Japan

Agriculture-products

rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit; pork, poultry, dairy products, eggs; world's largest fish catch of 10 million metric tons in 1991

Budget

revenues: $497 billion expenditures: $621 billion, including capital expenditures (public works only) of about $72 billion (FY98/99 est.)

Currency

yen (¥)

Debt-external

$NA

Economic aid

donor: ODA, $8.3 billion (1998 est.) note: ODA and OOF commitments (1970-94), $174 billion

Economy-overview

Government-industry cooperation, a strong work ethic, mastery of high technology, and a comparatively small defense allocation (roughly 1% of GDP) have helped Japan advance with extraordinary rapidity to the rank of second most powerful economy in the world. One notable characteristic of the economy is the working together of manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors 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; this guarantee is eroding. Industry, the most important sector of the economy, is heavily dependent on imported raw materials and fuels. The much smaller 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 50% of its requirements of other grain and fodder crops. 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 1992-95 largely because of the aftereffects of overinvestment during the late 1980s and contractionary domestic policies intended to wring speculative excesses from the stock and real estate markets. Growth picked up to 3.9% in 1996, largely a reflection of stimulative fiscal and monetary policies as well as low rates of inflation. But in 1997 growth fell back to 1%. As a result of the expansionary fiscal policies and declining tax revenues due to the recession, Japan has one of the largest budget deficits as a percent of GDP among the industrialized countries. The crowding of habitable land area and the aging of the population are two other major long-run problems.

Electricity-capacity

199.878 million kW (1995)

Electricity-consumption per capita

7,414 kWh (1995)

Electricity-production

930.55 billion kWh (1995)

Exchange rates

yen (¥) per US$1-129.45 (January 1998), 120.99 (1997), 108.78 (1996), 94.06 (1995), 102.21 (1994), 111.20 (1993)

Exports

total value: $421 billion (f.o.b., 1997) commodities: manufactures 96% (including machinery 50%, motor vehicles 19%, consumer electronics 3%) partners: US 27%, Southeast Asia 17%, EU 15%, China 5%

Fiscal year

1 April-31 March Communications

GDP

purchasing power parity-$3.08 trillion (1997 est.)

GDP-composition by sector

agriculture: 2% industry: 41.5% services: 56.5% (1995)

GDP-per capita

purchasing power parity-$24,500 (1997 est.)

GDP-real growth rate

0.9% (1997 est.)

Imports

total value: $339 billion (c.i.f., 1997) commodities: manufactures 54%, foodstuffs and raw materials 28%, fossil fuels 16% partners: US 22%, Southeast Asia 15%, EU 14%, China 12%

Industrial production growth rate

4.3% (1997)

Industries

among world's largest and technologically advanced producers of steel and nonferrous metallurgy, heavy electrical equipment, construction and mining equipment, motor vehicles and parts, electronic and telecommunication equipment, machine tools, automated production systems, locomotives and railroad rolling stock, ships, chemicals; textiles, processed foods

Inflation rate-consumer price index

1.7% (1997)

Labor force

total: 67.23 million (March 1997) by occupation: trade and services 50%, manufacturing, mining, and construction 33%, utilities and communication 7%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 6%, government 3% (1994)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 318, FM 58, shortwave 0

Radios

97 million (1993 est.)

Telephone system

excellent domestic and international service domestic: NA 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)

Telephones

64 million (1987 est.)

Television broadcast stations

12,350 (1 kW or greater 196)

Televisions

100 million (1993 est.)

Unemployment rate

3.4% (1997)

Area

total: 377,835 sq km land: 374,744 sq km water: 3,091 sq km note: includes Bonin Islands (Ogasawara-gunto), Daito-shoto, Minami-jima, Okino-tori-shima, Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto), and Volcano Islands (Kazan-retto)

Area-comparative

slightly smaller than California

Climate

varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north

Coastline

29,751 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Hachiro-gata -4 m highest point: Fujiyama 3,776 m

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's appetite for fish and tropical timber is contributing to the depletion of these resources in Asia and elsewhere

Environment-international agreements

party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Desertification

Geographic coordinates

36 00 N, 138 00 E

Geography-note

strategic location in northeast Asia

Irrigated land

27,820 sq km (1993 est.)

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 11% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 2% forests and woodland: 67% other: 19% (1993 est.)

Location

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

Map references

Asia

Maritime claims

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm; 3 nm in the international straits-La Perouse or Soya, Tsugaru, Osumi, and Eastern and Western Channels of the Korea or Tsushima Strait

Natural hazards

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

Natural resources

negligible mineral resources, fish

Terrain

mostly rugged and mountainous

Administrative divisions

47 prefectures; Aichi, Akita, Aomori, Chiba, Ehime, Fukui, Fukuoka, Fukushima, Gifu, Gumma, 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

Constitution

3 May 1947

Country name

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Japan

Data code

JA

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas S. FOLEY embassy: 10-5, Akasaka 1-chome, Minato-ku (107), Tokyo mailing address: Unit 45004, Box 258, APO AP 96337-0001 telephone: [81] (3) 3224-5000

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Kunihiko SAITO chancery: 2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-6700

Executive branch

chief of state: Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989) head of government: Prime Minister Ryutaro HASHIMOTO (since 11 January 1996); note-an acting prime minister-determined upon a rotational basis-serves when Prime Minister HASHIMOTO is out of the country cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister elections: none; the emperor is a constitutional monarch; 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

FAX

[1] (202) 328-2187 consulate(s) general: Agana (Guam), Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Honolulu, Houston, Kansas City (Missouri), Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Portland (Oregon), San Francisco, and Seattle consulate(s): Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands)

FAX

[81] (3) 3505-1862 consulate(s) general: Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, Sapporo consulate(s): Fukuoka, Nagoya

Flag description

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

Government type

constitutional monarchy

Independence

660 BC (traditional founding by Emperor Jimmu)

International organization participation

AfDB, AG (observer), APEC, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE (observer), CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, G- 2, G- 5, G- 7, G- 8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MTCR, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNRWA, UNU, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Judicial branch

Supreme Court, chief justice is appointed by the emperor after designation by the cabinet, all other justices are appointed by the cabinet

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

Legislative branch

bicameral Diet or Kokkai consists of the House of Councillors or Sangi-in (252 seats; one-half of the members elected every three years-76 seats of which are elected from the 47 multi-seat prefectural districts and 50 of which are elected from a single nationwide list with voters casting ballots by party; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Shugi-in (500 seats-200 of which are elected from 11 regional blocks on a proportional representation basis and 300 of which are elected from 300 single-seat districts; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: House of Councillors-last held 23 July 1995 (next to be held NA July 1998); House of Representatives-last held 20 October 1996 (next to be held by October 2000) election results: House of Councillors-percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party - LDP 110, NFP 56, SDP 38, JCP 14, Sakigake 3, others 19, independents 12; note-the distribution of seats as of April 1998 is as follows-LDP 118, DPJ 41, Komei 24, SDP 21, JCP 14, Liberal Party 12, Sakigake 3, Reform Club 3, others 14, vacancies 2; House of Representatives-percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party-LDP 240, NFP 142, DPJ 52, JCP 26, SDP 15, Sun Party 10, others 15; note-the distribution of seats as of April 1998 is as follows - LDP 261, DPJ 93, Liberal Party 40, New Peace Party 37, JCP 26, SDP 15, Reform Club 9, Sakigake 2, others 17

National capital

Tokyo

National holiday

Birthday of the Emperor, 23 December (1933)

Political parties and leaders

Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Ryutaro HASHIMOTO, president, Koichi KATO, secretary general; Social Democratic Party (SDP), Takako DOI, chairperson, Tadatoshi AKIBA, secretary general; Sakigake (Harbinger), Akiko DOMOTO, chairperson, Hiroyuki SONODA, secretary general; Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), Naoto KAN, leader, Tsutomu HATA, secretary general; Japan Communist Party (JCP), Tetsuzo FUWA, chairman, Kazuo SHII, secretary general; Komei, Toshiko HAMAYOTSU, chief; Liberal Party, Ichiro OZAWA, president, Takeshi NODA, secretary general; New Peace Party, Takenori KANZAKI, leader, Tetsuzo FUYUBASHI, secretary general; Reform Club, Tatsuo OZAWA, leader, Katsuyuki ISHIDA, secretary general note: subsequent to the last legislative elections, the New Frontier Party (NFP) disbanded; the Sun Party was formed by former NFP members, but later disbanded; the DPJ was formed by former members of the SDP and Sakigake and, in April 1998, was joined by three additional parties which had formed after the NFP disbanded; Reform Club, New Peace Party, and Liberal Party were formed in January 1998 after the NFP disbanded

Suffrage

20 years of age; universal

Military branches

Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (Army), Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (Navy), Japan Air Self-Defense Force (Air Force)

Military expenditures-dollar figure

$48.5 billion (FY96/97)

Military expenditures-percent of GDP

1% (FY96/97)

Military manpower-availability

males age 15-49: 31,105,541 (1998 est.)

Military manpower-fit for military service

males: 26,778,356 (1998 est.)

Military manpower-military age

18 years of age

Military manpower-reaching military age annually

males: 808,846 (1998 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 15% (male 9,802,921; female 9,342,254) 15-64 years: 69% (male 43,486,840; female 43,135,979) 65 years and over: 16% (male 8,388,242; female 11,775,297) (July 1998 est.)

Birth rate

10.26 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate

7.94 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Ethnic groups

Japanese 99.4%, other 0.6% (mostly Korean)

Infant mortality rate

4.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Languages

Japanese

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 80 years male: 76.91 years female: 83.25 years (1998 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% (1970 est.) male: NA% female: NA%

Nationality

noun: Japanese (singular and plural) adjective: Japanese

Net migration rate

-0.36 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Population

125,931,533 (July 1998 est.)

Population growth rate

0.2% (1998 est.)

Religions

observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including Christian 0.7%)

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: 0.71 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.46 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Disputes-international

islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan, and the Habomai group occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, now administered by Russia, claimed by Japan; Liancourt Rocks (Takeshima/Tokdo) disputed with South Korea; Senkaku-shoto (Senkaku Islands) claimed by China and Taiwan JARVIS ISLAND (territory of the US)

Airports

167 (1997 est.)

Airports-with paved runways

total: 137 over 3,047 m: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 32 1,524 to 2,437 m: 38 914 to 1,523 m: 29 under 914 m: 31 (1997 est.)

Airports-with unpaved runways

total: 30 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 28 (1997 est.)

Heliports

14 (1997 est.)

Highways

total: 1.16 million km paved: 859,560 km (including 6,070 km of expressways) unpaved: 300,440 km (1996 est.)

Merchant marine

total: 738 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 14,323,766 GRT/20,709,738 DWT ships by type: bulk 169, cargo 55, chemical tanker 6, combination bulk 11, combination ore/oil 6, container 32, liquefied gas tanker 39, oil tanker 244, passenger 7, passenger-cargo 2, refrigerated cargo 34, roll-on/roll-off cargo 46, short-sea passenger 16, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 70 note: Japan owns an additional 1,534 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 54,985,374 DWT operating under the registries of The Bahamas, Burma, Cayman Islands, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Honduras, Liberia, Marshall Islands, Norway, Panama, Philippines, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Singapore, and Vanuatu (1997 est.)

Pipelines

crude oil 84 km; petroleum products 322 km; natural gas 1,800 km

Ports and harbors

Akita, Amagasaki, Chiba, Hachinohe, Hakodate, Higashi-Harima, Himeji, Hiroshima, Kawasaki, Kinuura, Kobe, Kushiro, Mizushima, Moji, Nagoya, Osaka, Sakai, Sakaide, Shimizu, Tokyo, Tomakomai

Railways

total: 23,670.7 km standard gauge: 2,893.1 km 1.435-m gauge (entirely electrified) narrow gauge: 89.8 km 1.372-m gauge (89.8 km electrified); 20,656.8 km 1.067-m gauge (10,383.6 km electrified); 31 km 0.762-m gauge (3.6 km electrified) (1994)

Waterways

about 1,770 km; seagoing craft ply all coastal inland seas