2007 Edition

Administrative divisions

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 14.2% (male 9,309,524/female 8,849,476) 15-64 years: 65.7% (male 42,158,122/female 41,611,754) 65 years and over: 20% (male 10,762,585/female 14,772,150) (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products

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

Airports

175 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways

over 3,047 m

7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 41 1,524 to 2,437 m: 39 914 to 1,523 m: 28

total

145

under 914 m

30 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

30 914 to 1,523 m: 4

under 914 m

26 (2006)

Area

land

374,744 sq km

note

includes Bonin Islands (Ogasawara-gunto), Daito-shoto, Minami-jima, Okino-tori-shima, Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto), and Volcano Islands (Kazan-retto)

total

377,835 sq km

water

3,091 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than California

Background

In 1603, a Tokugawa shogunate (military dictatorship) ushered in a long period of isolation from foreign influence in order to secure its power. For 250 years this policy enabled Japan to enjoy stability and a flowering of its indigenous culture. Following the Treaty of Kanagawa with the US in 1854, Japan opened its ports and began to intensively modernize and industrialize. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Japan became a regional power that was able to defeat the forces 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 US forces in 1941 - triggering America's entry into World War II - and soon occupied much of East and Southeast Asia. After its defeat in World War II, Japan recovered to become an economic power 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 starting in the 1990s following three decades of unprecedented growth, but Japan still remains a major economic power, both in Asia and globally. Geography Japan

Birth rate

9.37 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$1.639 trillion; including capital expenditures (public works only) of about $71 billion (2006 est.)

revenues

$1.411 trillion

Capital

geographic coordinates

35 42 N, 139 46 E

name

Tokyo

time difference

UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Climate

varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north

Coastline

29,751 km

Constitution

3 May 1947

Country name

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

Japan

local long form

Nihon-koku/Nippon-koku

local short form

Nihon/Nippon

Currency (code)

yen (JPY)

Currency code

JPY

Current account balance

$174.4 billion (2006 est.)

Death rate

9.16 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Debt - external

$1.547 trillion (30 June 2006)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador J. Thomas SCHIEFFER

embassy

1-10-5 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420

mailing address

Unit 45004, Box 258, APO AP 96337-5004

telephone

[81] (03) 3224-5000

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Ryozo KATO

telephone

[1] (202) 238-6700

Disputes - international

the sovereignty dispute over the islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, and Shikotan, and the Habomai group, known in Japan as the "Northern Territories" and in Russia as the "Southern Kuril Islands," occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, now administered by Russia and claimed by Japan, remains the primary sticking point to signing a peace treaty formally ending World War II hostilities; Japan and South Korea claim Liancourt Rocks (Take-shima/Tok-do) occupied by South Korea since 1954; China and Taiwan dispute both Japan's claims to the uninhabited islands of the Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu Tai) and Japan's unilaterally declared exclusive economic zone in the East China Sea, the site of intensive hydrocarbon prospecting This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

Distribution of family income - Gini index

38.12 (2002)

Economic aid - donor

ODA, $8.9 billion (2004)

Economy - overview

Government-industry cooperation, a strong work ethic, mastery of high technology, and a comparatively small defense allocation (1% of GDP) helped Japan advance with extraordinary rapidity to the rank of second most technologically powerful economy in the world after the US and the third-largest economy in the world after the US and China, measured on a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis. One notable characteristic of the economy is how manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors work together 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. Japan's industrial sector is heavily dependent on imported raw materials and fuels. The tiny 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 60% of its food on a caloric basis. 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, averaging just 1.7%, largely because of the after effects of overinvestment during the late 1980s and contractionary domestic policies intended to wring speculative excesses from the stock and real estate markets and to force a restructuring of the economy. From 2000 to 2003, government efforts to revive economic growth met with little success and were further hampered by the slowing of the US, European, and Asian economies. In 2004-06, growth improved and the lingering fears of deflation in prices and economic activity lessened. Japan's huge government debt, which totals 175% of GDP, and the aging of the population are two major long-run problems. Some fear that a rise in taxes could endanger the current economic recovery. Internal conflict over the proper way to reform the financial system will continue as Japan Post's banking, insurance, and delivery services undergo privatization between 2007 and 2017.

Electricity - consumption

906.2 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - production

974.4 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

60%

hydro

8.4%

nuclear

29.8%

other

1.8% (2001)

Elevation extremes

highest point

Mount Fuji 3,776 m

lowest point

Hachiro-gata -4 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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

Ethnic groups

Japanese 99%, others 1% (Korean 511,262, Chinese 244,241, Brazilian 182,232, Filipino 89,851, other 237,914)

note

up to 230,000 Brazilians of Japanese origin migrated to Japan in the 1990s to work in industries; some have returned to Brazil (2004)

Exchange rates

yen per US dollar - 116.175 (2006), 110.22 (2005), 108.19 (2004), 115.93 (2003), 125.39 (2002)

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet appointed by the prime minister

chief of state

Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989)

election results

ABE was elected prime minister with 339 of 476 votes cast in the House of Representatives and 136 of 240 votes cast in the House of Councilors.

elections

Diet designates prime minister; constitution requires that prime minister commands parliamentary majority; following legislative elections, leader of majority party or leader of majority coalition in House of Representatives usually becomes prime minister; monarch is hereditary

head of government

Prime Minister Shinzo ABE (since 26 September 2006)

Exports

$590.3 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities

transport equipment, motor vehicles, semiconductors, electrical machinery, chemicals

Exports - partners

US 22.9%, China 13.4%, South Korea 7.8%, Taiwan 7.3%, Hong Kong 6.1% (2005)

FAX

[1] (202) 328-2187

[81] (03) 3505-1862

consulate(s)

Fukuoka, Nagoya

consulate(s) general

Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Agana (Guam), Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Portland (Oregon), San Francisco, Seattle

consulate(s) general

Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, Sapporo

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March Communications Japan

Flag description

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

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

1.6%

industry

25.3%

services

73.1% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$33,100 (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

2.8% (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$4.911 trillion (2006 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$4.22 trillion (2006 est.)

Geographic coordinates

36 00 N, 138 00 E

Geography - note

strategic location in northeast Asia People Japan

Government type

constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government

Heliports

15 (2006)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

less than 0.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

500 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

12,000 (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

21.7% (1993)

lowest 10%

4.8%

Imports

$524.1 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery and equipment, fuels, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, raw materials (2001)

Imports - partners

China 21%, US 12.7%, Saudi Arabia 5.5%, UAE 4.9%, Australia 4.7%, South Korea 4.7%, Indonesia 4% (2005)

Independence

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

Industrial production growth rate

3.3% (2006 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

Infant mortality rate

female

2.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

male

3.5 deaths/1,000 live births

total

3.24 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

0.4% (2006 est.)

International organization participation

AfDB, APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, 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, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, LAIA, MIGA, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE (partner), Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC (observer), SECI (observer), UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMOVIC, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Internet country code

.jp

Internet hosts

28,321,846 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

73 (2000)

Internet users

86.3 million (2005) Transportation Japan

Investment (gross fixed)

23.7% of GDP (2006 est.)

Irrigated land

25,920 sq km (2003)

Japanese Defense Agency (JDA)

Ground Self-Defense Force (Rikujou Jietai, GSDF), Maritime Self-Defense Force (Kaijou Jietai, MSDF), Air Self-Defense Force (Nihon Koku-Jieitai, ASDF) (2006)

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

66.44 million (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

4.6%

industry

27.8%

services

67.7% (2004)

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land

11.64%

other

87.46% (2005)

permanent crops

0.9%

Languages

Japanese

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 (242 seats - members elected for six-year terms; half reelected every three years; 146 members in multi-seat constituencies and 96 by proportional 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 11 regional blocs)

election results

House of Councillors - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - LDP 115, DPJ 82, Komeito 24, JCP 9, SDP 5, others 7; distribution of seats as of December 2006 - LDP 111, DPJ 82, Komeito 24, JCP 9, SDP 6, others 10 : House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - LDP 47.8%, DPJ 36.4%, others 15.8%; seats by party - LDP 296, DPJ 113, Komeito 31, JCP 9, SDP 7, others 24; note - seats by party as of December 2006 - LDP 305, DPJ 113, Komeito 31, JCP 9, SDP 7, others 15 (2006)

elections

House of Councillors - last held 11 July 2004 (next to be held in July 2007); House of Representatives - last held 11 September 2005 (next election by September 2009)

Life expectancy at birth

female

84.7 years (2006 est.)

male

77.96 years

total population

81.25 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

99% (2002) Government Japan

male

99%

total population

99%

Location

Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula

Manpower available for military service

females age 18-49

26,153,482 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49

27,003,112

Manpower fit for military service

females age 18-49

21,494,947 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49

22,234,663

Manpower reaching military service age annually

females age 18-49

650,157 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49

683,147

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

Median age

female

44.7 years (2006 est.)

male

41.1 years

total

42.9 years

Merchant marine

by type

bulk carrier 134, cargo 30, chemical tanker 20, container 11, liquefied gas 59, passenger 14, passenger/cargo 149, petroleum tanker 156, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 51, vehicle carrier 56

registered in other countries

2,459 (Australia 1, Bahamas 51, Belize 2, Burma 4, Cambodia 4, Cayman Islands 1, China 3, Cyprus 17, French Southern and Antarctic Lands 4, Honduras 4, Hong Kong 67, Indonesia 3, Isle of Man 4, South Korea 1, Liberia 102, Malaysia 4, Malta 1, Marshall Islands 7, Mongolia 1, Norway 1, Panama 2007, Philippines 26, Portugal 9, Singapore 100, Sweden 2, Thailand 4, Vanuatu 28, unknown 1) (2006)

total

683 ships (1000 GRT or over) 10,415,892 GRT/11,765,038 DWT

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$44.31 billion (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Japan

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)

National holiday

Birthday of Emperor AKIHITO, 23 December (1933)

Nationality

adjective

Japanese

noun

Japanese (singular and plural)

Natural gas - consumption

83.55 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - imports

81.23 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - production

2.957 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

39.64 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)

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 (2006 est.)

Oil - consumption

5.353 million bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports

93,360 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports

5.449 million bbl/day (2001)

Oil - production

120,600 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

29.29 million bbl (1 January 2002)

Pipelines

gas 8,015 km; oil 170 km; oil/gas/water 60 km (2006)

Political parties and leaders

Democratic Party of Japan or DPJ [Ichiro OZAWA]; Japan Communist Party or JCP [Kazuo SHII]; Komeito [Akihoro OTA]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Shinzo ABE]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Mizuho FUKUSHIMA]

Political pressure groups and leaders

NA

Population

127,463,611 (July 2006 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Population growth rate

0.02% (2006 est.)

Ports and terminals

Chiba, Kawasaki, Kiire, Kisarazu, Kobe, Mizushima, Nagoya, Osaka, Tokyo, Yohohama Military Japan

Public debt

175.5% of GDP (2006 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

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

Radios

120.5 million (1997)

Railways

narrow gauge

77 km 1.372-m gauge (77 km electrified); 20,264 km 1.067-m gauge (13,280 km electrified); 11 km 0.762-m gauge (11 km electrified) (2005)

standard gauge

3,204 km 1.435-m gauge (3,204 km electrified)

total

23,556 km

Religions

observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including Christian 0.7%)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$864.7 billion (August 2006 est.)

Roadways

paved

925,000 km (including 6,946 km of expressways)

total

1.183 million km

unpaved

258,000 km (2003)

Sex ratio

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

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

Suffrage

20 years of age; universal

Telephone system

domestic

high level of modern technology and excellent service of every kind

general assessment

excellent domestic and international service

international

country code - 81; 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

58.78 million (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular

94.745 million (2005)

Television broadcast stations

211 plus 7,341 repeaters

note

in addition, US Forces are served by 3 TV stations and 2 TV cable services (1999)

Televisions

86.5 million (1997)

Terrain

mostly rugged and mountainous

Total fertility rate

1.4 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Unemployment rate

4.1% (2006 est.)

Waterways

1,770 km (seagoing vessels use inland seas) (2006)