|
Country
|
Israel | 
Japan |
|
Leader
|
Prime minister: Benjamin Netanyahu
|
Head of state: Emperor Akihito Prime minister: Yoshihiko Noda
|
|
Population
|
7,590,758
| 127,368,088
|
|
Life Expectancy
|
81.070 years
| 83.910 years
|
|
Capital City
|
Jerusalem
| Tokyo
|
|
Largest city
|
| Jerusalem (population: 714,000) | Tokyo (population: 8,336,600) |
|
Human Development Index
|
0.93
| 0.956
|
| GDP per capita |
$31,400 US
| $35,200 US
|
|
Literacy Rate
|
97.1%
| 99%
|
|
Corruption Perception Index
|
6
| 7.3
|
|
Percentage of Women in Parliament
|
14.2%
| 12.3%
|
| Wealthiest Citizens |
Sammy Ofer & family ($4.0bn US)
| Tadashi Yanai & family ($6.0bn US)
|
| Unemployment Rate |
5.600%
| 4.600%
|
|
Death Penalty
|
Abolished except for special circumstances
| Legal
|
| |
|
Political System
|
parliamentary democracy
| constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government
|
|
Independence date
|
14 May 1948 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)
| 660 B.C. (traditional date of the founding of the nation by Emperor JIMMU)
|
| Religions |
Jewish 76.4%, Muslim 16%, Arab Christians 1.7%, other Christian 0.4%, Druze 1.6%, unspecified 3.9% (2004)
| observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including Christian 0.7%)
|
| Languages |
Hebrew (official), Arabic used officially for Arab minority, English most commonly used foreign language
| Japanese
|
| Exports |
machinery and equipment, software, cut diamonds, agricultural products, chemicals, textiles and apparel
| transport equipment, motor vehicles, semiconductors, electrical machinery, chemicals
|
| External Debt |
$102,300,000,000 $
| $2,719,000,000,000 US
|
| Exchange Rate |
new Israeli shekels (ILS) per US dollar - 3.56 (2008 est.), 4.14 (2007), 4.4565 (2006), 4.4877 (2005), 4.482 (2004)
| yen (JPY) per US dollar - 103.58 (2008 est.), 117.99 (2007), 116.18 (2006), 110.22 (2005), 108.19 (2004)
|
| Military Budget as percentage of GDP |
7.300%
| 0.800%
|
| Beijing Olympics Medal Count |
1
| 25
|
| Location |
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon
| Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula
|
| Area |
20,770 km sq
| 377,915 km sq
|
| Coastline |
273 km
| 29,751 km
|
| Climate |
temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas
| varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north
|
|
|
|
