1999 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1999 (Internet Archive)
Geography
Area
total: 377,835 sq km land: 374,744 sq km water: 3,091 sq km note: includes Bonin Islands (Ogasawara-gunto), Daito-shoto, Minami-jima, Okino-tori-shima, Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto), and Volcano Islands (Kazan-retto)
Area--comparative
slightly smaller than California
Climate
varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north
Coastline
29,751 km
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Hachiro-gata -4 m highest point: Fujiyama 3,776 m
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 Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertication, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geographic coordinates
36 00 N, 138 00 E
Geography--note
strategic location in northeast Asia
Irrigated land
27,820 sq km (1993 est.)
Land boundaries
0 km
Land use
arable land: 11% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 2% forests and woodland: 67% other: 19% (1993 est.)
Location
Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula
Map references
Asia
Maritime claims
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm 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
Natural hazards
many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500 seismic occurrences (mostly tremors) every year; tsunamis
Natural resources
negligible mineral resources, fish
Terrain
mostly rugged and mountainous
People and Society
Age structure
0-14 years: 15% (male 9,697,851; female 9,242,027) 15-64 years: 68% (male 43,405,024; female 43,023,885) 65 years and over: 17% (male 8,686,347; female 12,126,943) (1999 est.)
Birth rate
10.48 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate
8.12 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Ethnic groups
Japanese 99.4%, other 0.6% (mostly Korean)
Infant mortality rate
4.07 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Languages
Japanese
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 80.11 years male: 77.02 years female: 83.35 years (1999 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% (1970 est.) male: NA% female: NA%
Nationality
noun: Japanese (singular and plural) adjective: Japanese
Net migration rate
-0.34 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Population
126,182,077 (July 1999 est.)
Population growth rate
0.2% (1999 est.)
Religions
observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including Christian 0.7%)
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 (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.48 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Government
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
Constitution
3 May 1947
Country name
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Japan
Data code
JA
Executive branch
chief of state: Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989) head of government: Prime Minister Keizo OBUCHI (since 30 July 1998) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the Diet designates the prime minister; the constitution requires that the prime minister must command a parliamentary majority, therefore, following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition in the House of Representatives usually becomes prime minister
Flag description
white with a large red disk (representing the sun without rays) in the center
Government type
constitutional monarchy
Independence
660 BC (traditional founding by Emperor Jimmu)
International organization participation
AfDB, APEC, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE (observer), CERN (observer), CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, G5, G7, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MTCR, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNRWA, UNU, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Kunihiko SAITO chancery: 2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 consulate(s) general: Hagatna (Guam), Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Honolulu, Houston, Kansas City (Missouri), Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Portland (Oregon), San Francisco, and Seattle consulate(s): Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands) Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas S. FOLEY embassy: 10-5, Akasaka 1-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420 mailing address: Unit 45004, Box 258, APO AP 96337-5004 consulate(s) general: Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, Sapporo consulate(s): Fukuoka, Nagoya
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: Liberal Democratic Party or LDP president, Hirohisa FUJII, secretary general]; Japan Communist Party Katsuyuki ISHIDA, secretary general] note: subsequent to the last legislative elections, the New Frontier Party or NFP and the Sun Party disbanded; the DPJ was formed by former members of the SDP and Sakigake and, in April 1998, was joined by three additional parties which had formed after the NFP disbanded; New Peace Party and Komei merged to form Komeito in November 1998
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
Legislative branch
bicameral Diet or Kokkai consists of the House of Councillors or Sangi-in (252 seats; one-half of the members elected every three years--76 seats of which are elected from the 47 multi-seat prefectural districts and 50 of which are elected from a single nationwide list with voters casting ballots by party; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Shugi-in (500 seats--200 of which are elected from 11 regional blocks on a proportional representation basis and 300 of which are elected from 300 single-seat districts; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: House of Councillors--last held 12 July 1998 (next to be held NA July 2001); House of Representatives--last held 20 October 1996 (next to be held by October 2000) election results: House of Councillors--percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--LDP 102, DPJ 47, JCP 23, Komeito 22, SDP 13, Liberal Party 12, independents 26, others 7; note--the distribution of seats as of January 1999 is as follows--LDP 104, DPJ 56, Komeito 24, JCP 23, SDP 14, Liberal Party 12, independents 5, others 14; House of Representatives--percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--LDP 240, NFP 142, DPJ 52, JCP 26, SDP 15, Sun Party 10, others 15; note--the distribution of seats as of January 1999 is as follows--LDP 266, DPJ 94, Komeito/Reform Club 52, Liberal Party 39, JCP 26, SDP 14, independents 5, others 4
National holiday
Birthday of the Emperor, 23 December (1933)
Suffrage
20 years of age; universal
Economy
Agriculture--products
rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit; pork, poultry, dairy products, eggs; fish
Budget
revenues: $407 billion expenditures: $711 billion, including capital expenditures (public works only) of about $86 billion (FY99/00 est.)
Currency
yen (Y)
Debt--external
$NA
Economic aid--donor
ODA, $9.1 billion (1999)
Economy--overview
Government-industry cooperation, a strong work ethic, mastery of high technology, and a comparatively small defense allocation (1% of GDP) have helped Japan advance with extraordinary rapidity to the rank of second most powerful economy in the world. 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; this guarantee is 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 1992-95 largely because of the aftereffects of overinvestment during the late 1980s and contractionary domestic policies intended to wring speculative excesses from the stock and real estate markets. Growth picked up to 3.9% in 1996, largely a reflection of stimulative fiscal and monetary policies as well as low rates of inflation. But in 1997-98 Japan experienced a wrenching recession, centered about financial difficulties in the banking system and real estate markets and exacerbated by rigidities in corporate structures and labor markets. In early 1999 output has started to stabilize as emergency government spending begins to take hold. The crowding of habitable land area and the aging of the population are two major long-run problems.
Electricity--consumption
948.559 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports
0 kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports
0 kWh (1996)
Electricity--production
948.559 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source
fossil fuel: 61.47% hydro: 8.34% nuclear: 29.83% other: 0.36% (1996)
Exchange rates
yen (Y) per US$1--113.18 (January 1999), 130.91 (1998), 120.99 (1997), 108.78 (1996), 94.06 (1995), 102.21 (1994)
Exports
$440 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Exports--commodities
manufactures 96% (including machinery 50%, motor vehicles 19%, consumer electronics 3%)
Exports--partners
US 30%, EU 18%, Southeast Asia 12%, China 5%
Fiscal year
1 April--31 March
GDP
purchasing power parity--$2.903 trillion (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector
agriculture: 2% industry: 38% services: 60% (1997)
GDP--per capita
purchasing power parity?$23,100 (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate
-2.6% (1998 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Imports
$319 billion (c.i.f., 1998)
Imports--commodities
manufactures 54%, foodstuffs and raw materials 28%, fossil fuels 16%
Imports--partners
US 24%, Southeast Asia 14%, EU 14%, China 13%
Industrial production growth rate
-6.9% (1998)
Industries
among world's largest and technologically advanced producers of steel and nonferrous metallurgy, heavy electrical equipment, construction and mining equipment, motor vehicles and parts, electronic and telecommunication equipment, machine tools, automated production systems, locomotives and railroad rolling stock, ships, chemicals; textiles, processed foods
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
0.9% (1998 est.)
Labor force
67.72 million (November 1998)
Labor force--by occupation
trade and services 50%, manufacturing, mining, and construction 33%, utilities and communication 7%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 6%, government 3% (1994)
Population below poverty line
NA%
Unemployment rate
4.4% (November 1998)
Communications
Radio broadcast stations
AM 318, FM 58, shortwave 0
Radios
97 million (1993 est.)
Telephone system
excellent domestic and international service domestic: NA international: 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)
Telephones
64 million (1987 est.)
Television broadcast stations
7,549 (consisting of 6,995 non-government and non-commercial stations, of which 95 are main stations of 1 kW or greater power and 6,900 are low-power stations, and 554 commercial stations of which 113 are main stations and 441 are repeaters); note--in addition, US Forces are served by 3 TV stations and 2 TV cable stations (1997)
Televisions
100 million (1993 est.)
Transportation
Airports
170 (1998 est.) Airports--with paved runways: total: 140 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 35 1,524 to 2,437 m: 39 914 to 1,523 m: 30 under 914 m: 31 (1998 est.) Airports--with unpaved runways: total: 30 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 28 (1998 est.)
Heliports
14 (1998 est.)
Highways
total: 1.16 million km paved: 859,560 km (including 6,070 km of expressways) unpaved: 300,440 km (1996 est.)
Merchant marine
total: 713 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 13,753,027 GRT/19,311,312 DWT ships by type: bulk 159, cargo 54, chemical tanker 13, combination bulk 16, combination ore/oil 4, container 27, liquefied gas tanker 40, oil tanker 232, passenger 10, passenger-cargo 2, refrigerated cargo 27, roll-on/roll-off cargo 48, short-sea passenger 13, vehicle carrier 68 (1998 est.)
Pipelines
crude oil 84 km; petroleum products 322 km; natural gas 1,800 km 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
Railways
total: 23,670.7 km standard gauge: 2,893.1 km 1.435-m gauge (entirely electrified) narrow gauge: 89.8 km 1.372-m gauge (89.8 km electrified); 20,656.8 km 1.067-m gauge (10,383.6 km electrified); 31 km 0.762-m gauge (3.6 km electrified) (1994)
Waterways
about 1,770 km; seagoing craft ply all coastal inland seas
Military and Security
Military branches
Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (Army), Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (Navy), Japan Air Self-Defense Force (Air Force)
Military expenditures--dollar figure
$42.9 billion (FY98/99)
Military expenditures--percent of GDP
0.9% (FY98/99)
Military manpower--availability
males age 15-49: 30,646,516 (1999 est.) Military manpower--fit for military service: males age 15-49: 26,438,961 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--military age
18 years of age
Military manpower--reaching military age annually
males: 784,658 (1999 est.)
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international
islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan, and the Habomai group occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, now administered by Russia, claimed by Japan; Liancourt Rocks (Takeshima/Tokdo) disputed with South Korea; Senkaku-shoto (Senkaku Islands) claimed by China and Taiwan