, Japan is under treaty obligation to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions and to

take other steps to curb climate change.[86]

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Economy

The Tokyo Stock Exchange, the largest stock exchange in Asia.[]

Some of the structural features for Japan's economic

growth developed in the Edo period, such as the

network of transport routes, by road and water, and the

futures contracts, banking and insurance of the Osaka

rice brokers.[87] During the Meiji period from 1868,Japan expanded economically with the embrace of the

market economy.[88] Many of today's enterprises were

founded at the time, and Japan emerged as the most

developed nation in Asia.[89] The period of overall real

economic growth from the 1960s to the 1980s has been

called the Japanese post-war economic miracle: it

averaged 7.5 percent in the 1960s and 1970s, and 3.2

percent in the 1980s and early 1990s.[90]

Growth slowed markedly in the 1990s during what theJapanese call the Lost Decade, largely because of the

after-effects of the Japanese asset price bubble and

domestic policies intended to wring speculative

excesses from the stock and real estate markets.

Government efforts to revive economic growth met

with little success and were further hampered by the

global slowdown in 2000.[] The economy showed

strong signs of recovery after 2005; GDP growth for

that year was 2.8 percent, surpassing the growth rates of the US and European Union during the same period. [91]

As of 2012[92], Japan is the third largest national economy in the world, after the United States and China, in terms

of nominal GDP,[93] and the fourth largest national economy in the world, after the United States, China and India, in

terms of purchasing power parity.[] As of January 2011[92], Japan's public debt was more than 200 percent of its

annual gross domestic product, the largest of any nation in the world. In August 2011, Moody's rating has cut Japan's

long-term sovereign debt rating one notch from Aa3 to Aa2 inline with the size of the country's deficit and

borrowing level. The large budget deficits and government debt since the 2009 global recession and followed by

earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 made the rating downgrade.[94] The service sector accounts for three quarters

of the gross domestic product.[95]

Japan has a large industrial capacity, and is home to some of the largest and most technologically advanced

producers of motor vehicles, electronics, machine tools, steel and nonferrous metals, ships, chemical substances,textiles, and processed foods. Agricultural businesses in Japan cultivate 13 percent of Japan's land, and Japan

accounts for nearly 15 percent of the global fish catch, second only to China. [] As of 2010, Japan's labor force

consisted of some 65.9 million workers.[96] Japan has a low unemployment rate of around four percent. Almost one

in six Japanese, or 20 million people, lived in poverty in 2007.[97]Housing in Japan is characterized by limited land

supply in urban areas.[98]

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A plug-in hybrid car manufactured by Toyota, one of the world's

largest carmakers. Japan is the second-largest producer of

automobiles in the world.[99]

Japan's exports amounted to US$4,210 per capita in

2005. Japan's main export markets are China (18.88

percent), the United States (16.42 percent), South

Korea (8.13 percent), Taiwan (6.27 percent) and Hong

Kong (5.49 percent) as of 2009. Its main exports are

transportation equipment, motor vehicles, electronics,electrical machinery and chemicals.[] Japan's main

import markets as of 2009 are China (22.2 percent), the

US (10.96 percent), Australia (6.29 percent), Saudi

Arabia (5.29 percent), United Arab Emirates (4.12

percent), South Korea (3.98 percent) and Indonesia

(3.95 percent).[]

Japan's main imports are machinery and equipment,

fossil fuels, foodstuffs (in particular beef), chemicals,

textiles and raw materials for its industries.[] By market share measures, domestic markets are the least open of any

OECD country.[]Junichiro Koizumi's administration began some pro-competition reforms, and foreign investment in

Japan has soared.[100]

Japan ranks 12th of 178 countries in the 2008 Ease of doing business index and has one of the smallest tax revenues

of the developed world. The Japanese variant of capitalism has many distinct features: keiretsu enterprises are

influential, and lifetime employment and seniority-based career advancement are relatively common in the Japanese

work environment.[][101] Japanese companies are known for management methods like "The Toyota Way", and

shareholder activism is rare.[102]

Some of the largest enterprises in Japan include Toyota, Nintendo, NTT DoCoMo, Canon, Honda, Takeda

Pharmaceutical, Sony, Panasonic, Toshiba, Sharp, Nippon Steel, Nippon Oil, and Seven & I Holdings Co..[103] It has

some of the world's largest banks, and the Tokyo Stock Exchange (known for its Nikkei 225 and TOPIX indices)stands as the second largest in the world by market capitalization. [104] Japan is home to 326 companies from the

Forbes Global 2000 or 16.3 percent (as of 2006).[105]

Science and technology

The Japanese Experiment Module(Kibo) at the International Space

Station.

Japan is a leading nation in scientific research,

particularly technology, machinery and biomedical

research. Nearly 700,000 researchers share a US$130

billion research and development budget, the third

largest in the world.[106]

Japan is a world leader infundamental scientific research, having produced

sixteen Nobel laureates in either physics, chemistry or

medicine,[107] three Fields medalists,[108] and one

Gauss Prize laureate.[109] Some of Japan's more

prominent technological contributions are in the fields

of electronics, automobiles, machinery, earthquake

engineering, industrial robotics, optics, chemicals,

semiconductors and metals. Japan leads the world in

robotics production and use, possessing more than half (402,200 of 742,500) of the world's industrial robots. [110]

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is Japan's space agency; it conducts space, planetary, and aviation

research, and leads development of rockets and satellites. It is a participant in the International Space Station: the

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Japan 14

Japanese Experiment Module (Kibo) was added to the station during Space Shuttle assembly flights in 2008. [111]

Japan's plans in space exploration include: launching a space probe to Venus, Akatsuki;[112][113] developing the

Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter to be launched in 2013;[114][115] and building a moon base by 2030.[116]

On 14 September 2007, it launched lunar explorer "SELENE" (Selenological and Engineering Explorer) on an H-IIA

(Model H2A2022) carrier rocket from Tanegashima Space Center. SELENE is also known asKaguya, after the lunar

princess of The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.[]

Kaguya is the largest lunar mission since the Apollo program. Itspurpose is to gather data on the moon's origin and evolution. It entered a lunar orbit on 4 October, [117][118]flying at

an altitude of about 100 km (62 mi).[119] The probe's mission was ended when it was deliberately crashed by JAXA

into the Moon on 11 June 2009.[120]

Infrastructure

Nozomi Shinkansen or 'Bullet Train' at Tokyo Station[121]

As of 2008, 46.4 percent of energy in Japan is produced

from petroleum, 21.4 percent from coal, 16.7 percent

from natural gas, 9.7 percent from nuclear power, and

2.9 percent from hydropower. Nuclear power produced

25.1 percent of Japan's electricity, as of 2009.[122]

However, as of 5 May 2012, all of the country's nuclear

power plants had been taken offline because of ongoing

public opposition following the Fukushima Daiichi

nuclear disaster, though government officials have been

continuing to try to sway public opinion in favor of

returning at least some of Japan's 50 nuclear reactors to

service.[123] Given its heavy dependence on imported

energy,[124] Japan has aimed to diversify its sources

and maintain high levels of energy efficiency.[125]

Japan's road spending has been extensive.[126] Its 1.2 million kilometers of paved road are the main means of

transportation.[127] A single network of high-speed, divided, limited-access toll roads connects major cities and is

operated by toll-collecting enterprises. New and used cars are inexpensive; car ownership fees and fuel levies are

used to promote energy efficiency. However, at just 50 percent of all distance traveled, car usage is the lowest of all

G8 countries.[]

Dozens of Japanese railway companies compete in regional and local passenger transportation markets; major

companies include seven JR enterprises, Kintetsu Corporation, Seibu Railway and Keio Corporation. Some 250

high-speed Shinkansen trains connect major cities and Japanese trains are known for their safety and

punctuality.[128][129] Proposals for a new Maglev route between Tokyo and Osaka are at an advanced stage. [130]

There are 173 airports in Japan; the largest domestic airport, Haneda Airport, is Asia's second-busiest airport. [131]

The largest international gateways are Narita International Airport, Kansai International Airport and Chbu Centrair

International Airport.[132]Nagoya Port is the country's largest and busiest port, accounting for 10 percent of Japan's

trade value.[133]

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Japan 15

Demographics

Ainu, an ethnic minority people from Japan

Japanese wedding at the Meiji Shrine

Japan's population is estimated at around 127.3

million,[] with 80% of the population living on Honsh.

Japanese society is linguistically and culturally

homogeneous,[] composed of 98.5% ethnic

Japanese,[134] with small populations of foreignworkers.[] Zainichi Koreans,[135] Zainichi Chinese,

Filipinos, Brazilians mostly of Japanese descent,[] and

Peruvians mostly of Japanese descent are among the

small minority groups in Japan.[136] In 2003, there were

about 134,700 non-Latin American Western and

345,500 Latin American expatriates, 274,700 of whom

were Brazilians (said to be primarily Japanese

descendants, or nikkeijin, along with their spouses),[]

the largest community of Westerners.[137]

The most dominant native ethnic group is the Yamato

people; primary minority groups include the indigenous

Ainu[138] and Ryukyuan peoples, as well as social

minority groups like the burakumin.[139] There are

persons of mixed ancestry incorporated among the

'ethnic Japanese' or Yamato, such as those from

Ogasawara Archipelago where roughly one-tenth of the

Japanese population can have European, American,

Micronesian and/or Polynesian backgrounds, with

some families going back up to seven generations.[140]In spite of the widespread belief that Japan is ethnically

homogeneous (in 2009, foreign-born non-naturalized workers made up only 1.7% of the total population),[141] also

because of the absence of ethnicity and/or race statistics for Japanese nationals, at least one analysis describes Japan

as a multiethnic society, for example, John Lie.[142] However, this statement is refused by many sectors of Japanese

society, who still tend to preserve the idea of Japan being a monocultural society and with this ideology of

homogeneity, has traditionally rejected any need to recognize ethnic differences in Japan, even as such claims have

been rejected by such ethnic minorities as the Ainu and Ryukyuan people. Former Japanese Prime Minister Tar As

has once described Japan as being a nation of one race, one civilization, one language and one culture.[143]

Japan has the longest overall life expectancy at birth of any country in the world: 83.5 years for persons born in theperiod 20102015.[][] The Japanese population is rapidly aging as a result of a postWorld War II baby boom

followed by a decrease in birth rates. In 2009, about 22.7 percent of the population was over 65, by 2050 almost 40

percent of the population will be aged 65 and over, as projected in December 2006.[]

The changes in demographic structure have created a number of social issues, particularly a potential decline in

workforce population and increase in the cost of social security benefits like the public pension plan. A growing

number of younger Japanese are preferring not to marry or have families.[] In 2011, Japan's population dropped for a

fifth year, falling by 204,000 people to 126.24 million people. This is the greatest decline since at least 1947, the first

year for which government data are available. The 204,000 deaths included 15,844 people killed and 3,451 left

missing by the tsunami.[144]

Japan's population is expected to drop to 95 million by 2050,[][145] demographers and government planners are

currently in a heated debate over how to cope with this problem.[]Immigration and birth incentives are sometimes

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Immigrationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Immigrationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Post%E2%80%93World_War_II_baby_boomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aging_of_Japanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Life_expectancyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tar%C5%8D_As%C5%8Dhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ryukyuan_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ainu_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Monoculturalismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Liehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Multiethnic_societyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bonin_Islandshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Burakuminhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ryukyuan_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ainu_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yamato_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yamato_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nikkeijinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brazilians_in_Japanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Latin_Americanshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Japanese_Peruvianhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Peruvian_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Japanese_Brazilianhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brazilian_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Filipinos_in_Japanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chinese_people_in_Japanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Koreans_in_Japanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Linguisticshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Honsh%C5%ABhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3AMeiji-jingu_wedding_procession_-_P1000847.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Meiji_Shrinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3ABjs48_02_Ainu.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ainu_people

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suggested as a solution to provide younger workers to support the nation's aging population.[146][147] Japan accepts a

steady flow of 15,000 new Japanese citizens by naturalization () per year.[148] According to the UNHCR, in

2012 Japan accepted just 18 refugees for resettlement,[149] while the US took in 76,000.[150]

Japan suffers from a high suicide rate.[][] In 2009, the number of suicides exceeded 30,000 for the twelfth straight

year.[151] Suicide is the leading cause of death for people under 30.[]

Religion

Torii of Itsukushima Shrine near Hiroshima, one of the Three Views

of Japan and a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Japan enjoys full religious freedom based on Article 20

of its Constitution. Upper estimates suggest that 8496

percent of the Japanese population subscribe to

Buddhism or Shinto, including a large number of

followers of a syncretism of both religions.[][152]

However, these estimates are based on people affiliated

with a temple, rather than the number of true believers.

Other studies have suggested that only 30 percent of

the population identify themselves as belonging to a

religion.[] According to Edwin Reischauer and Marius

Jansen, some 7080% of the Japanese regularly tell

pollsters they do not consider themselves believers in

any religion.[]

Nevertheless, the level of participation remains high,

especially during festivals and occasions such as the first shrine visit of the New Year. Taoism and Confucianism

from China have also influenced Japanese beliefs and customs.[153] Japanese streets are decorated on Tanabata,

Obon and Christmas. Fewer than one percent of Japanese are Christian.[154] Other minority religions include Islam,

Hinduism, Sikhism, and Judaism, and since the mid-19th century numerous new religious movements have emergedin Japan.[]

Languages

More than 99 percent of the population speaks Japanese as their first language. [] Japanese is an agglutinative

language distinguished by a system of honorifics reflecting the hierarchical nature of Japanese society, with verb

forms and particular vocabulary indicating the relative status of speaker and listener. Japanese writing uses kanji

(Chinese characters) and two sets of kana (syllabaries based on simplified Chinese characters), as well as the Latin

alphabet and Arabic numerals.[155]

Besides Japanese, the Ryukyuan languages, also part of the Japonic language family, are spoken in Okinawa;however, few children learn these languages.[156] The Ainu language, which has no proven relationship to Japanese

or any other language, is moribund, with only a few elderly native speakers remaining in Hokkaido. [157] Most public

and private schools require students to take courses in both Japanese and English. [158]

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=English_language_education_in_Japanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Moribund_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ainu_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Japonic_languageshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ryukyuan_languageshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arabic_numeralshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Latin_alphabethttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Latin_alphabethttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Simplified_Chinese_charactershttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Syllabaryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kanahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chinese_characterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kanjihttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Japanese_writing_systemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Honorific_speech_in_Japanesehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Agglutinative_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Agglutinative_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Japanese_new_religionshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Judaismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sikhismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hinduismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Islamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Christianity_in_Japanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Christmashttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Obonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tanabatahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Confucianismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Taoismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Japanese_New_Yearhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hatsum%C5%8Ddehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Japanese_festivalshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Marius_Jansenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Marius_Jansenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Edwin_O._Reischauerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Danka_systemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shinbutsu_sh%C5%ABg%C5%8Dhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Syncretismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shintohttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Buddhism_in_Japanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Constitution_of_Japanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3AItsukushima_torii_distance.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Three_Views_of_Japanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Three_Views_of_Japanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hiroshimahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Itsukushima_Shrinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Toriihttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Suicide_in_Japanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=United_Nations_High_Commissioner_for_Refugees

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Japan 17

Education

Announcement of the results of the entrance examinations to the

University of Tokyo

Primary schools, secondary schools and universities

were introduced in 1872 as a result of the Meiji

Restoration.[159] Since 1947, compulsory education in

Japan comprises elementary and middle school, which

together last for nine years (from age 6 to age 15).Almost all children continue their education at a

three-year senior high school, and, according to the

MEXT, as of 2005 about 75.9 percent of high school

graduates attend a university, junior college, trade

school, or other higher education institution.[160]

The two top-ranking universities in Japan are the

University of Tokyo and Kyoto University.[161][162]

The Programme for International Student Assessment

coordinated by the OECD currently ranks the overallknowledge and skills of Japanese 15-year-olds as sixth best in the world. [163]

Health

In Japan, health care is provided by national and local governments. Payment for personal medical services is offered

through a universal health insurance system that provides relative equality of access, with fees set by a government

committee. People without insurance through employers can participate in a national health insurance program

administered by local governments. Since 1973, all elderly persons have been covered by government-sponsored

insurance.[164] Patients are free to select the physicians or facilities of their choice. [165]

Culture

Kinkaku-ji or 'The Temple of the Golden Pavilion' in Kyoto, Special

Historic Site, Special Place of Scenic Beauty, and UNESCO World

Heritage Site; its torching by a monk in 1950 is the subject of a novel

by Mishima.

Japanese culture has evolved greatly from its origins.

Contemporary culture combines influences from Asia,

Europe and North America. Traditional Japanese arts

include crafts such as ceramics, textiles, lacquerware,

swords and dolls; performances of bunraku, kabuki,