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- 377,835 km²; 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)
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- Comparative area: slightly smaller than California
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- Land boundaries: none
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- Coastline: 29,751 km
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- Maritime claims:
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- Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
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- 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)
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- Disputes: Habomai Islands, Etorofu, Kunashiri, and Shikotan Islands
- occupied by Soviet Union since 1945, claimed by Japan; Kuril Islands
- administered by Soviet Union; Liancourt Rocks disputed with South Korea;
- Senkaku-shoto (Senkaku Islands) claimed by China and Taiwan
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- Climate: varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north
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- Terrain: mostly rugged and mountainous
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- Natural resources: negligible mineral resources, fish
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- Land use: 13% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 1% meadows and pastures;
- 67% forest and woodland; 18% other; includes 9% irrigated
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- Environment: many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500 seismic
- occurrences (mostly tremors) every year; subject to tsunamis
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- Note: strategic location in northeast Asia
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- █ ≡ People ≡ █
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- Population: 123,642,461 (July 1990), growth rate 0.4% (1990)
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- Birth rate: 11 births/1,000 population (1990)
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- Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
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- Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
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- Infant mortality rate: 5 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
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- Life expectancy at birth: 76 years male, 82 years female (1990)
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- Total fertility rate: 1.6 children born/woman (1990)
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- Nationality: noun--Japanese (sing., pl.); adjective--Japanese
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- Ethnic divisions: 99.4% Japanese, 0.6% other (mostly Korean)
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- Religion: most Japanese observe both Shinto and Buddhist rites; about 16%
- belong to other faiths, including 0.8% Christian
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- Language: Japanese
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- Literacy: 99%
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- Labor force: 63,330,000; 54% trade and services; 33% manufacturing, mining,
- and construction; 7% agriculture, forestry, and fishing; 3% government
- (1988)
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- Organized labor: about 29% of employed workers; 76.4% public service, 57.9%
- transportation and telecommunications, 48.7% mining, 33.7% manufacturing,
- 18.2% services, 9.3% wholesale, retail, and restaurant
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- █ ≡ Government ≡ █
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- Long-form name: none
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- Type: constitutional monarchy
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- Capital: Tokyo
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- Administrative divisions: 47 prefectures (fuken, singular and plural);
- 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
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- Independence: 660 BC, traditional founding by Emperor Jimmu;
- 3 May 1947, constitutional monarchy established
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- Constitution: 3 May 1947
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- Legal system: civil law system with English-American influence;
- judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory
- ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
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- National holiday: Birthday of the Emperor, 23 December (1933)
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- Executive branch: emperor, prime minister, Cabinet
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- 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)
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- Judicial branch: Supreme Court
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- Leaders:
- Chief of State--Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989);
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- Head of Government--Prime Minister Toshiki KAIFU (since 9 August 1989)
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- Political parties and leaders: Liberal Democratic Party (LDP),
- Toshiki Kaifu, president; Japan Socialist Party (JSP), T. Doi, chairman;
- Democratic Socialist Party (DSP), Keigo Ouchi, chairman; Japan
- Communist Party (JCP), K. Miyamoto, Presidium chairman; Komeito (Clean
- Government Party, CGP), Koshiro Ishida, chairman
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- Suffrage: universal at age 20
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- Elections:
- House of Councillors--last held on 23 July 1989 (next to be held
- 23 July 1992); results--percent of vote by party NA;
- seats--(252 total, 100 elected) LDP 109, JSP 67, CGP 21, JCP 14,
- others 33;
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- 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 275, JSP 136, CGP 45, JCP 16, JDSP 14,
- other parties 5, independents 21; note--nine independents are expected
- to join the LDP, five the JSP
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- Communists: about 470,000 registered Communist party members
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- Member of: ADB, ASPAC, CCC, Colombo Plan, DAC, ESCAP, FAO, GATT, IAEA,
- IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IEA, IFAD,
- IFC, IHO, ILO, ILZSG, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, IRC, ISO, ITC, ITU,
- IWC--International Whaling Commission, IWC--International Wheat Council,
- OECD, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG
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- Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Nobuo MATSUNAGA; 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 10-1, Akasaka 1-chome,
- Minato-ku (107), Tokyo (mailing address is APO San Francisco 96503);
- telephone p81o (3) 224-5000; there are US Consulates General in Naha, Osaka-
- Kobe, and Sapporo and a Consulate in Fukuoka
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- Flag: white with a large red disk (representing the sun without rays)
- in the center
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- █ ≡ Economy ≡ █
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- Overview: Although Japan has few natural resources, since 1971 it has become
- the world's third-largest industrial economy, ranking behind only the US
- and the USSR. Government-industry cooperation, a strong work ethic, and a
- comparatively small defense allocation have helped Japan advance rapidly,
- 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 total global catch. Overall
- economic growth has been spectacular: a 10% average in the 1960s, a 5%
- average in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1989 strong investment and
- consumption spending helped maintain growth at nearly 5%. Inflation
- remains low at 2.1% despite high oil prices and a somewhat weaker yen.
- Japan continues to run a huge trade surplus, $60 billion in 1989, which
- supports extensive investment in foreign properties.
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- GNP: $1,914.1 billion, per capita $15,600; real growth rate 4.8%
- (1989 est.)
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- Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.1% (1989)
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- Unemployment rate: 2.3% (1989)
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- Budget: revenues $392 billion; expenditures $464 billion, including
- capital expenditures of $NA (FY89)
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- Exports: $270 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities--manufactures
- 97% (including machinery 38%, motor vehicles 17%, consumer electronics
- 10%); partners--US 34%, Southeast Asia 22%, Western Europe 21%, Communist
- countries 5%, Middle East 5%
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- Imports: $210 billion (c.i.f., 1989); commodities--manufactures
- 42%, fossil fuels 30%, foodstuffs 15%, nonfuel raw materials 13%;
- partners--Southeast Asia 23%, US 23%, Middle East 15%, Western Europe 16%,
- Communist countries 7%
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- External debt: $NA
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- Industrial production: growth rate 9.0% (1989)
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- Electricity: 191,000,000 kW capacity; 700,000 million kWh produced,
- 5,680 kWh per capita (1989)
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- Industries: metallurgy, engineering, electrical and electronic, textiles,
- chemicals, automobiles, fishing
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- Agriculture: accounts for 3% of GNP; 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 11.8 million metric tons in 1987
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- Aid: donor--ODA and OOF commitments (1970-87), $57.5 billion
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- Currency: yen (plural--yen); 1 yen (Y) = 100 sen
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- Exchange rates: yen (Y) per US$1--145.09 (January 1990), 137.96 (1989),
- 128.15 (1988), 144.64 (1987), 168.52 (1986), 238.54 (1985)
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- Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
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- █ ≡ Communications ≡ █
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- 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)
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- Highways: 1,098,900 km total; 718,700 km paved, 380,200 km gravel,
- crushed stone, or unpaved; 3,900 km national expressways, 46,544 km national
- highways, 43,907 km principal local roads, 86,930 km prefectural roads,
- and 917,619 other (1987)
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- Inland waterways: about 1,770 km; seagoing craft ply all coastal inland
- seas
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- Pipelines: crude oil, 84 km; refined products, 322 km; natural gas,
- 1,800 km
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- Ports: Chiba, Muroran, Kitakyushu, Kobe, Tomakomai, Nagoya, Osaka, Tokyo,
- Yokkaichi, Yokohama, Kawasaki, Niigata, Fushiki-Toyama, Shimizu, Himeji,
- Wakayama-Shimozu, Shimonoseki, Tokuyama-Shimomatsu
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- Merchant marine: 1,088 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 23,597,688
- GRT/36,655,266 DWT; includes 7 passenger, 57 short-sea passenger, 4
- passenger cargo, 108 cargo, 44 container, 27 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 135
- refrigerated cargo, 117 vehicle carrier, 237 petroleum, oils, and lubricants
- (POL) tanker, 21 chemical tanker, 42 liquefied gas, 12 combination ore/oil,
- 3 specialized tanker, 272 bulk, 1 combination bulk, 1 multifunction
- large-load carrier
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- Civil air: 341 major transport aircraft
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- Airports: 165 total, 156 usable; 128 with permanent-surface runways;
- 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 27 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 55 with runways
- 1,220-2,439 m
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- Telecommunications: excellent domestic and international service; 64,000,000
- telephones; 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 USSR
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- █ ≡ Defense Forces ≡ █
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- 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)
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- Military manpower: males 15-49, 32,181,866; 27,695,890 fit for military
- service; 1,004,052 reach military age (18) annually
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- Defense expenditures: 1.0% of GNP at market prices (1989 est.)