Japan
Nihon-koku/
a parliamentary government with a constitutional monarchy
Japan as the 2009 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 137 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 more than two centuries 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, elected politicians - with heavy input from bureaucrats and business executives - wield actual decisionmaking power.
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 January 2009, Japan assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2009-10 term.
Geography
Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula
20 fieldsLand useshare of 377,915 sq km
Location
Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula
Natural resources
negligible mineral resources, fish note: with virtually no energy natural resources, Japan is the world's largest importer of coal and liquefied natural gas as well as the second largest importer of oil
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)
- total:
- 88.43 cu km/yr (20%/18%/62%)
- per capita:
- 690 cu m/yr (2000)
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
- signed, but not ratified:
- none of the selected agreements
People
22 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2009 est.)
Per 1,000 population
Male · female
Ethnic groups(2004)
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.06 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1.06 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 1.02 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.74 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 0.95 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Religions
Shintoism 83.9%, Buddhism 71.4%, Christianity 2%, other 7.8% note: total adherents exceeds 100% because many people belong to both Shintoism and Buddhism (2005)
Government
A parliamentary government with a constitutional monarchy; Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989); Prime Minister Yukio HATOYAMA (since 16 September 2009)
18 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
House of Councillors, 242 seats, elected 29 July 2007one dot, one seat
House of Representatives, 480 seats, elected 30 August 2009seats by party
Percent of vote
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 41 N, 139 45 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
Independence
660 B.C. (traditional date of the founding of the nation by Emperor JIMMU; first recognized by Emperor Meiji in 1873)
Legal system
- modeled after German 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 Yukio HATOYAMA (since 16 September 2009); Deputy Prime Minister Naoto KAN (since 16 September 2009)
- 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
Legislative branch
bicameral Diet or Kokkai consists of the House of Councillors or Sangi-in (242 seats - members elected for fixed 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 maximum four-year terms; 300 in single-seat constituencies; 180 members by proportional representation in 11 regional blocs); the prime minister has the right to dissolve the House of Representatives at any time with the concurrence of the cabinet.
- elections:
- House of Councillors - last held 29 July 2007 (next to be held in July 2010);
- House of Representatives - last held 30 August 2009 (next to be held by August 2013)
- election results:
- House of Councillors - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - DPJ 109, LDP 83, Komeito 20, JCP 7, SDP 5, others 18;
- House of Representatives - percent of vote by party (in single-seat constituencies) - DPJ 42.4%, LDP 26.7%, Komeito 11.5%, JCP 7.0%, SDP 4.3%, others 8.1%;
- seats by party - DPJ 308, LDP 119, Komeito 21, JCP 9, SDP 7, others 16 (2009)
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];
- Japan Communist Party or JCP [Kazuo SHII];
- Komeito [Natsuo YAMAGUCHI];
- Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Sadakazu TANIGAKI];
- Social Democratic Party or SDP [Mizuho FUKUSHIMA]
International organization participation
ADB, AfDB (nonregional member), APEC, APT, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, CE (observer), CERN (observer), CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, G-20, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAIA, MIGA, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE (partner), Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC (observer), SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Ichiro FUJISAKI
- chancery:
- 2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 238-6700
- FAX:
- [1] (202) 328-2187
- consulate(s) general:
- Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Agana (Guam), Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Portland (Oregon), San Francisco, Seattle
- consulate(s):
- Anchorage, Nashville
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador James V. ROOS
- embassy:
- 1-10-5 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420
- mailing address:
- Unit 9800, Box 300, APO AP 96303-0300
- telephone:
- [81] (03) 3224-5000
- FAX:
- [81] (03) 3505-1862
- consulate(s) general:
- Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, Sapporo
- consulate(s):
- Fukuoka, Nagoya
Economy
51 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(2008 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
Economy - overview
In the years following World War II, 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 speed to the rank of second most technologically powerful economy in the world after the US. Today, measured on a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis, Japan is the third-largest economy in the world after the US and China.
Two notable characteristic of the post-war economy were the close interlocking structures of manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors, known as keiretsu, and the guarantee of lifetime employment for a substantial portion of the urban labor force. Both features are now eroding under the dual pressures of global competition and domestic demographic change.
Japan's industrial sector is heavily dependent on imported raw materials and fuels. A tiny agricultural sector is highly subsidized and protected, with crop yields among the highest in the world. Usually self sufficient in rice, Japan imports 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 inefficient investment and an asset price bubble in the late 1980s that required a protracted period of time for firms to reduce excess debt, capital, and labor.
In October 2007 Japan's longest post-war period of economic expansion ended after 69 months and Japan entered into recession in 2008, with 2009 marking a return to near 0% interest rates. The 10-year privatization of Japan Post, which has functioned not only as the national postal delivery system but also, through its banking and insurance facilities as Japan's largest financial institution, was completed in October 2007, marking a major milestone in the process of structural reform.
The Japanese financial sector was not heavily exposed to sub-prime mortgages or their derivative instruments and weathered the initial effect of the global credit crunch, but a sharp downturn in business investment and global demand for Japan's exports in late 2008 pushed Japan further into a recession.
Japan's huge government debt, which totals 170% of GDP, and the aging of the population are two major long-run problems. Debate continues on the role of and effects of reform in restructuring the economy.
Distribution of family income - Gini index
38.1 (2002) · 24.9 (1993) country comparison to the world: 74
Central bank discount rate
0.3% (31 December 2008) · 0.75% (31 December 2007) country comparison to the world: 135
Stock of money
$5.417 trillion (31 December 2008) · $4.37 trillion (31 December 2007) country comparison to the world: 2
Stock of quasi money
$6.16 trillion (31 December 2008) · $4.783 trillion (31 December 2007) country comparison to the world: 2
Stock of domestic credit
$12.34 trillion (31 December 2008) · $9.653 trillion (31 December 2007) country comparison to the world: 3
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
Natural gas - proved reserves
20.9 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 76
Current account balance
$156.6 billion (2008 est.) · $210.5 billion (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 3
Exports - commodities
transport equipment, motor vehicles, semiconductors, electrical machinery, chemicals
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$1.011 trillion (31 December 2008 est.) · $954.1 billion (31 December 2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 2
Debt - external
$2.231 trillion (31 December 2008) · $1.768 trillion (31 December 2007) country comparison to the world: 9
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home
$135.4 billion (31 December 2008 est.) · $110.8 billion (31 December 2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 25
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad
$663.9 billion (31 December 2008 est.) · $533.1 billion (31 December 2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 8
Exchange rates
yen (JPY) per US dollar - 103.58 (2008 est.), 117.99 (2007), 116.18 (2006), 110.22 (2005), 108.19 (2004)
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;
- numerous submarine cables provide links throughout Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Europe, and US;
- 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
Radio broadcast stations
AM 215 (plus 370 repeaters), FM 89 (plus 485 repeaters), shortwave 21 (2001)
Television broadcast stations
211 (plus 7,341 repeaters); in addition, US Forces are served by 3 TV stations and 2 TV cable services (1999)
Transportation
10 fieldsMerchant marine, 683 ships by type
Airports by runway lengthpaved only
Airports by runway lengthunpaved only
Networkskm
Railways
- total:
- 23,506 km
country comparison to the world: 11
- standard gauge:
- 3,437 km 1.435-m gauge (3,319 km electrified)
- narrow gauge:
- 20,059 km 1.067-m gauge (11,842 km electrified); 11 km 0.762-m gauge (11 km electrified) (2008)
Roadways
- total:
- 1,196,999 km
country comparison to the world: 5
- paved:
- 949,101 km (includes 7,383 km of expressways)
- unpaved:
- 247,898 km (2006)
Ports and terminals
Chiba, Kawasaki, Kobe, Mizushima, Moji, Nagoya, Osaka, Tokyo, Tomakomai, Yohohama
Military
Japanese Ministry of Defense (MOD): Ground Self-Defense Force (Rikujou Jietai, GSDF), Maritime Self-Defense Force (Kaijou Jietai, MSDF), Air Self-Defense Force (Koku Jieitai, ASDF) (2009)
6 fieldsMilitary branches
Japanese Ministry of Defense (MOD): Ground Self-Defense Force (Rikujou Jietai, GSDF), Maritime Self-Defense Force (Kaijou Jietai, MSDF), Air Self-Defense Force (Koku Jieitai, ASDF) (2009)
Manpower available for military service
- males age 16-49:
- 27,819,804
- females age 16-49:
- 26,863,794 (2008 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/Dokdo) 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 2009. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/japan/2009.