Profile - Japan

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Japan

Introduction Japan

Background: In 1603, a Tokugawa shogunate (military dictatorship) ushered in a longperiod of isolation from foreign influence in order to secure its power.For more than two centuries this policy enabled Japan to enjoy stabilityand a flowering of its indigenous culture. Following the Treaty ofKanagawa with the US in 1854, Japan opened its ports and began tointensively modernize and industrialize. During the late 19th and early20th centuries, Japan became a regional power that was able to defeat theforces of both China and Russia. It occupied Korea, Formosa (Taiwan),and southern Sakhalin Island. In 1931-32 Japan occupied Manchuria, and

in 1937 it launched a full-scale invasion of China. Japan attacked USforces in 1941 - triggering America's entry into World War II - and soonoccupied much of East and Southeast Asia. After its defeat in World WarII, Japan recovered to become an economic power and a staunch ally ofthe US. While the emperor retains his throne as a symbol of nationalunity, elected politicians - with heavy input from bureaucrats andbusiness executives - wield actual decisionmaking power. The economyexperienced a major slowdown starting in the 1990s following threedecades of unprecedented growth, but Japan still remains a majoreconomic power, both in Asia and globally.

Page 1 of 12CIA - The World Factbook -- Japan

10/4/2008https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/print/ja.html


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Geography Japan

Location: Eastern Asia, island chain between the North PacificOcean and the Sea of Japan, east of the KoreanPeninsula

Geographic coordinates: 36 00 N, 138 00 E

Map references: Asia

Area: total: 377,835 sq kmland: 374,744 sq kmwater: 3,091 sq kmnote: includes Bonin Islands (Ogasawara-gunto),Daito-shoto, Minami-jima, Okino-tori-shima, RyukyuIslands (Nansei-shoto), and Volcano Islands (Kazan-retto)

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 theinternational straits - La Perouse or Soya, Tsugaru,Osumi, and Eastern and Western Channels of the Koreaor Tsushima Straitcontiguous zone: 24 nmexclusive 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 mhighest point: Mount Fuji 3,776 m

Natural resources: negligible mineral resources, fish

Land use: arable land: 11.64%permanent crops: 0.9%other: 87.46% (2005)

Irrigated land: 25,920 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources: 430 cu km (1999)

Freshwater withdrawal(domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 88.43 cu km/yr (20%/18%/62%)per capita: 690 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards: many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500seismic occurrences (mostly tremors) every year;tsunamis; typhoons

Environment - current issues: air pollution from power plant emissions results in acid




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rain; acidification of lakes and reservoirs degradingwater quality and threatening aquatic life; Japan is oneof the largest consumers of fish and tropical timber,contributing to the depletion of these resources in Asiaand elsewhere

Environment - international

agreements:

party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-

Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, AntarcticTreaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Lawof the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection,Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber94, Wetlands, Whaling

Geography - note: strategic location in northeast Asia

People Japan

Population: 127,288,416 (July 2008 est.)Age structure: 0-14 years: 13.7% (male 8,926,439/female 8,460,629)

15-64 years: 64.7% (male 41,513,061/female 40,894,057)65 years and over: 21.6% (male 11,643,845/female 15,850,388) (2008est.)

Median age: total: 43.8 yearsmale: 42.1 yearsfemale: 45.7 years (2008 est.)

Populationgrowth rate:

-0.139% (2008 est.)

Birth rate: 7.87 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 9.26 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migrationrate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/femaleunder 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/femaletotal population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortalityrate:

total: 2.8 deaths/1,000 live birthsmale: 3 deaths/1,000 live birthsfemale: 2.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancyat birth:

total population: 82.07 yearsmale: 78.73 yearsfemale: 85.59 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility 1.22 children born/woman (2008 est.)




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rate:

HIV/AIDS - adultprevalence 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 98.5%, Koreans 0.5%, Chinese 0.4%, other 0.6%note: up to 230,000 Brazilians of Japanese origin migrated to Japan inthe 1990s to work in industries; some have returned to Brazil (2004)

Religions: observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including Christian0.7%)

Languages: Japanese

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and writetotal population: 99%male: 99%female: 99% (2002)

School lifeexpectancy(primary to

tertiaryeducation):

total: 15 yearsmale: 15 yearsfemale: 15 years (2006)

Educationexpenditures:

3.5% of GDP (2005)

Government Japan

Country name: conventional long form: noneconventional short form: Japanlocal long form: Nihon-koku/Nippon-kokulocal short form: Nihon/Nippon

Governmenttype:

constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government

Capital: name: Tokyogeographic coordinates: 35 41 N, 139 45 Etime difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC duringStandard Time)

Administrativedivisions:

47 prefectures; Aichi, Akita, Aomori, Chiba, Ehime, Fukui, Fukuoka,Fukushima, Gifu, Gunma, Hiroshima, Hokkaido, Hyogo, Ibaraki,Ishikawa, Iwate, Kagawa, Kagoshima, Kanagawa, Kochi, Kumamoto,Kyoto, Mie, Miyagi, Miyazaki, Nagano, Nagasaki, Nara, Niigata, Oita,




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Okayama, Okinawa, Osaka, Saga, Saitama, Shiga, Shimane, Shizuoka,Tochigi, Tokushima, Tokyo, Tottori, Toyama, Wakayama, Yamagata,Yamaguchi, Yamanashi

Independence: 660 B.C. (traditional founding by Emperor JIMMU)

National

holiday:

Birthday of Emperor AKIHITO, 23 December (1933)

Constitution: 3 May 1947

Legal system: modeled after German civil law system with English-Americaninfluence; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court;accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal

Executivebranch:

chief of state: Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989)head of government: Prime Minister Taro ASO (since 24 September2008)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime ministerelections: Diet designates prime minister; constitution requires that primeminister commands parliamentary majority; following legislativeelections, leader of majority party or leader of majority coalition inHouse of Representatives usually becomes prime minister; monarch ishereditary

Legislativebranch:

bicameral Diet or Kokkai consists of the House of Councillors or Sangi-in (242 seats - members elected for six-year terms; half reelected everythree years; 146 members in multi-seat constituencies and 96 byproportional representation) and the 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 11regional blocs)elections: House of Councillors - last held 29 July 2007 (next to be heldin July 2010); House of Representatives - last held 11 September 2005(next election by September 2009)election results: House of Councillors - percent of vote by party - NA;seats by party - DPJ 109, LDP 83, Komeito 20, JCP 7, SDP 5, others 18House of Representatives - percent of vote by party (in single-seatconstituencies) - LDP 47.8%, DPJ 36.4%, others 15.8%; seats by party -LDP 296, DPJ 113, Komeito 31, JCP 9, SDP 7, others 24 (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 partiesand leaders:

Democratic Party of Japan or DPJ [Ichiro OZAWA]; Japan CommunistParty or JCP [Kazuo SHII]; Komeito [Akihiro OTA]; Liberal DemocraticParty or LDP [Taro ASO]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [MizuhoFUKUSHIMA]

Politicalpressure

groups and

other: business groups; trade unions




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leaders:

Internationalorganization

participation:

ADB, AfDB (nonregional members), APEC, APT, ARF, ASEAN(dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, CE (observer), CERN(observer), CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA,IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU,

ITUC, LAIA, MIGA, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW,OSCE (partner), Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC (observer),SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR,UNIDO, UNITAR, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU,WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomaticrepresentation

in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Ichiro FUJISAKIchancery: 2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008telephone: [1] (202) 238-6700FAX: [1] (202) 328-2187consulate(s) general: Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver,Detroit, Agana (Guam), Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New

Orleans, New York, Portland (Oregon), San Francisco, Seattle

Diplomaticrepresentation

from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador J. Thomas SCHIEFFERembassy: 1-10-5 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420mailing address: APO AP 96337-5004telephone: [81] (03) 3224-5000FAX: [81] (03) 3505-1862consulate(s) general: Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, Sapporoconsulate(s): Fukuoka, Nagoya

Flagdescription:

white with a large red disk (representing the sun without rays) in thecenter

Economy Japan

Economy -overview:

Government-industry cooperation, a strong work ethic, mastery of hightechnology, and a comparatively small defense allocation (1% of GDP)helped Japan advance with extraordinary rapidity to the rank of secondmost technologically powerful economy in the world after the US and thethird-largest economy in the world after the US and China, measured ona purchasing power parity (PPP) basis. One notable characteristic of theeconomy has been how manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors haveworked together in closely-knit groups called keiretsu. A second basicfeature has been the guarantee of lifetime employment for a substantial

portion of the urban labor force. Both features have now eroded. Japan'sindustrial sector is heavily dependent on imported raw materials andfuels. The tiny agricultural sector is highly subsidized and protected, withcrop yields among the highest in the world. Usually self sufficient in rice,Japan must import about 55% of its food on a caloric basis. Japanmaintains one of the world's largest fishing fleets and accounts for nearly15% of the global catch. For three decades, overall real economic growthhad been spectacular - a 10% average in the 1960s, a 5% average in the1970s, and a 4% average in the 1980s. Growth slowed markedly in the




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1990s, averaging just 1.7%, largely because of the after effects ofoverinvestment and an asset price bubble during the late 1980s thatrequired a protracted period of time for firms to reduce excess debt,capital, and labor. From 2000 to 2001, government efforts to reviveeconomic growth proved short lived and were hampered by the slowingof the US, European, and Asian economies. In 2002-07, growthimproved and the lingering fears of deflation in prices and economicactivity lessened, leading the central bank to raise interest rates to 0.25%in July 2006, up from the near 0% rate of the six years prior, and to0.50% in February 2007. In addition, the 10-year privatization of JapanPost, which has functioned not only as the national postal deliverysystem but also, through its banking and insurance facilities as Japan'slargest financial institution, was completed in October 2007, marking amajor milestone in the process of structural reform. Nevertheless, Japan'shuge government debt, which totals 182% of GDP, and the aging of thepopulation are two major long-run problems. Some fear that a rise intaxes could endanger the current economic recovery. Debate alsocontinues on the role of and effects of reform in restructuring the

economy, particularly with respect to increasing income disparities.

GDP(purchasing

power parity):

$4.272 trillion (2007 est.)

GDP (officialexchange rate):

$4.384 trillion (2007 est.)

GDP - realgrowth rate:

2% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita(PPP):

$33,500 (2007 est.)

GDP -composition by

sector:

agriculture: 1.4%industry: 26.5%services: 72% (2007 est.)

Labor force: 66.69 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - byoccupation:

agriculture: 4.6%industry: 27.8%services: 67.7% (2004)

Unemploymentrate:

3.8% (2007 est.)

Populationbelow poverty

line:

NA%

Householdincome or

consumption bypercentage

share:

lowest 10%: 4.8%highest 10%: 21.7% (1993)




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Distribution offamily income -

Gini index:

38.1 (2002)

Inflation rate(consumer

prices):

0.1% (2007 est.)

Investment(gross fixed):

23.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget: revenues: $1.462 trillionexpenditures: $1.567 trillion (2007 est.)

Public debt: 170% of GDP (2007 est.)

Agriculture -products:

rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit; pork, poultry, dairy products, eggs;fish

Industries: among world's largest and technologically advanced producers of motorvehicles, electronic equipment, machine tools, steel and nonferrous

metals, ships, chemicals, textiles, processed foods

Industrialproduction

growth rate:

1.3% (2007 est.)

Electricity -production:

1.025 trillion kWh (2005)

Electricity -production by

source:

fossil fuel: 60%hydro: 8.4%nuclear: 29.8%other: 1.8% (2001)

Electricity -consumption:

974.2 billion kWh (2005)

Electricity -exports:

0 kWh (2005)

Electricity -imports:

0 kWh (2005)

Oil - production: 125,000 bbl/day (2006)

Oil -consumption:

5.353 million bbl/day (2005)

Oil - exports: 94,830 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - imports: 5.425 million bbl/day (2004)

Oil - provedreserves:

58.5 million bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas -production:

4.85 billion cu m (2005 est.)




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Natural gas -consumption:

83.67 billion cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas -exports:

0 cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas -imports:

77.6 billion cu m (2005)

Natural gas -proved

reserves:

38.02 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current accountbalance:

$210.5 billion (2007 est.)

Exports: $678.1 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports -commodities:

transport equipment, motor vehicles, semiconductors, electricalmachinery, chemicals

Exports -

partners:US 20.4%, China 15.3%, South Korea 7.6%, Taiwan 6.3%, Hong Kong5.4% (2007)

Imports: $573.3 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports -commodities:

machinery and equipment, fuels, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, rawmaterials

Imports -partners:

China 20.5%, US 11.6%, Saudi Arabia 5.7%, UAE 5.2%, Australia 5%,South Korea 4.4%, Indonesia 4.2% (2007)

Economic aid -donor:

ODA, $11.19 billion (2006)

Reserves offoreign

exchange andgold:

$954.1 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external: $1.492 trillion (30 June 2007)

Stock of directforeign

investment - athome:

$110.8 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of directforeign

investment -abroad:

$533.1 billion (2007 est.)

Market value ofpublicly traded

shares:

$4.737 trillion (2005)

Currency(code):

yen (JPY)

Currency code: JPY




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Exchange rates: yen per US dollar - 117.99 (2007), 116.18 (2006), 110.22 (2005), 108.19(2004), 115.93 (2003)

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Communications Japan

Telephones -main lines in

use:51.232 million (2007)

Telephones -mobile cellular:

107.339 million (2007)

Telephonesystem:

general assessment: excellent domestic and international servicedomestic: high level of modern technology and excellent service of everykindinternational: country code - 81; numerous submarine cables providelinks throughout Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Europe, and US;satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean),

1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region), and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific and IndianOcean regions

Radiobroadcast

stations:

AM 215 (plus 370 repeaters), FM 89 (plus 485 repeaters), shortwave 21(2001)

Radios: 120.5 million (1997)

Televisionbroadcast

stations:

211 (plus 7,341 repeaters); in addition, US Forces are served by 3 TVstations and 2 TV cable services (1999)

Televisions: 86.5 million (1997)

Internet countrycode:

.jp

Internet hosts: 33.333 million (2007)

Internet ServiceProviders

(ISPs):

73 (2000)

Internet users: 88.11 million (2007)

Transportation Japan

Airports: 176 (2007)

Airports - withpaved runways:

total: 145over 3,047 m: 72,438 to 3,047 m: 411,524 to 2,437 m: 40914 to 1,523 m: 28under 914 m: 29 (2007)

Airports - with total: 31




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unpavedrunways:

914 to 1,523 m: 4under 914 m: 27 (2007)

Heliports: 14 (2007)

Pipelines: gas 3,939 km; oil 170 km; oil/gas/water 104 km (2007)

Railways: total: 23,474 kmstandard gauge: 3,204 km 1.435-m gauge (3,204 km electrified)narrow gauge: 77 km 1.372-m gauge (77 km electrified); 20,182 km1.067-m gauge (13,334 km electrified); 11 km 0.762-m gauge (11 kmelectrified) (2006)

Roadways: total: 1.193 million kmpaved: 942,000 km (includes 7,383 km of expressways)unpaved: 251,000 km (2005)

Waterways: 1,770 km (seagoing vessels use inland seas) (2007)

Merchant

marine:

total: 673 ships (1000 GRT or over) 10,598,158 GRT/11,597,912 DWT

by type: bulk carrier 135, cargo 30, carrier 3, chemical tanker 24,container 10, liquefied gas 58, passenger 12, passenger/cargo 133,petroleum tanker 155, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 51, vehiclecarrier 60registered in other countries: 2,875 (Australia 1, Bahamas 73, Belize 2,Bermuda 2, Cambodia 3, Cayman Islands 12, China 2, Cyprus 21, France1, Honduras 4, Hong Kong 85, Indonesia 5, Isle of Man 4, Italy 2,Liberia 114, Malaysia 4, Malta 4, Marshall Islands 8, Norway 1, Panama2280, Philippines 83, Portugal 15, Singapore 109, South Korea 3,Thailand 3, UK 3, Vanuatu 29, unknown 1) (2008)

Ports and

terminals:

Chiba, Kawasaki, Kobe, Mizushima, Moji, Nagoya, Osaka, Tokyo,

Tomakomai, Yohohama

Military Japan

Militarybranches:

Japanese Ministry of Defense (MOD): Ground Self-Defense Force(Rikujou Jietai, GSDF), Maritime Self-Defense Force (Kaijou Jietai,MSDF), Air Self-Defense Force (Koku Jieitai, ASDF) (2008)

Military serviceage and

obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)

Manpower

available formilitary service:

males age 16-49: 27,819,804

females age 16-49: 26,863,794 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit formilitary service:

males age 16-49: 22.963 millionfemales age 16-49: 22,134,127 (2008 est.)

Manpowerreachingmilitarily

significant ageannually:

male: 622,168female: 590,153 (2008 est.)




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Militaryexpenditures:

0.8% of GDP (2006)

Transnational

IssuesJapan

Disputes -international:

the sovereignty dispute over the islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, andShikotan, and the Habomai group, known in Japan as the "NorthernTerritories" and in Russia as the "Southern Kuril Islands," occupied bythe Soviet Union in 1945, now administered by Russia and claimed byJapan, remains the primary sticking point to signing a peace treatyformally ending World War II hostilities; Japan and South Korea claimLiancourt Rocks (Take-shima/Tok-do) occupied by South Korea since1954; China and Taiwan dispute both Japan's claims to the uninhabitedislands of the Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu Tai) and Japan's unilaterallydeclared exclusive economic zone in the East China Sea, the site ofintensive hydrocarbon prospecting

This page was last updated on 2 October, 2008


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