$Unique_ID{bob00326} $Pretitle{} $Title{Japan Chapter 2A. Society and Its Environment} $Subtitle{} $Author{Emma Louise Young} $Affiliation{HQ, Department of the Army} $Subject{japan region islands area areas honshu industrial part sea kilometers see pictures see figures } $Date{1981} $Log{See Snowfall*0032601.scf } Title: Japan Book: Japan, A Country Study Author: Emma Louise Young Affiliation: HQ, Department of the Army Date: 1981 Chapter 2A. Society and Its Environment Notwithstanding the Importance of Chinese and Korean influences, Japan has developed a unique culture and way of life that is strikingly different from that of its Asian neighbors. These have been blended with the development and modernization of the past century to create an urban, industrial, and democratic society that was influenced by West European and American models yet was quite unlike them. Although the total area of the islands that comprise Japan is relatively small, it reveals a rich variety of habitats, ranging from subarctic in the northernmost areas of Hokkaido to subtropical in Kyushu and the southern island chains. This climatic diversity results in a variety of regions and areas having differing histories of development and degrees of urbanization. The national population, a large and stable one with a low growth rate, tends to be concentrated in the urban areas. The country has experienced great social changes since 1945. Families have become smaller, individual opportunities have increased, and urban life has replaced rural life as the common environment in which children are raised and human interaction is conducted. The changes have brought new problems and challenges to which Japan has responded for the most part with great effectiveness. To many observers Japanese society seems to be free of the confusion and disintegration that characterize other industrial societies. Cities, though crowded, are convenient and safe. In many locations in the countryside traditional rituals and festivals continue to be enjoyed. Traditional values of hierarchy and paternalism also remain. The large corporation-the epitome of the rationality and efficiency of industrialized society-is identified as the primary locale where these values flourish. Not only do they flourish, but in 1981 they were being researched as a model for Western industrial enterprises. The Japanese continue to prefer the satisfactions of working in groups to working alone. They deliberately seek ways of minimizing conflict and ensuring harmony. While sharing in group interests and goals, each individual feels responsible for developing his or her talents to the fullest extent and striving hard, even when engaged in leisure activities. Having the seventh largest population in the world, Japan in the early 1980s was an economic giant whose success had brought new prominence in world affairs. This new prominence caused many Japanese to engage in considerable soul-searching about what might be unique in their heritage and about the country's future world role. Physical Setting The mountainous islands of the Japanese archipelago form a convex crescent off the eastern coast of Asia. They are separated from the Asian mainland by the Sea of Japan, which historically served the country as a protective barrier. Japan's insular nature, together with the compactness of its main territory and the cultural homogeneity of its people, enabled the nation to remain free of outside domination until its defeat in World War II. The country consists of four principal islands-Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu; over 3,000 small adjacent islands and islets including Oshima in the Nanpo chain; and more than 200 other smaller islands including those of the Amami, Okinawa, and Sakishima chains of the Ryukyu island archipelago. (The Ryukyus reverted to Japan in 1972-see Relations with the United States, ch. 7). The national territory also includes the small Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands, Iwo Jima, and the Volcano Islands, located in the Pacific Ocean some 1,100 kilometers south of central Honshu. A territorial dispute with the Soviet Union, dating from the end of World War II, continued in 1981 over the two southernmost of the Kuril Islands, Etorofu and Kunashiri, and the smaller Shikotan and Habomai island group, northeast of Hokkaido (see Relations with the Soviet Union, ch. 7). One of the latter is just off the coast, easily visible from Hokkaido. Excluding the claimed islands, the archipelago covers approximately 377,000 square kilometers and measures nearly 3,800 kilometers from north to south. No point in Japan is more than 150 kilometers from the sea. The four major islands are separated only by narrow straits and form a natural entity. They extend along a northeast-southwest axis. The Ryukyu Islands stretch 970 kilometers in a generally southwesterly direction from Kyushu. The distance between Japan and the Asian continent, of which the nearest point is the Korean peninsula, is about 200 kilometers. Japan has always been linked with the Asian continent through trade routes, stretching in the north toward Siberia, in the west through the Tsushima Islands to the Korean peninsula, and in the south to the ports on the South China coast. The Japanese islands are essentially the summits of mountain ridges that have been uplifted near the outer edge of the Asian continental shelf. Consequently the country is extremely mountainous, and the plains and intermontane basins scattered throughout the country make up only about 25 percent of the national land area. A long chain of mountains runs down the middle of the archipelago, dividing it into two halves-the "face," fronting on the Pacific Ocean and the "back" facing the Sea of Japan. Although the mountains are precipitous, most of them are only a few hundred meters high. Central Japan, however, is marked by the convergence of the three mountain chains that form the Japanese Alps, and several of the peaks there are over 3,000 meters high. The highest point in the country is Mount Fuji, a dormant volcano that rises to 3,776 meters. Most of the population is concentrated in the plains and mountain basins, none of which are extensive in area. The largest, the Kanto plain, where Tokyo is situated, covers an area of only 13,000 square kilometers. Other important plains are the Nobi plain surrounding Nagoya, the Kinki plain in the Osaka-Kyoto area, the Sendai plain around Sendai in northeastern Honshu, and the Ishikari plain on Hokkaido. Many of these plains are located along the coast, and the land areas have been increased by reclamation efforts throughout recorded history. Limited habitable land has resulted in significant man-made modification of the terrain over many centuries. Land was reclaimed from the sea and from river deltas by diking and draining, and rice paddies were constructed on terraces carved into mountainsides. The process continues in the modern period with the extension of the shoreline and the creation of new islands for industrial and port development, such as the one recently completed outside Kobe. Hills and even mountains have been razed to provide flat areas for housing construction. Rivers tend to be steep and swift and hence unsuitable for navigation. Their hydroelectric power potential has been exploited almost to capacity. Seasonal variations in flow have led to extensive development of flood control measures. Most of the rivers are very short. The longest, the Shinano River, which winds through Nagano and Niigata prefectures and exits to the Sea of Japan, is only 367 kilometers long. The largest freshwater lake is Lake Biwa, northwest of Kyoto. Lack of riverine transportation is compensated for by extensive coastal shipping, especially around the Inland Sea. The coastline on the Pacific side is characterized by long, narrow, gradually shallowing inlets resulting from mountain sedimentation, which creates many natural harbors. The Pacific coastline north of Tokyo, the coast of Hokkaido, and the Sea of Japan coast are generally unindented and provide few natural ports (see fig. 3). Geographic Regions The country's forty-seven prefectures are grouped into eight major regions frequently employed as statistical units in government documents. The islands of Hokkaido, Shikoku, and Kyushu each form a region, and the main island of Honshu is subdivided into five regions (see fig. 1). The largest administrative divisions of the country consist of the forty-seven prefectures, consisting of one to (metropolitan district), Tokyo; two fu (urban prefectures), Osaka and Kyoto; one do (district), Hokkaido; and forty-three ken (rural prefectures). At the next lower level of administration, prefectures are divided into areas of shi, cho, or mura (city, town, or village), depending on population size. Cities are sometimes further subdivided into ku (wards), which are the smallest official administrative subdivisions, but often incorporate further neighborhood or hamlet groupings. Hokkaido Hokkaido, about 83,500 square kilometers in area, constitutes more than one-fifth of Japan. The island was long looked upon as a remote frontier area and, until the latter half of the 1800s, was left largely to the indigenous Ainu. Substantial economic development has occurred in the twentieth century, and Sapporo, the provincial capital, had a population of over 1.3 million in 1978. Many Japanese in the early 1980s, however, still though of Hokkaido as a pioneering land because of the region's more rugged climate and the difference in life-style that the climate enforced. Like the other main islands, Hokkaido is generally mountainous, but its mountains are lower, many have leveled summits, and hills predominate. Valleys cut through these, and communications are comparatively easy. Much of Hokkaido remains covered by forests. Agriculture, forestry, and fishing were the principal industrial activities in 1981, but the region is seen as ripe for industrial development. Individual farms have tended to be larger than in other parts of Japan, and dispersed farmsteads have been common. Although houses follow the traditional Japanese pattern, construction is sturdier because of weather conditions. Externally many farmhouses resemble those found in the West. Early American and European influence on Hokkaido's widespread dairy farming industry has also resulted in the construction of solidly built barns and outbuildings that have a Western appearance. Tohoku The Tohoku (literally, northeast) region includes the six prefectures that occupy most of the northeastern part of Honshu, above approximately the thirty-seventh parallel. Tohoku resembles most of Japan in its hilly and mountainous terrain. The initial settlement of the region occurred between the seventh and ninth centuries A.D.-well after Japanese civilization and culture had become firmly established in the central and southwestern parts of the country. The region was long considered a back country and is still thought of as an area where traditional dialects and customs persist. In the early 1980s the region remained largely rural and lagged well behind most other parts of Japan in industrial development. The climate, harsher than in other parts of Honshu, permits growth of one crop a year on paddy land. As a result individual family land requirements are greater, and farms are generally larger than in other areas of Honshu. The inland location of many lowlands has led to a concentration of much of the population there. Coupled with coastlines that do not favor port development, this has resulted in much greater dependence on land and rail transportation. Low points in the central mountain range fortunately make communications between lowlands on either side of the range moderately easy. Kanto The Kanto region, the most highly developed and urbanized, comprises the seven prefectures of east-central Honshu. The region centers on the large Kanto plain, in the southern part of which is located the sprawling Tokyo-Yokohama metropolitan area. The plain itself, however, makes up only slightly more than two-fifths of the region; the remainder consists of the hills and mountains that border it except on the seaward side. Rice is the principal crop, but in a zone around Tokyo and Yokohama the level of many paddy fields has been artificially elevated, and the land is used to grow garden crops for the metropolitan market. A considerable variety of dry crops is grown, including sweet potatoes and upland grains. Vegetables for markets in Tokyo and Yokohama are cultivated extensively. Commercial crops, such as tobacco, various fruits, and mulberry, are also important. The Kanto region is highly industrialized. Tokyo and Yokohama form a single industrial complex with a concentration of both light and heavy industry that stretches for miles along Tokyo Bay. Also within the region are smaller cities located away from the coast, which have substantial, usually light, industry. A third of the national population lives in the Kanto region, and average density reached a high of 1,064 persons per square kilometer in 1981. Chubu The Chubu region, the midland of Japan, lies roughly west of the Kanto region. It is the widest part of Honshu and is characterized by the generally greater height and ruggedness of its mountains. The region consists of three distinct districts: Hokuriku, a coastal strip on the Sea of Japan; Tosan, the Central Highlands; and Tokai, a narrow corridor lying along the Pacific coast. Hokuriku lies to the west of the massive mountains that occupy the central part of the Chubu region. The district has very heavy snowfall and strong winds. Its turbulent rivers are the source of abundant hydroelectric power. Niigata Prefecture is the site of domestic gas and oil production. Industrial development is extensive, especially in the cities of Niigata and Toyama. Fukui and Kanazawa also have large manufacturing industries. Hokuriku has remained relatively isolated from the major industrial and cultural centers of the Pacific Ocean side of Japan. Because port facilities are limited and road connections are hampered during winter by heavy snows, the district relies to a considerable extent on rail transportation. [See Snowfall: The prefectures in northern Japan are famous for their abundant snowfall in winter. Courtesy Embassy of Japan] The Tosan, or Central Highlands, district is an area of complex and high rugged mountains-often called the roof of Japan-which includes the Japanese Alps. The population is chiefly concentrated in six elevated basins connected by narrow valleys. The district was long a main silk-producing area, although a decline in output has occurred since World War II. Much of the labor formerly required in silk production has been absorbed by the district's diversified manufacturing industry, which included precision instruments, machinery, textiles, food processing, and other light manufacturing. The Tokai district, bordering the Pacific Ocean, is a narrow corridor interrupted at places by mountains that descend into the sea. This corridor has been important since the Tokugawa period as the link between Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka. One of old Japan's most famous roads, the Tokaido ran through it connecting Edo (Tokyo) and Kyoto, then the imperial capital; today it is the route of new super-express highways and rail lines. A number of small alluvial plains are found in the corridor section. A mild climate, their favorable location relative to the great metropolitan complexes, and the fast transportation available have made them truck-gardening centers for out-of-season vegetables. Upland areas of rolling hills are extensively given over to the growing of mandarin oranges and tea. A number of important small industrial centers are situated in the corridor zone. The western part of the Tokai district includes the Nobi plain, where rice was grown as early as the seventh century A.D. Nagoya, facing on Ise Bay, is a center for heavy industry, including iron and steel and machinery manufacturing. The Kinki region lies to the west and consists of a comparatively narrow area of Honshu, stretching from the Sea of Japan on the north to the Pacific Ocean on the south. It includes Japan's second largest industrial-commercial complex, centered on Osaka and Kobe, and the two former imperial cities of Nara and Kyoto, seats of the imperial family from the early eighth century A.D. until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. The area is rich in imperial and cultural history and is the objective of a myriad of tourists amounting to 10 million or more annually. The other important lowland area of Kinki, the Osaka plain, is the site of Osaka, Kobe, and a considerable number of intermediate-sized industrial cities, which together form the Hanshin commercial-industrial complex. The suburban areas around Osaka are given over to farming, including vegetables, dairying, poultry raising, and rice cultivation. These areas have been progressively reduced as the city has expanded and residential areas, including tremendous "new cities," have been built. Chugoku The Chugoku region, occupying the western end of Honshu, is characterized by irregular rolling hills and limited plain areas. It is divided into two distinct districts by mountains running east and west through the central part. The northern, somewhat narrower, district is known as San'in, or the shady side of the mountain, and the southern district, as San'yo, or the sunny side, because of their marked differences in climate. The region does not include any large metropolitan centers. The population on the Sea of Japan side relies primarily on fishing. Overfishing and pollution have reduced the productivity of fishing grounds on the Inland Sea, and the area concentrates on heavy industries. Shikoku The Shikoku region, consisting of the island of Shikoku, approximately 18,800 square kilometers in area, is connected to Honshu by ferry and air, and in 1981 a bridge system was under construction. Its population has been relatively isolated from the rest of Japan as a result of the lack of direct land communication. Mountains running east and west divide the island into a narrow northern subregion that fronts on the Inland Sea and a wider southern part that faces the Pacific Ocean. Most of the population lives in the northern section, and all but one of the island's few larger cities are located there. Industry is moderately well developed and includes the processing of ores from the important Besshi copper mine. Land is used intensively in this zone. Wide alluvial areas found especially in the eastern part of the zone are planted to rice and subsequently double cropped with winter wheat and barley. Fruit is grown throughout the northern area in great variety, including citrus fruits, persimmons, peaches, and grapes. The larger southern section of Shikoku is mostly mountainous and sparsely populated. The only significant lowland is a small alluvial plain at Kochi. The southern part of the island has warm winters. The mild winters have stimulated some development of truck farming, which specializes in growing out-of-season vegetables under plastic covering. Because of the region's benign climate, two crops of rice can be cultivated annually in the southern portion. This area is also supported by the pulp and paper industry, which takes advantage of abundant forests and hydroelectric power. Kyushu Kyushu, the southernmost of the main islands, was the steppingstone to Honshu for early migrants from the Korean peninsula and a channel for the spread of ideas from the Asian mainland. Having an area of about 44,360 square kilometers, it lies at the western end of the Inland Sea. Its northern extremity is only about 1.6 kilometers from Honshu, and the two islands are connected by undersea rail and vehicular tunnels. The region is divided into northern and southern parts by the Kyushu Mountains, which run diagonally across the middle of the island. The northern part is one of Japan's most highly industrialized areas and includes the Kitakyushu industrial region. The hilly northwestern part of the island has extensive coal deposits, which have formed the basis for establishment of a large iron and steel industry. An extensive lowland area, lying on the northwest between Kumamoto and Saga, is an important farming district. In general the climate of Kyushu is warm and humid, and the cultivation of vegetables and fruits is supplemented by cattle raising. Japan's second largest coal deposits are found in Kyushu, and the cities of Kit kyushu, Sasebo, and Nagasaki are noted, respectively, for iron and steel production and manufacturing. Nagasaki is a city of historical and cultural importance, a center for Chinese and Western trends and influences from the sixteenth century on, and the only port open to ships during most of the Tokugawa period. Ryukyu Islands The Ryukyu Islands include well over 200 islands and islets (some little more than coral outcroppings) of which fewer than half have been populated. They extend in a chain generally southwestward from the Tokara strait, which separates them from the outlying islands of Kyushu, to within 120 kilometers of Taiwan. The islands are the tops of mountain ranges situated along the outer edge of the continental shelf. They generally have hilly or mountainous terrains, and active volcanoes occur principally in the northern part of the archipelago. Okinawa is the largest and economically most important. Its northern two-thirds is quite rugged and forested. The southern part consists of rolling hills. Although agriculture and fishing have remained the occupations of a majority of the population in the Ryukyus, the region experienced considerable industrial expansion during the occupation period.