Japan
constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary governmentIndependence 660 BC (traditional founding by Emperor Jimmu)
Japan as the 2002 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 116 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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.
Geography
Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula
18 fieldsLand useshare of 377,835 sq km
Location
Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula
Natural hazards
- many dormant and some active volcanoes;
- about 1,500 seismic occurrences (mostly tremors) every year;
- tsunamis;
- typhoons
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
People
18 fieldsPer 1,000 population(2002 est.)
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 14.5% (male 9,465,282; female 8,999,888)
- 15-64 years:
- 67.5% (male 43,027,320; female 42,586,112)
- 65 years and over:
- 18% (male 9,664,112; female 13,231,914) (2002 est.)
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 (2002 est.)
Ethnic groups
Japanese 99%, others 1% (Korean 511,262, Chinese 244,241, Brazilian 182,232, Filipino 89,851, other 237,914) (2000)
Government
Constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government; Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989); Prime Minister Junichiro KOIZUMI (since 24 April 2001)
18 fieldsHouse of Councillors, 480 seats, elected 29 July 2001seats by party
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
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
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989)
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
- 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
- cabinet:
- Cabinet appointed by the prime minister
- head of government:
- Prime Minister Junichiro KOIZUMI (since 24 April 2001)
Legislative branch
bicameral Diet or Kokkai consists of the House of Councillors or Sangi-in (247 seats - formerly 252; one-half of the members elected every three years - 73 seats of which are elected from the 47 multi-seat prefectural districts and 48 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)
- election results:
- House of Councillors - percent of vote by party - NA%;
- seats by party - LDP 110, DPJ 59, Komeito 23, JCP 20, SDP 8, Liberal Party 8, Conservative Party 5, independents 14;
- note - the distribution of seats as of January 2002 is: LDP 115, DPJ 60, Komeito 24, JCP 20, SDP 8, Liberal Party 8, independents 6, others 6;
- 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 January 2002 is: LDP 242, DPJ 126, Komeito 31, Liberal Party 22, JCP 20, SDP 19, NCP 7, other 13
- elections:
- House of Councillors - last held 29 July 2001 (next to be held NA July 2004);
- House of Representatives - last held 25 June 2000 (next must be held by June 2004, but may occur sooner)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the monarch after designation by the cabinet; all other justices are appointed by the cabinet)
Political parties and leaders
- Democratic Party of Japan or DPJ [Yukio HATOYAMA, leader, Naoto KAN, secretary general];
- Japan Communist Party or JCP [Tetsuzo FUWA, chairman, Tadayeshi 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 or NCP [Takeshi NODA, president, Toshihiro NIKAI, secretary general];
- Social Democratic Party or SDP [Takako DOI, chairperson, Mizuho FUKUSHIMA, secretary general]
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- 8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMOVIC, UNRWA, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Ryozo KATO
- FAX:
- [1] (202) 328-2187
- consulate(s):
- Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands)
- 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
- chancery:
- 2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 238-6700
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Howard H. BAKER, Jr.
- embassy:
- 1-10-5 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420
- mailing address:
- Unit 45004, Box 205, APO AP 96337-5004
- telephone:
- [81] (03) 3224-5000
- FAX:
- [81] (03) 3505-1862
- consulate(s) general:
- Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, Sapporo
- consulate(s):
- Fukuoka, Nagoya
Economy
33 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(2001 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
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 with little success and were further hampered in 2000-02 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". Internal conflict over the proper means to reform the ailing banking system will continue in 2003.
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
Agriculture - products
- rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit;
- pork, poultry, dairy products, eggs;
- fish
Exchange rates
yen per US dollar - 132.66 (January 2002), 121.53 (2001), 107.77 (2000), 113.91 (1999), 130.91 (1998), 120.99 (1997)
Communications
10 fieldsTelephone 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)
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)
Transportation
10 fieldsMerchant marine, 615 ships by typeships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 10,995,839 GRT/14,405,159 DWT
Airports by runway lengthpaved only
Airports by runway lengthunpaved only
Networkskm
Railways
- total:
- 23,654 km (15,895 km electrified)
- standard gauge:
- 3,059 km 1.435-m gauge (entirely electrified)
- narrow gauge:
- 77 km 1.372-m gauge (entirely electrified);
- 20,491 km 1.067-m gauge (12,732 km electrified);
- 27 km 0.762-m gauge (entirely electrified) (2000)
Highways
- total:
- 1,152,207 km
- paved:
- 863,003 km (including 6,114 km of expressways)
- unpaved:
- 289,204 km (1997 est.)
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
Military
Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (Army), Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (Navy), Japan Air Self-Defense Force (Air Force), Japanese Coast Guard
7 fieldsMilitary branches
Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (Army), Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (Navy), Japan Air Self-Defense Force (Air Force), Japanese Coast Guard
Transnational Issues
1 fieldDisputes - 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 Islands (Diaoyu Tai) claimed by China and Taiwan
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Japan.” The World Factbook 2002. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/japan/2002.