Japan

constitutional monarchyIndependence 660 BC (traditional founding by Emperor Jimmu)

Japan as the 1994 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 126 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalTokyo
LocationEastern Asia, off the southeast coast of Russia and east of the Korean
1994

Every edition of Japan

Populationas each edition published it
125.11 million July 1994 est. · 123.64m in 1990
Population growth% a year
0.32% 1994 est. · 0.32% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 42 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
Not in this edition 79.18 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
1.55 children per woman 1994 est. · 1.6 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
4.3 deaths per 1,000 live births 1994 est. · 5 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$20,400 1993 · $19,800 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
0% 1993 · 1.5% in 1993

Geography

Eastern Asia, off the southeast coast of Russia and east of the Korean | peninsula

24 fields
Coastline
29,751km
land boundaries: 0 km
Irrigated land
28,680sq km
(1989)

Location

Eastern Asia, off the southeast coast of Russia and east of the Korean peninsula

Map references

Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World

total area

377,835 sq km

land area

374,744 sq km

comparative area

slightly smaller than California

note

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

exclusive fishing zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm; 3 nm in the international straits - La Perouse or Soya, Tsugaru, Osumi, and Eastern and Western Channels of the Korea or Tsushima Strait

International disputes

  • islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotau, and the Habomai group occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, now administered by Russia, claimed by Japan;
  • Liancourt Rocks disputed with South Korea;
  • Senkaku-shoto (Senkaku Islands) claimed by China and Taiwan

Climate

varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north

Terrain

mostly rugged and mountainous

Natural resources

negligible mineral resources, fish

arable land

13%

permanent crops

1%

meadows and pastures

1%

forest and woodland

67%

other

18%

current issues

air pollution from power plant emissions results in acid rain; acidification of lakes and reservoirs degrading water quality and threatening aquatic life

natural hazards

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

international agreements

  • party to - Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber, Wetlands, Whaling;
  • signed, but not ratified - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Law of the Sea

Note

strategic location in northeast Asia

People

21 fields
Population
125,106,937
(July 1994 est.)growth rate: 0.32% (1994 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1994 est.)

Birth
10.49Death
7.31Net migration
0
Labor force
63.33million
Literacy
15and over can read and write
age · (1970 est.)

Infant mortality rate

4.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

total population

79.31 years

male

76.47 years

female

82.28 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.55 children born/woman (1994 est.)

noun

Japanese (singular and plural)

adjective

Japanese

Ethnic divisions

Japanese 99.4%, other 0.6% (mostly Korean)

Religions

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

Languages

Japanese

total population

99%

male

NA%

female

NA%

by occupation

trade and services 54%, manufacturing, mining, and construction 33%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 7%, government 3% (1988)

Government

Constitutional monarchy

35 fields

Legislature, 252 seatsone dot, one seat

LDP 95SDPJ 68Shin Ryoku fu-Kai 37CGP 24JCP 11other 17

Legislature, 511 seatsseats by party

LDP 206SDPJ 74Shinseito 62CGP 52JNP 37DSP 19JCP 15Sakigake 15others 19independents 10vacant 2

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

Japan

Type

constitutional monarchy

Capital

Tokyo

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

Independence

660 BC (traditional founding by Emperor Jimmu)

National holiday

Birthday of the Emperor, 23 December (1933)

Constitution

3 May 1947

Suffrage

20 years of age; universal

chief of state

Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989)

head of government

Prime Minister Tsutomu HATA (since 25 April 1994); Deputy Prime Minister (vacant)

cabinet

Cabinet; appointed by the prime minister

Legislative branch

bicameral Diet (Kokkai)

House of Councillors (Sangi-in)

  • elections last held on 26 July 1992 (next to be held NA July 1995);
  • results - percent of vote by party NA;
  • seats - (252 total) LDP 95, SDPJ 68, Shin Ryoku fu-Kai 37, CGP 24, JCP 11, other 17

House of Representatives (Shugi-in)

  • elections last held on 18 July 1993 (next to be held by NA);
  • results - percent of vote by party NA;
  • seats - (511 total) LDP 206, SDPJ 74, Shinseito 62, CGP 52, JNP 37, DSP 19, JCP 15, Sakigake 15, others 19, independents 10, vacant 2

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders

  • Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Yohei KONO, president;
  • Yoshiro MORI, secretary general;
  • Social Democratic Party of Japan (SDPJ), Tomiichi MURAYAMA;
  • Democratic Socialist Party (DSP), Keigo OUCHI, chairman;
  • Japan Communist Party (JCP), Tetsuzo FUWA, Presidium chairman;
  • Komeito (Clean Government Party, CGP), Koshiro ISHIDA, chairman;
  • Japan New Party (JNP), Morihiro HOSOKAWA, chairman;
  • Shinseito (Japan Renewal Party, JRP), Tsutomu HATA, chairman;
  • Ichiro OZAWA, secretary general;
  • Sakigake (Harbinger), Masayoshi TAKEMURA, chairman;
  • Mirai (Future Party), Michihiko KANO, chairman;
  • The Liberal Party, Koji KAKIZAWA, chairman

note

Shin Ryoku fu-Kai is a new, upper house only, parliamentary alliance which includes the JRP, JNP, DSP, and a minor labor group

Member of

AfDB, AG (observer), Australia Group, APEC, AsDB, BIS, CCC, COCOM, CP, CSCE (observer), EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, G-2, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LORCS, MTCR, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UNTAC, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

chief of mission

Ambassador Takakazu KURIYAMA

chancery

2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone

(202) 939-6700

FAX

(202) 328-2187

consulate(s) general

Agana (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)

chief of mission

Ambassador Walter F. MONDALE

embassy

10-5, Akasaka 1-chome, Minato-ku (107), Tokyo

mailing address

Unit 45004, Box 258, Tokyo; APO AP 96337-0001

telephone

[81] (3) 3224-5000

FAX

[81] (3) 3505-1862

consulate(s) general

Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, Sapporo

consulate(s)

Fukuoka

Flag

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

Economy

26 fields
GDP per capita, PPP
$20,400
(1993)
Real growth rate
0%
(1993)industrial production growth: growth rate -4% (1993); accounts for 30% of GDP

Overview

Government-industry cooperation, a strong work ethic, mastery of high technology, and a comparatively small defense allocation have helped Japan advance with extraordinary rapidity to the rank of second most powerful economy in the world. Industry, the most important sector of the economy, is heavily dependent on imported raw materials and fuels.

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. Overall economic growth has been spectacular: a 10% average in the 1960s, a 5% average in the 1970s and 1980s.

Economic growth came to a halt in 1992-93 largely because of contractionary domestic policies intended to wring speculative excesses from the stock and real estate markets. At the same time, the stronger yen and slower global growth are containing export growth. Unemployment and inflation remain remarkably low in comparison with the other industrialized nations.

Japan continues to run a huge trade surplus - $120 billion in 1993, up more than 10% from the year earlier - which supports extensive investment in foreign assets. The new prime minister HATA in early 1994 reiterated previous governments' vows of administrative and economic reform, including reduction in the trade surplus, but his weak coalition government faces strong resistance from traditional interest groups. The crowding of the habitable land area and the aging of the population are two major long-run problems.

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $2.549 trillion (1993)

revenues

$490 billion

expenditures

$579 billion, including capital expenditures (public works only) of about $68 billion (FY93)

Exports

$360.9 billion (f.o.b., 1993)

commodities

manufactures 97% (including machinery 46%, motor vehicles 20%, consumer electronics 10%)

partners

Southeast Asia 33%, US 29%, Western Europe 18%, China 5%

Imports

$240.7 billion (c.i.f., 1993)

commodities

manufactures 52%, fossil fuels 20%, foodstuffs and raw materials 28%

partners

Southeast Asia 25%, US 23%, Western Europe 15%, China 9%

capacity

196,000,000 kW

production

835 billion kWh

consumption per capita

6,700 kWh (1992)

Industries

steel and non-ferrous metallurgy, heavy electrical equipment, construction and mining equipment, motor vehicles and parts, electronic and telecommunication equipment and components, machine tools and automated production systems, locomotives and railroad rolling stock, shipbuilding, chemicals, textiles, food processing

Agriculture

  • accounts for only 2% of GDP;
  • 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 10 million metric tons in 1991

donor

ODA and OOF commitments (1970-93), $123 billion

note

ODA outlay of $9.9 billion in 1994 (est.)

Currency

yen (Y)

Exchange rates

yen (Y) per US$1 - 111.51 (January 1994), 111.20 (1993), 126.65 (1992), 134.71 (1991), 144.79 (1990), 137.96 (1989)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

Communications

16 fields

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)

total

1,115,609 km

paved

782,042 km (including 4,869 km of national expressways)

unpaved

gravel, crushed stone, or earth 333,567 km (1991)

Inland waterways

about 1,770 km; seagoing craft ply all coastal inland seas

Pipelines

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

Ports

Chiba, Muroran, Kitakyushu, Kobe, Tomakomai, Nagoya, Osaka, Tokyo, Yokkaichi, Yokohama, Kawasaki, Niigata, Fushiki-Toyama, Shimizu, Himeji, Wakayama-Shimozu, Shimonoseki, Tokuyama-Shimomatsu

Merchant marine

926 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 20,383,101 GRT31,007,515 DWT, bulk 225, cargo 76, chemical tanker 9, combination ore/oil 9, container 44, liquefied gas 42, multi-function large load carrier 1, oil tanker 265, passenger 10, passenger cargo 3, refrigerated cargo 66, roll-on/roll-off cargo 44, short-sea passenger 36, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 94

note

Japan also owns a large flag of convenience fleet, including up to 38% of the total number of ships under the Panamanian flag

total

167

usable

165

with permanent-surface runways

137

with runways over 3,659 m

2

with runways 2,440-3,659 m

34

with runways 1,220-2,439 m

52

Telecommunications

  • excellent domestic and international service;
  • 64,000,000 telephones;
  • broadcast 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 Russia

Defense Forces

Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (Army), Japan Maritime Self-Defense | Force (Navy), Japan Air Self-Defense Force (Air Force), Maritime | Safety Agency (Coast Guard)

4 fields

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)

Manpower availability

  • males age 15-49 32,044,032;
  • fit for military service 27,597,444;
  • reach military age (18) annually 953,928 (1994 est.)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $45.5 billion, less than 1% of GDP (FY94/95 est.)

Affiliation

(territory of the US)

Central Intelligence Agency. “Japan.” The World Factbook 1994. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/japan/1994.

How to cite ← 1993 edition 1995 edition →