1992 Edition

Climate

varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north

Coastline

29,751 km

Comparative area

slightly smaller than California

Disputes

Etorofu, Kunashiri, and Shikotan Islands and the Habomai island group occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, now administered by Russia, claimed by Japan; Liancourt Rocks disputed with South Korea; Senkaku-shoto (Senkaku Islands) claimed by China and Taiwan

Environment

many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500 seismic occurrences (mostly tremors) every year; subject to tsunamis

Exclusive fishing zone

200 nm

Land area

374,744 km2; includes Bonin Islands (Ogasawara-gunto), Daito-shoto, Minami-jima, Okinotori-shima, Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto), and Volcano Islands (Kazan-retto)

Land boundaries

none

Land use

arable land 13%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 1%; forest and woodland 67%; other 18%; includes irrigated 9%

Natural resources

negligible mineral resources, fish

Note

strategic location in northeast Asia

Terrain

mostly rugged and mountainous

Territorial sea

12 nm (3 nm in international straits - La Perouse or Soya, Tsugaru, Osumi, and Eastern and Western channels of the Korea or Tsushima Strait)

Total area

377,835 km2

Birth rate

10 births/1,000 population (1992)

Death rate

7 deaths/1,000 population (1992)

Ethnic divisions

Japanese 99.4%, other (mostly Korean) 0.6%

Infant mortality rate

4 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)

Labor force

63,330,000; trade and services 54%; manufacturing, mining, and construction 33%; agriculture, forestry, and fishing 7%; government 3% (1988)

Languages

Japanese

Life expectancy at birth

77 years male, 82 years female (1992)

Literacy

99% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write (1970 est.)

Nationality

noun - Japanese (singular and plural); adjective - Japanese

Net migration rate

0 migrants/1,000 population (1992)

Organized labor

about 29% of employed workers; public service 76.4%, transportation and telecommunications 57.9%, mining 48.7%, manufacturing 33.7%, services 18.2%, wholesale, retail, and restaurant 9.3%

Population

124,460,481 (July 1992), growth rate 0.4% (1992)

Religions

most Japanese observe both Shinto and Buddhist rites so the percentages add to more than 100% - Shinto 95.8%, Buddhist 76.3%, Christian 1.4%, other 12% (1985)

Total fertility rate

1.6 children born/woman (1992)

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

Capital

Tokyo

Chief of State

Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989)

Communists

about 490,000 registered Communist party members

Constitution

3 May 1947

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Takakazu KURIYAMA; Chancery at 2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 939-6700; there are Japanese Consulates General in Agana (Guam), Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Kansas City (Missouri), Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and Portland (Oregon), and a Consulate in Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands) US: Ambassador Michael H. ARMACOST; Embassy at 10-5, Akasaka 1-chome, Minato-ku (107), Tokyo (mailing address is APO AP 96337-0001); telephone [81] (3) 3224-5000; FAX [81] (3) 3505-1862; there are US Consulates General in Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, and Sapporo and a Consulate in Fukuoka

Executive branch

Emperor, prime minister, Cabinet

Flag

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

Head of Government

Prime Minister Kiichi MIYAZAWA (since 5 November 1991)

House of Councillors

last held on 23 July 1989 (next to be held 26 July 1992); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (263 total) LDP 114, SDPJ 71, CGP 20, JCP 14, other 33

House of Representatives

last held on 18 February 1990 (next to be held by February 1993); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (512 total) LDP 278, SDPJ 137, CGP 46, JCP 16, DSP 13, others 5, independents 6, vacant 11

Independence

660 BC, traditional founding by Emperor Jimmu

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Legal system

civil law system with English-American influence; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Legislative branch

bicameral Diet (Kokkai) consists of an upper house or House of Councillors (Sangi-in) and a lower house or House of Representatives (Shugi-in)

Long-form name

none

Member of

AfDB, AG (observer), Australia Group, APEC, AsDB, BIS, CCC, COCOM, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, G-2, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LORCS, MTCR, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

National holiday

Birthday of the Emperor, 23 December (1933)

Political parties and leaders

Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Kiichi MIYAZAWA, president; Tamisuke WATANUKI, secretary general; Social Democratic Party of Japan (SDPJ), Makoto TANABE, Chairman; Democratic Socialist Party (DSP), Keizo OUCHI, chairman; Japan Communist Party (JCP), Tetsuzo FUWA, Presidium chairman; Komeito (Clean Government Party, CGP), Koshiro ISHIDA, chairman

Suffrage

universal at age 20

Type

constitutional monarchy

Agriculture

accounts for only 2% of GDP; highly subsidized and protected sector, with crop yields among highest in world; principal crops - rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit; animal products include pork, poultry, dairy and eggs; about 50% self-sufficient in food production; shortages of wheat, corn, soybeans; world's largest fish catch of 11.9 million metric tons in 1988

Budget

revenues $481 billion; expenditures $531 billion, including capital expenditures (public works only) of about $60 billion (FY91)

Currency

yen (plural - yen); 1 yen (Y) = 100 sen

Economic aid

donor - ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $83.2 billion; ODA outlay of $9.1 billion in 1990 (est.)

Electricity

196,000,000 kW capacity; 823,000 million kWh produced, 6,640 kWh per capita (1991)

Exchange rates

yen (Y) per US$1 - 132.70 (March 1992), 134.71 (1991), 144.79 (1990), 137.96 (1989), 128.15 (1988), 144.64 (1987)

Exports

$314.3 billion (f.o.b., 1991) commodities: manufactures 97% (including machinery 40%, motor vehicles 18%, consumer electronics 10%) partners: Southeast Asia 31%, US 29%, Western Europe 23%, Communist countries 4%, Middle East 3%

External debt

$NA

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

GDP

purchasing power equivalent - $2,360.7 billion, per capita $19,000; real growth rate 4.5% (1991)

Imports

$236.6 billion (c.i.f., 1991) commodities: manufactures 50%, fossil fuels 21%, foodstuffs and raw materials 25% partners: Southeast Asia 25%, US 22%, Western Europe 17%, Middle East 12%, Communist countries 8%

Industrial production

growth rate 2.1% (1991); accounts for 30% of GDP (mining and manufacturing)

Industries

metallurgy, engineering, electrical and electronic, textiles, chemicals, automobiles, fishing, telecommunications, machine tools, construction equipment

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

3.3% (1991)

Overview

Government-industry cooperation, a strong work ethic, and a comparatively small defense allocation have helped Japan advance with extraordinary rapidity, notably in high-technology fields. Industry, the most important sector of the economy, is heavily dependent on imported raw materials and fuels. Self-sufficent in rice, Japan must import 50% of its requirements for other grain and fodder crops. Japan maintains one of the world's largest fishing fleets and accounts for nearly 15% of the global catch. Overall

average in the 1970s and 1980s. A major contributor to overall growth of 4.5% in 1991 was net exports, which cushioned the effect of slower growth in domestic demand. Inflation remains low at 3.3% and is easing due to lower oil prices and a stronger yen. Japan continues to run a huge trade surplus, $80 billion in 1991, which supports extensive investment in foreign assets. The increased crowding of its habitable land area and the aging of its population are two major long-run problems.

economic growth has been spectacular

a 10% average in the 1960s, a 5%

Unemployment rate

2.1% (1991)

Airports

163 total, 158 usable; 131 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 31 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 51 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air

360 major transport aircraft

Highways

1,111,974 km total; 754,102 km paved, 357,872 km gravel, crushed stone, or unpaved; 4,400 km national expressways; 46,805 km national highways; 128,539 km prefectural roads; and 930,230 km city, town, and village roads

Inland waterways

about 1,770 km; seagoing craft ply all coastal inland seas

Merchant marine

976 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 21,684,459 GRT/34,683,035 DWT; includes 10 passenger, 40 short-sea passenger, 3 passenger cargo, 89 cargo, 44 container, 36 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 111 refrigerated cargo, 93 vehicle carrier, 227 petroleum tanker, 11 chemical tanker, 40 liquefied gas, 9 combination ore/oil, 3 specialized tanker, 260 bulk; note - Japan also owns a large flag of convenience fleet, including up to 55% of the total number of ships under the Panamanian flag

Pipelines

crude oil 84 km; petroleum products 322 km; natural gas 1,800 km

Ports

Chiba, Muroran, Kitakyushu, Kobe, Tomakomai, Nagoya, Osaka, Tokyo, Yokkaichi, Yokohama, Kawasaki, Niigata, Fushiki-Toyama, Shimizu, Himeji, Wakayama-Shimozu, Shimonoseki, Tokuyama-Shimomatsu

Railroads

27,327 km total; 2,012 km 1.435-meter standard gauge and 25,315 km predominantly 1.067-meter narrow gauge; 5,724 km doubletrack and multitrack sections, 9,038 km 1.067-meter narrow-gauge electrified, 2,012 km 1.435-meter standard-gauge electrified (1987)

Telecommunications

excellent domestic and international service; 64,000,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 318 AM, 58 FM, 12,350 TV (196 major - 1 kw or greater); satellite earth stations - 4 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT; submarine cables to US (via Guam), Philippines, China, and Russia

Branches

Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (Army), Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (Navy), Japan Air Self-Defense Force (Air Force), Maritime Safety Agency (Coast Guard)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $36.7 billion, 0.94% of GDP (FY92 est.)

Manpower availability

males 15-49, 32,219,754; 27,767,280 fit for military service; 1,042,493 reach military age (18) annually