CIA - The World Factbook

In 1603, after decades of civil warfare, the Tokugawa shogunate (a military-led, dynastic government) ushered in a long period of relative political stability and isolation from foreign influence. For more than two centuries this policy enabled Japan to enjoy a flowering of its indigenous culture. Japan opened its ports after signing the Treaty of Kanagawa with the US in 1854 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 an ally of the US. While the emperor retains his throne as a symbol of national unity, elected politicians hold actual decision-making power. Following three decades of unprecedented growth, Japan's economy experienced a major slowdown starting in the 1990s, but the country remains a major economic power. In January 2009, Japan assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2009-10 term.

Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula

slightly smaller than California

varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north

mostly rugged and mountainous

negligible mineral resources, fish

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

strategic location in northeast Asia

126,804,433 (July 2010 est.)

7.41 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)

9.83 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)

1.2 children born/woman (2010 est.)

less than 0.1% (2003 est.)

fewer than 100 (2007 est.)

Japanese 98.5%, Koreans 0.5%, Chinese 0.4%, other 0.6%

Shintoism 83.9%, Buddhism 71.4%, Christianity 2%, other 7.8%

a parliamentary government with a constitutional monarchy

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

660 B.C. (traditional date of the founding of the nation by Emperor JIMMU; first recognized by Emperor Meiji in 1873)

Birthday of Emperor AKIHITO, 23 December (1933)

modeled after European civil law systems with English-American influence; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

20 years of age; universal

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

House of Representatives - percent of vote by party (by proportional representation) - 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)

Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the monarch after designation by the cabinet; all other justices are appointed by the cabinet)

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]; People's New Party or PNP [Shizuka KAMEI]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Mizuho FUKUSHIMA]

ADB, AfDB (nonregional member), APEC, APT, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, CE (observer), CERN (observer), CICA (observer), CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, FATF, 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, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

white with a large red disk (representing the sun without rays) in the center

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 develop a technologically advanced economy. Today, measured on a purchasing power parity basis, Japan is the third-largest economy in the world after the US and China; measured by official exchange rates, however, Japan is the second largest economy in the world behind the US. Two notable characteristics 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 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. 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, began in October 2007, marking a major milestone in the process of structural reform; however, in December 2009, the Democratic Party of Japan-led government passed a law to freeze future sales of Japan Post shares, halting the privatization process begun by Liberal Democratic Party governments. Debate continues on the role of and effects of reform in restructuring the economy and funding to stimulate consumption in the face of a tight fiscal situation. Japan's huge government debt, estimated to have reached 192% of GDP in 2009, and an aging and shrinking population are two major long-run problems.

$4.137 trillion (2009 est.)

$4.368 trillion (2008 est.)

$4.422 trillion (2007 est.)

$5.108 trillion (2009 est.)

65.93 million (2009 est.)

20.2% of GDP (2009 est.)

192.1% of GDP (2009 est.)

172.1% of GDP (2008 est.)

0.3% (31 December 2008)

0.75% (31 December 2007)

1.91% (31 December 2008)

$5.417 trillion (31 December 2008)

$4.37 trillion (31 December 2007)

$6.16 trillion (31 December 2008)

$4.783 trillion (31 December 2007)

$12.34 trillion (31 December 2008)

$9.653 trillion (31 December 2007)

$NA (31 December 2008)

$4.453 trillion (31 December 2007)

$4.726 trillion (31 December 2006)

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

among world's largest and technologically advanced producers of motor vehicles, electronic equipment, machine tools, steel and nonferrous metals, ships, chemicals, textiles, processed foods

957.9 billion kWh (2008 est.)

925.5 billion kWh (2008 est.)

133,100 bbl/day (2008 est.)

4.785 million bbl/day (2008 est.)

268,300 bbl/day (2008 est.)

5.263 million bbl/day (2008 est.)

44.12 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.)

5.36 billion cu m (2008 est.)

101.1 billion cu m (2008 est.)

95.39 billion cu m (2008 est.)

20.9 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)

$131.2 billion (2009 est.)

$156.6 billion (2008 est.)

$516.3 billion (2009 est.)

$746.5 billion (2008 est.)

transport equipment, motor vehicles, semiconductors, electrical machinery, chemicals

US 17.8%, China 16%, South Korea 7.6%, Taiwan 5.9%, Hong Kong 5.1% (2008)

$490.6 billion (2009 est.)

$708.3 billion (2008 est.)

machinery and equipment, fuels, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, raw materials

China 18.8%, US 10.4%, Saudi Arabia 6.7%, Australia 6.2%, UAE 6.1%, Indonesia 4.3% (2008)

$NA (31 December 2009 est.)

$1.011 trillion (31 December 2008 est.)

$2.132 trillion (30 June 2009)

$2.231 trillion (31 December 2008)

$205.4 billion (31 September 2009 est.)

$204.4 billion (31 December 2008 est.)

$726.5 billion (31 September 2009 est.)

$683.9 billion (31 December 2008 est.)

yen (JPY) per US dollar - 94.5 (2009), 103.58 (2008), 117.99 (2007), 116.18 (2006), 110.22 (2005)

47.579 million (2008)

110.395 million (2008)

AM 215 (plus 370 repeaters), FM 89 (plus 485 repeaters), shortwave 21 (2001)

211; note - in addition, US Forces are served by 3 TV stations and 2 TV cable services (1999)

47.249 million (2009)

90.91 million (2008)

gas 3,879 km; oil 167 km; oil/gas/water 53 km (2009)

1,770 km (seagoing vessels use inland seas) (2007)

Chiba, Kawasaki, Kobe, Mizushima, Moji, Nagoya, Osaka, Tokyo, Tomakomai, Yohohama

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)

18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)

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