Japan
Nihon-koku/
constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary governmentIndependence 660 B.C. (traditional founding by Emperor JIMMU)
Japan as the 2006 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 127 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
In 1603, a Tokugawa shogunate (military dictatorship) ushered in a long period of isolation from foreign influence in order to secure its power. For 250 years this policy enabled Japan to enjoy stability and a flowering of its indigenous culture. Following the Treaty of Kanagawa with the US in 1854, Japan opened its ports and began to intensively modernize and industrialize. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Japan became a regional power that was able to defeat the forces of both China and Russia.
It occupied Korea, Formosa (Taiwan), and southern Sakhalin Island. In 1931-32 Japan occupied Manchuria, and in 1937 it launched a full-scale invasion of China. Japan attacked US forces in 1941 - triggering America's entry into World War II - and soon occupied much of East and Southeast Asia. After its defeat in World War II, Japan recovered to become an economic power 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 starting in the 1990s following three decades of unprecedented growth, but Japan still remains a major economic power, both in Asia and globally. In 2005, Japan began a two-year term as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.
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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
People
19 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2006 est.)
Per 1,000 population(2006 est.)
Male · female
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:
- 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Ethnic groups
Japanese 99%, others 1% (Korean 511,262, Chinese 244,241, Brazilian 182,232, Filipino 89,851, other 237,914) note: up to 230,000 Brazilians of Japanese origin migrated to Japan in the 1990s to work in industries; some have returned to Brazil (2004)
Government
Constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government; Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989); Prime Minister Shinzo ABE (since 26 September 2006)
18 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
House of Councillors, 484 seats, elected 11 July 2004seats by party
Legislature, 960 seatsseats by party
Country name
- conventional long form:
- none
- conventional short form:
- Japan
- local long form:
- Nihon-koku/Nippon-koku
- local short form:
- Nihon/Nippon
Capital
- name:
- Tokyo
- geographic coordinates:
- 35 42 N, 139 46 E
- time difference:
- UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions
47 prefectures; Aichi, Akita, Aomori, Chiba, Ehime, Fukui, Fukuoka, Fukushima, Gifu, Gunma, 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)
- head of government:
- Prime Minister Shinzo ABE (since 26 September 2006)
- cabinet:
- Cabinet appointed by the prime minister
- elections:
- Diet designates prime minister;
- constitution requires that prime minister commands parliamentary majority;
- following legislative elections, leader of majority party or leader of majority coalition in House of Representatives usually becomes prime minister;
- monarch is hereditary
- election results:
- ABE was elected prime minister with 339 of 476 votes cast in the House of Representatives and 136 of 240 votes cast in the House of Councilors.
Legislative branch
bicameral Diet or Kokkai consists of the House of Councillors or Sangi-in (242 seats - members elected for six-year terms; half reelected every three years; 146 members in multi-seat constituencies and 96 by proportional representation) and the 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)
- elections:
- House of Councillors - last held 11 July 2004 (next to be held in July 2007);
- House of Representatives - last held 11 September 2005 (next election by September 2009)
- election results:
- ;
- House of Councillors - percent of vote by party - NA;
- seats by party - LDP 115, DPJ 82, Komeito 24, JCP 9, SDP 5, others 7;
- distribution of seats as of January 2006 - LDP 112, DPJ 83, Komeito 24, JCP 9, SDP 6, others 8
- : House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - LDP 47.8%, DPJ 36.4%, others 15.8%;
- seats by party - LDP 296, DPJ 113, Komeito 31, JCP 9, SDP 7, others 24;
- distribution of seats as of January 2006 - LDP 294, DPJ 112, Komeito 31, JCP 9, SDP 7, others 27 (2006)
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 [Ichiro OZAWA];
- Japan Communist Party or JCP [Kazuo SHII];
- Komeito [Akihoro OTA];
- Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Shinzo ABE];
- Social Democratic Party or SDP [Mizuho FUKUSHIMA]
International organization participation
AfDB, APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, CE (observer), CERN (observer), CP, EAS, EBRD, 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, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAIA, MIGA, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE (partner), Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC (observer), SECI (observer), UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMOVIC, UNRWA, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Ryozo KATO
- chancery:
- 2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 238-6700
- FAX:
- [1] (202) 328-2187
- consulate(s) general:
- Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Agana (Guam), Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Portland (Oregon), San Francisco, Seattle
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador J. Thomas SCHIEFFER
- embassy:
- 1-10-5 Akasaka, 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
Economy
46 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(2005 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) helped Japan advance with extraordinary rapidity to the rank of second most technologically powerful economy in the world after the US and the third-largest economy in the world after the US and China, measured on a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis.
One notable characteristic of the economy is how manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors work together 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.
Japan's industrial sector is heavily dependent on imported raw materials and fuels. The tiny 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 60% of its food on a caloric basis.
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, averaging just 1.7%, largely because of the after effects of overinvestment during the late 1980s and contractionary domestic policies intended to wring speculative excesses from the stock and real estate markets and to force a restructuring of the economy.
From 2000 to 2003, government efforts to revive economic growth met with little success and were further hampered by the slowing of the US, European, and Asian economies. In 2004 and 2005, growth improved and the lingering fears of deflation in prices and economic activity lessened.
Japan's huge government debt, which totals 170% of GDP, and the aging of the population are two major long-run problems. Some fear that a rise in taxes could endanger the current economic recovery. Internal conflict over the proper way to reform the financial system will continue as Japan Post's banking, insurance, and delivery services undergo privatization between 2007 and 2017.
Agriculture - products
- rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit;
- pork, poultry, dairy products, eggs;
- fish
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
Exports - commodities
transport equipment, motor vehicles, semiconductors, electrical machinery, chemicals
Imports - commodities
machinery and equipment, fuels, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, raw materials (2001)
Exchange rates
yen per US dollar - 110.22 (2005), 108.19 (2004), 115.93 (2003), 125.39 (2002), 121.53 (2001)
Communications
8 fieldsTelephone system
- general assessment:
- excellent domestic and international service
- domestic:
- high level of modern technology and excellent service of every kind
- international:
- country code - 81;
- 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 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right
Networkskm
Railways
- total:
- 23,556 km
- standard gauge:
- 3,204 km 1.435-m gauge (3,204 km electrified)
- narrow gauge:
- 77 km 1.372-m gauge (77 km electrified);
- 20,264 km 1.067-m gauge (13,280 km electrified);
- 11 km 0.762-m gauge (11 km electrified) (2005)
Roadways
- total:
- 1.183 million km
- paved:
- 925,000 km (including 6,946 km of expressways)
- unpaved:
- 258,000 km (2003)
Merchant marine
- total:
- 683 ships (1000 GRT or over) 10,415,892 GRT/11,765,038 DWT
- by type:
- bulk carrier 134, cargo 30, chemical tanker 20, container 11, liquefied gas 59, passenger 14, passenger/cargo 149, petroleum tanker 156, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 51, vehicle carrier 56
- registered in other countries:
- 2,459 (Australia 1, Bahamas 51, Belize 2, Burma 4, Cambodia 4, Cayman Islands 1, China 3, Cyprus 17, French Southern and Antarctic Lands 4, Honduras 4, Hong Kong 67, Indonesia 3, Isle of Man 4, South Korea 1, Liberia 102, Malaysia 4, Malta 1, Marshall Islands 7, Mongolia 1, Norway 1, Panama 2007, Philippines 26, Portugal 9, Singapore 100, Sweden 2, Thailand 4, Vanuatu 28, unknown 1) (2006)
Ports and terminals
Chiba, Kawasaki, Kiire, Kisarazu, Kobe, Mizushima, Nagoya, Osaka, Tokyo, Yohohama
Military
Japanese Defense Agency (JDA): Ground Self-Defense Force (Rikujou Jietai, GSDF), Maritime Self-Defense Force (Kaijou Jietai, MSDF), Air Self-Defense Force (Nihon Koku-Jieitai, ASDF) (2006)
6 fieldsMilitary branches
Japanese Defense Agency (JDA): Ground Self-Defense Force (Rikujou Jietai, GSDF), Maritime Self-Defense Force (Kaijou Jietai, MSDF), Air Self-Defense Force (Nihon Koku-Jieitai, ASDF) (2006)
Manpower available for military service
- males age 18-49:
- 27,003,112
- females age 18-49:
- 26,153,482 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually
- males age 18-49:
- 683,147
- females age 18-49:
- 650,157 (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues
1 fieldDisputes - international
- the sovereignty dispute over the islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, and Shikotan, and the Habomai group, known in Japan as the "Northern Territories" and in Russia as the "Southern Kuril Islands," occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, now administered by Russia and claimed by Japan, remains the primary sticking point to signing a peace treaty formally ending World War II hostilities;
- Japan and South Korea claim Liancourt Rocks (Take-shima/Tok-do) occupied by South Korea since 1954;
- China and Taiwan dispute both Japan's claims to the uninhabited islands of the Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu Tai) and Japan's unilaterally declared exclusive economic zone in the East China Sea, the site of intensive hydrocarbon prospecting
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Japan.” The World Factbook 2006. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/japan/2006.