Japan

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

• 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

0-14 years:

14.4% (male 9,368,132; female 8,906,024)

15-64 years:

67% (male 42,852,204; female 42,368,109)

65 years and over:

18.6% (male 9,945,638; female 13,774,392) (2003 est.)

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:

0.72 male(s)/female

total population:

0.96 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

noun:

Japanese (singular and plural)

adjective:

Japanese

definition:

age 15 and over can read and write

total population:

99% (1995 est.)

male:

NA%

female:

NA%

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Japan

• 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

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 26 April 2001)

• bicameral Diet or Kokkai consists of the House of Councillors or Sangi-in (247 seats - members elected for six-year terms; half reelected every three years; 149 members in multi-seat constituencies and 98 by proportional representation);
• 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 110, DPJ 59, Komeito 23, JCP 20, SDP 8, Liberal Party 8, Conservative Party 5, independents 14;
• distribution of seats as of July 2001 was: LDP 115, DPJ 60, Komeito 24, JCP 20, SDP 8, Liberal Party 8 (merged with DPJ in 2003), independents 6, others 6;
• House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - LDP 49.38%, DPJ 36.88%, Komeito 7.09%, JCP 1.88%, SDP 1.25%, NCP .84%;
• seats by party - LDP 237, DPJ 177, Komeito 34, JCP 9, SDP 6, NCP 4, others 13;
• distribution of seats as of 13 November 2003 was: LDP 244, DPJ 177, Komeito 34, JCP 9, SDP 6, others 10

elections:

• House of Councillors - last held 29 July 2001 (next to be held in July 2004);
• House of Representatives - last held 9 November 2003 (next election has not been scheduled)

• Democratic Party of Japan or DPJ [Naoto KAN, leader; Katsuya OKADA, secretary general];
• Japan Communist Party or JCP [Kazuo SHII, chairman; Tadayoshi ICHIDA, secretary general];
• Komeito [Takenori KANZAKI, president; Tetsuzo FUYUSHIBA, secretary general];
• Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Junichiro KOIZUMI, president; Shinzo ABE, secretary general];
• Social Democratic Party or SDP [Mizuho FUKUSHIMA, chairperson; Seiji MATAICHI, secretary general]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Howard H. BAKER, Jr.

embassy:

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

mailing address:

Unit 45004, Box 258, 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

lowest 10%:

4.8%

highest 10%:

21.7% (1993)

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

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)

total:

23,168 km (15,995 km electrified)

standard gauge:

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

narrow gauge:

• 77 km 1.372-m gauge (77 km electrified);
• 19,855 km 1.067-m gauge (12,683 km electrified);
• 31 km 0.762-m gauge (31 km electrified) (2002)

total:

1,161,894 km

paved:

534,471 km (including 6,455 km of expressways)

unpaved:

627,423 km (1999)

• 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 (Take-shima/Tok-do) disputed with South Korea;
• Senkaku Islands (Diaoyu Tai) claimed by China and Taiwan