Japan

• all primary and secondary regions of high population density lie on the coast;
• one-third of the population resides in and around Tokyo on the central plain (Kanto Plain)

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

volcanism:

• both Unzen (1,500 m) and Sakura-jima (1,117 m), which lies near the densely populated city of Kagoshima, have been deemed Decade Volcanoes by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to their explosive history and close proximity to human populations;
• other notable historically active volcanoes include
  • Asama,
  • Honshu Island's most active volcano,
  • Aso,
  • Bandai,
  • Fuji,
  • Iwo-Jima,
  • Kikai,
  • Kirishima,
  • Komaga-take,
  • Oshima,
  • Suwanosejima,
  • Tokachi,
  • Yake-dake,
  • and Usu
  ;
• see note 2 under "Geography - note"

noun:

Japanese (singular and plural)

adjective:

Japanese

total:

49.5 years (2023 est.)

male:

48 years

female:

50.9 years

• all primary and secondary regions of high population density lie on the coast;
• one-third of the population resides in and around Tokyo on the central plain (Kanto Plain)

at birth:

1.06 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.79 male(s)/female

total population:

0.95 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

total:

1.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)

male:

2 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

1.8 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

85 years (2023 est.)

male:

82.1 years

female:

88.1 years

total:

8.36 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer:

1.35 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine:

0.29 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits:

1.63 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols:

5.09 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total:

20.1% (2020 est.)

male:

30.1% (2020 est.)

female:

10% (2020 est.)

total population:

NA

male:

NA

female:

NA

• 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;
• following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, Japan originally planned to phase out nuclear power, but it has now implemented a new policy of seeking to restart nuclear power plants that meet strict new safety standards;
• waste management is an ongoing issue;
• Japanese municipal facilities used to burn high volumes of trash, but air pollution issues forced the government to adopt an aggressive recycling policy

urban population:

92% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

-0.25% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

particulate matter emissions:

10.84 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

1,135.89 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

29.99 megatons (2020 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually:

43.981 million tons (2015 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually:

2,155,069 tons (2015 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

4.9% (2015 est.)

municipal:

14.8 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial:

10.3 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

agricultural:

53.3 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Japan

local long form:

Nihon-koku/Nippon-koku

local short form:

Nihon/Nippon

etymology:

• the English word for Japan comes via the Chinese name for the country "Cipangu";
• both Nihon and Nippon mean "where the sun originates" and are frequently translated as "Land of the Rising Sun"

name:

Tokyo

geographic coordinates:

35 41 N, 139 45 E

time difference:

UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology:

originally known as Edo, meaning "estuary" in Japanese, the name was changed to Tokyo, meaning "eastern capital," in 1868

• 3 May 1947 (current constitution adopted as amendment to Meiji Constitution);
• notable earlier dates: 11 February 660 B.C. (mythological date of the founding of the nation by Emperor JIMMU);
• 29 November 1890 (Meiji Constitution provides for constitutional monarchy)

history:

previous 1890; latest approved 6 October 1946, adopted 3 November 1946, effective 3 May 1947

amendments:

• proposed by the Diet;
• passage requires approval by at least two-thirds majority of both houses of the Diet and approval by majority in a referendum;
• note - the constitution has not been amended since its enactment in 1947

• civil law system based on German model;
• system also reflects Anglo-American influence and Japanese traditions;
• judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of Japan

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

5 years

chief of state:

Emperor NARUHITO (since 1 May 2019); note - succeeds his father who abdicated on 30 April 2019

head of government:

Prime Minister Fumio KISHIDA (since 4 October 2021 )

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the prime minister

elections/appointments:

the monarchy is hereditary; the leader of the majority party or majority coalition in the House of Representatives usually becomes prime minister

election results:

• Fumio KISHIDA reelected prime minister on 10 November 2021;
• upper house vote - Fumio KISHIDA (LDP) 141, Yukio EDANO 60 (CDP);
• lower house vote - Fumio KISHIDA 297, Yukio EDANO 108

highest court(s):

Supreme Court or Saiko saibansho (consists of the chief justice and 14 associate justices); note - the Supreme Court has jurisdiction in constitutional issues

judge selection and term of office:

• Supreme Court chief justice designated by the Cabinet and appointed by the monarch;
• associate justices appointed by the Cabinet and confirmed by the monarch;
• all justices are reviewed in a popular referendum at the first general election of the House of Representatives following each judge's appointment and every 10 years afterward

subordinate courts:

• 8 High Courts (Koto-saiban-sho), each with a Family Court (Katei-saiban-sho);
• 50 District Courts (Chiho saibansho), with 203 additional branches;
• 438 Summary Courts (Kani saibansho)

• Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan or CDP [Kenta IZUMI]
• Democratic Party for the People Japan or DPFP [Yuichiro TAMAKI]
• Group of Reformists [Sakihito OZAWA]
• Japan Communist Party or JCP [Kazuo SHII]
• Japan Innovation Party or Nippon Ishin no kai or Ishin [Ichiro MATSUI]
• Komeito [Natsuo YAMAGUCHI]
• Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Fumio KISHIDA]
• Liberal Party [Ichiro OZAWA] (formerly People's Life Party & Taro Yamamoto and Friends or PLPTYF)
• Party of Hope or Kibo no To [Nariaki NAKAYAMA]
• Reiwa Shinsengumi [Taro YAMAMOTO]
• Seijika Joshi or NHK [Ayaka OTSU (de jure) Takashi TACHIBANA (de facto)]
• Sanseitō or DIY [Sohei KAMIYA]
• Social Democratic Party or SDP [Mizuho FUKUSHIMA]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Rahm EMANUEL (since 25 March 2022)

embassy:

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

mailing address:

9800 Tokyo Place, Washington DC 20521-9800

telephone:

[81] (03) 3224-5000

FAX:

[81] (03) 3224-5856

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://jp.usembassy.gov/

consulate(s) general:

Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, Sapporo

consulate(s):

Fukuoka, Nagoya

name:

"Kimigayo" (The Emperor's Reign)

lyrics/music:

unknown/Hiromori HAYASHI

note: adopted 1999; unofficial national anthem since 1883; oldest anthem lyrics in the world, dating to the 10th century or earlier; there is some opposition to the anthem because of its association with militarism and worship of the emperor

total World Heritage Sites:

25 (20 cultural, 5 natural)

selected World Heritage Site locales:

• Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area (c);
• Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara (c);
• Himeji-jo (c);
• Shiretoko (n);
• Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group: Mounded Tombs of Ancient Japan (c);
• Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its Cultural Landscape (c);
• Jomon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan (c);
• Yakushima (n);
• Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (c);
• Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome) (c)

• fourth-largest, trade-oriented, and diversified economy;
• highly indebted country;
• slow wage growth and declining labor force;
• still heavily hydrocarbon-reliant;
• central bank keeping negative interest rates amid modest inflation;
• increased military spending;
• stagnant tourism sector

Fitch rating:

A (2015)

Moody's rating:

A1 (2014)

Standard & Poors rating: A+ (2015)

note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.

total:

4.4% (2021 est.)

male:

4.6%

female:

4.1%

on food:

16% of household expenditures (2018 est.)

on alcohol and tobacco:

2.3% of household expenditures (2018 est.)

lowest 10%:

2.7%

highest 10%:

24.8% (2008)

Number of operational nuclear reactors:

10 (2023)

Number of nuclear reactors under construction:

2

Net capacity of operational nuclear reactors:

9.49GW (2023)

Percent of total electricity production:

7% (2018)

Percent of total energy produced:

24% (2021)

Number of nuclear reactors permanently shut down:

17

production:

29.84 million metric tons (2020 est.)

consumption:

210.882 million metric tons (2020 est.)

exports:

3.201 million metric tons (2020 est.)

imports:

174.486 million metric tons (2020 est.)

proven reserves:

350 million metric tons (2019 est.)

total petroleum production:

10,200 bbl/day (2021 est.)

refined petroleum consumption:

3,739,300 bbl/day (2019 est.)

crude oil and lease condensate exports:

0 bbl/day (2018 est.)

crude oil and lease condensate imports:

3,012,800 bbl/day (2018 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves:

44.1 million barrels (2021 est.)

general assessment:

• Japan has one of the best developed telecom markets globally, the fixed-line segment remains stagnant and the focus for growth is in the mobile sector;
• the MNOs have shifted their investment from LTE to 5G, and growth in 5G showed early promise although there have been recent setbacks;
• these have partly been attributed to the economic difficulties, the impact of restrictions imposed during the pandemic, and unfavorable investment climate (not helped by the delay of the Tokyo Olympics from 2020 to 2021), and to restrictions in the supply of 5G-enabled devices;
• the fixed broadband market is dominated by fiber, with a strong cable platform also evident;
• fiber will continue to increase its share of the fixed broadband market, largely at the expense of DSL;
• the mobile market is dominated by three MNOs, mobile broadband subscriber growth is expected to be relatively low over the next five years, partly due to the high existing subscriptions though growth has been stimulated by measures which have encouraged people to school and work from home;
• there has also been a boost in accessing entertainment via mobile devices since 2020 (2021)

domestic:

49 per 100 for fixed-line and 161 per 100 for mobile-cellular subscriptions (2021)

international:

• country code - 81;
• numerous submarine cables with landing points for HSCS, JIH, RJCN, APCN-2, JUS, EAC-C2C, PC-1, Tata TGN-Pacific, FLAG North Asia Loop/REACH North Asia Loop, APCN-2, FASTER, SJC, SJC2, Unity/EAC-Pacific, JGA-N, APG, ASE, AJC, JUPITER, MOC, Okinawa Cellular Cable, KJCN, GOKI, KJCN, and SeaMeWE-3, submarine cables provide links throughout Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Europe, Southeast Asia, Africa and US;
• satellite earth stations - 7 Intelsat (Pacific and Indian Oceans), 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region), 2 Inmarsat (Pacific and Indian Ocean regions), and 8 SkyPerfect JSAT (2019)

• a mixture of public and commercial broadcast TV and radio stations;
• 6 national terrestrial TV networks including 1 public broadcaster;
• the large number of radio and TV stations available provide a wide range of choices;
• satellite and cable services provide access to international channels (2019)

number of registered air carriers:

22 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 673

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

126,387,527 (2018)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

9,420,660,000 (2018) mt-km

total:

27,311 km (2015)

standard gauge:

4,800 km (2015) 1.435-m gauge (4,800 km electrified)

narrow gauge:

124 km (2015) 1.372-m gauge (124 km electrified)

dual gauge:

132 km (2015) 1.435-1.067-m gauge (132 km electrified); 22,207 km 1.067-mm gauge (15,430 km electrified); 48 km 0.762-m gauge (48 km electrified)

total:

1,218,772 km (2015)

paved:

992,835 km (2015) (includes 8,428 km of expressways)

unpaved:

225,937 km (2015)