2001 Edition

Age structure

0-14 years: 14.64% (male 9,510,296; female 9,043,074) 15-64 years: 67.83% (male 43,202,513; female 42,790,187) 65 years and over: 17.53% (male 9,351,340; female 12,874,252) (2001 est.)

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

Background

While retaining its time-honored culture, Japan rapidly absorbed Western technology during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. After its devastating defeat in World War II, Japan recovered to become the second most powerful economy in the world and a staunch ally of the US. While the emperor retains his throne as a symbol of national unity, actual power rests in networks of powerful politicians, bureaucrats, and business executives. The economy experienced a major slowdown in the 1990s following three decades of unprecedented growth. Japan Geography

Birth rate

10.04 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Climate

varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north

Coastline

29,751 km

Country name

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Japan

Death rate

8.34 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

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-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, 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

Ethnic groups

Japanese 99.4%, Korean 0.6% (1999)

Geographic coordinates

36 00 N, 138 00 E

Geography - note

strategic location in northeast Asia Japan People

Government type

constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.02% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

150 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

10,000 (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate

3.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

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.)

Languages

Japanese

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 80.8 years male: 77.62 years female: 84.15 years (2001 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% (1970 est.) male: NA% female: NA% Japan Government

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

contiguous zone: 24 NM 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

Nationality

noun: Japanese (singular and plural) adjective: Japanese

Natural hazards

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

Natural resources

negligible mineral resources, fish

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Population

126,771,662 (July 2001 est.)

Population growth rate

0.17% (2001 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: 0.73 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Terrain

mostly rugged and mountainous

Total fertility rate

1.41 children born/woman (2001 est.)

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

Agriculture - products

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

Airports

173 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 142 over 3,047 m: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 36 1,524 to 2,437 m: 38 914 to 1,523 m: 30 under 914 m: 30 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 31 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 27 (2000 est.)

Budget

revenues: $441 billion expenditures: $718 billion, including capital expenditures (public works only) of about $84 billion (FY01/02 est.)

Capital

Tokyo

Constitution

3 May 1947

Currency

yen (JPY)

Currency code

JPY

Debt - external

$NA

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador-designate Howard H. BAKER, Jr. embassy: 10-5 Akasaka 1-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420 mailing address: Unit 45004, Box 205, APO AP 96337-5004 telephone: [81] (03) 3224-5000

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Shunji YANAI chancery: 2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 238-6700

Disputes - international

islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, and 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

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 technologically powerful economy in the world after the US and third largest economy in the world after the US and China. One notable characteristic of the economy is the working together of manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors in closely-knit groups called keiretsu. A second basic feature has been the guarantee of lifetime employment for a substantial portion of the urban labor force. Both features are now eroding. Industry, the most important sector of the economy, is heavily dependent on imported raw materials and fuels. The much smaller agricultural sector is highly subsidized and protected, with crop yields among the highest in the world. Usually self-sufficient in rice, Japan must import about 50% of its requirements of other grain and fodder crops. Japan maintains one of the world's largest fishing fleets and accounts for nearly 15% of the global catch. For three decades overall real economic growth had been spectacular: a 10% average in the 1960s, a 5% average in the 1970s, and a 4% average in the 1980s. Growth slowed markedly in the 1990s 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. Government efforts to revive economic growth have met little success and were further hampered in late 2000 by the slowing of the US and Asian economies. The crowding of habitable land area and the aging of the population are two major long-run problems. Robotics constitutes a key long-term economic strength, with Japan possessing 410,000 of the world's 720,000 "working robots".

Electricity - consumption

947.038 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - production

1.018 trillion kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 58.91% hydro: 8.35% nuclear: 30.31% other: 2.43% (1999)

Exchange rates

yen per US dollar - 117.10 (January 2001), 107.77 (2000), 113.91 (1999), 130.91 (1998), 120.99 (1997), 108.78 (1996)

Executive branch

chief of state: Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989) head of government: Prime Minister Junichiro KOIZUMI (since 24 April 2001) 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 note: following the resignation of Prime Minister Yoshiro MORI, Junichiro KOIZUMI was elected as the new president of the majority Liberal Democratic Party, and soon thereafter designated by the Diet to become the next prime minister

Exports

$450 billion (f.o.b., 2000)

Exports - commodities

motor vehicles, semiconductors, office machinery, chemicals

Exports - partners

US 30%, Taiwan 7%, South Korea 6.4%, China 6.2%, Hong Kong 5.6% (2000 est.)

FAX

[1] (202) 328-2187 consulate(s) general: Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Hagatna (Guam), Honolulu, Houston, Kansas City (Missouri), Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Portland (Oregon), San Francisco, and Seattle consulate(s): Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands)

[81] (03) 3224-5856 consulate(s) general: Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, Sapporo consulate(s): Fukuoka, Nagoya

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March Japan Communications

Flag description

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

GDP

purchasing power parity - $3.15 trillion (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 2% industry: 35% services: 63% (1999 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $24,900 (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

1.3% (2000 est.)

Heliports

16 (2000 est.) Japan Military

Highways

total: 1,152,207 km paved: 863,003 km (including 6,114 km of expressways) unpaved: 289,204 km (1997 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

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

Imports

$355 billion (c.i.f., 2000)

Imports - commodities

fuels, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, office machinery

Imports - partners

US 19%, China 14.5%, South Korea 5.4%, Taiwan 4.8%, Indonesia 4.3%, Australia 3.9% (2000 est.)

Independence

660 BC (traditional founding by Emperor Jimmu)

Industrial production growth rate

5.3% (2000 est.)

Industries

among world's largest and technologically advanced producers of motor vehicles, electronic equipment, machine tools, steel and nonferrous metals, ships, chemicals; textiles, processed foods

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

-0.7% (2000 est.)

International organization participation

AfDB, APEC, ARF (dialogue partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE (observer), CERN (observer), CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, G- 5, G- 7, 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, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNRWA, UNU, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Internet country code

.jp

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

73 (2000)

Internet users

27.06 million (2000) Japan Transportation

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the monarch after designation by the cabinet; all other justices are appointed by the cabinet)

Labor force

67.7 million (December 2000)

Labor force - by occupation

services 65%, industry 30%, agriculture 5%

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; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Shugi-in (480 seats - 180 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 25 June 2000 (next to be held by June 2004) 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 February 2001 is as follows - LDP 112, DPJ 58, Komeito 24, JCP 23, SDP 13, Liberal Party 5, independents 7, others 10; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - LDP 233, DPJ 127, Komeito 31, Liberal Party 22, JCP 20, SDP 19, other 28; note - the distribution of seats as of February 2001 is as follows - LDP 239, DPJ 129, Komeito 31, Liberal Party 22, JCP 20, SDP 19, other 20

Merchant marine

total: 630 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 11,691,174 GRT/15,484,848 DWT ships by type: bulk 137, cargo 51, chemical tanker 15, combination bulk 22, combination ore/oil 3, container 22, liquefied gas 49, passenger 9, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 194, refrigerated cargo 15, roll on/roll off 49, short-sea passenger 6, vehicle carrier 56 (2000 est.)

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

$43 billion (FY01)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

0.96% (FY01) Japan Transnational Issues

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 29,926,614 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 25,876,484 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - military age

18 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males: 765,817 (2001 est.)

National holiday

Birthday of Emperor AKIHITO, 23 December (1933)

Pipelines

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

Political parties and leaders

Democratic Party of Japan or DPJ [Yukio HATOYAMA, leader, Naoto KAN, secretary general]; Japan Communist Party or JCP [Kazuo SHII, chairman, Tadaaki ICHIDA, secretary general]; Komeito [Takenori KANZAKI, president, Tetsuzo FUYUSHIBA, secretary general]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Junichiro KOIZUMI, president, Taku YAMASAKI, secretary general]; Liberal Party [Ichiro OZAWA, president, Hirohisa FUJII, secretary general]; New Conservative Party [Chikage OGI, president, Takeshi NODA, secretary general]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Takako DOI, chairperson, Sadao FUCHIGAMI, secretary general]

Political pressure groups and leaders

NA

Population below poverty line

NA%

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

Radio broadcast stations

AM 190, FM 88, shortwave 24 (1999)

Radios

120.5 million (1997)

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)

Suffrage

20 years of age; universal

Telephone system

general assessment: excellent domestic and international service domestic: high level of modern technology and excellent service of every kind 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) (1999)

Telephones - main lines in use

60.381 million (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular

63.88 million (2000)

Television broadcast stations

7,108 (plus 441 repeaters; note - in addition, US Forces are served by 3 TV stations and 2 TV cable services) (1999)

Televisions

86.5 million (1997)

Unemployment rate

4.7% (2000)

Waterways

1,770 km approximately note: seagoing craft ply all coastal inland seas