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| Introduction | Japan |
| Background: | In 1603, a Tokugawa shogunate (military dictatorship) ushered in a long period of isolation from foreign influence in order to secure its power. For 250 years this policy enabled Japan to enjoy stablity and a flowering of its indigenous culture. Following the Treaty of Kanagawa with the United States 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 1933 Manchuria was occupied and in 1937 a full-scale invasion of China was launched. 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, actual power rests in networks of powerful politicians, bureaucrats, and business executives. The economy experienced a major slowdown starting in the 1990s following three decades of unprecedented growth. |
| People | Japan |
| Population: | 127,333,002 (July 2004 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 14.3% (male 9,337,867; female 8,876,996) 15-64 years: 66.7% (male 42,697,264; female 42,196,835) 65 years and over: 19% (male 10,169,190; female 14,054,850) (2004 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 42.3 years male: 40.5 years female: 44.1 years (2004 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 0.08% (2004 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 9.56 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Death rate: | 8.75 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| 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: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 3.28 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 3.54 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 81.04 years male: 77.74 years female: 84.51 years (2004 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 1.38 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | less than 0.1% (2003 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 12,000 (2003 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | 500 (2003 est.) |
| Nationality: | noun: Japanese (singular and plural) adjective: Japanese |
| Ethnic groups: | Japanese 99%, others 1% (Korean 511,262, Chinese 244,241, Brazilian 182,232, Filipino 89,851, other 237,914) note: up to 230,000 Brazilians of Japanese origin migrated to Japan in the 1990s to work in industries; some have returned to Brazil (2004) |
| Religions: | observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including Christian 0.7%) |
| Languages: | Japanese |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2002) |
| Government | Japan |
| Country name: | conventional long form: none conventional short form: Japan |
| Government type: | constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government |
| Capital: | Tokyo |
| 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 |
| Independence: | 660 BC (traditional founding by Emperor Jimmu) |
| National holiday: | Birthday of Emperor AKIHITO, 23 December (1933) |
| Constitution: | 3 May 1947 |
| 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 |
| Suffrage: | 20 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989) note: following the resignation of Prime Minister Yoshiro MORI, Junichiro KOIZUMI was elected as the new president of the majority Liberal Democratic Party and soon thereafter designated by the Diet to become the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; 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 cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister head of government: Prime Minister Junichiro KOIZUMI (since 26 April 2001) |
| Legislative branch: | bicameral Diet or Kokkai consists of the House of Councillors or Sangi-in (242 seats - members elected for six-year terms; half reelected every three years; 144 members in multi-seat constituencies and 98 by proportional representation); House of Representatives or Shugi-in (480 seats - members elected for four-year terms; 300 in single-seat constituencies; 180 members by proportional representation in 11 regional blocs) election results: House of Councillors - percent of vote by party - LPD 47.52%, DPJ 33.89%, Komeito 9.92%, JCP 3.72%, SDP 2.07%, others 2.88%; seats by party - LDP 115, DPJ 82, Komeito 24, JCP 9, SDP 5, others 7 note: the Liberal Party merged with the Democratic Party of Japan in September 2003; the New Conservative Party merged with the Liberal Democratic Party following the election in November 2003 (2004) : House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - LDP 49.38%, DPJ 36.88%, Komeito 7.09%, JCP 1.88%, SDP 1.25%, NCP .84%; seats by party - LDP 237, DPJ 177, Komeito 34, JCP 9, SDP 6, NCP 4, others 13; distribution of seats as of 13 November 2003 was: LDP 244, DPJ 177, Komeito 34, JCP 9, SDP 6, others 10 elections: House of Councillors - last held 11 July 2004 (next to be held in July 2007); House of Representatives - last held 9 November 2003 (next election by November 2007) |
| 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 [Katsuya OKADA, leader; Hirohisa FUJII, secretary general]; Japan Communist Party or JCP [Kazuo SHII, chairman; Tadayoshi ICHIDA, secretary general]; Komeito [Takenori KANZAKI, president; Tetsuzo FUYUSHIBA, secretary general]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Junichiro KOIZUMI, president; Shinzo ABE, secretary general]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Mizuho FUKUSHIMA, chairperson; Seiji MATAICHI, secretary general] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | NA |
| International organization participation: | AfDB, APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, CE (observer), CERN (observer), CP, EBRD, FAO, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE (partner), Paris Club, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMISET, UNMOVIC, UNRWA, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Ryozo KATO consulate(s) general: Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Hagatna (Guam), 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: [1] (202) 328-2187 chancery: 2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 238-6700 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Howard H. BAKER, Jr. embassy: 10-5 Akasaka 1-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420 mailing address: Unit 45004, Box 258, APO AP 96337-5004 telephone: [81] (03) 3224-5000 FAX: [81] (03) 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 |
| Communications | Japan |
| Telephones - main lines in use: | 71.149 million (2002) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular: | 86,658,600 (2003) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: excellent domestic and international service domestic: high level of modern technology and excellent service of every kind international: country code - 81; 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) (1999) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | AM 215 plus 370 repeaters, FM 89 plus 485 repeaters, shortwave 21 (2001) |
| Radios: | 120.5 million (1997) |
| Television broadcast stations: | 211 plus 7,341 repeaters note: in addition, US Forces are served by 3 TV stations and 2 TV cable services (1999) |
| Televisions: | 86.5 million (1997) |
| Internet country code: | .jp |
| Internet hosts: | 12,962,065 (2003) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 73 (2000) |
| Internet users: | 57.2 million (2002) |
| Transportation | Japan |
| Railways: | total: 23,705 km (16,519 km electrified) standard gauge: 3,204 km 1.435-m gauge (3,204 km electrified) narrow gauge: 77 km 1.372-m gauge (77 km electrified); 20,393 km 1.067-m gauge (13,227 km electrified); 11 km 0.762-m gauge (11 km electrified) (2003) |
| Highways: | total: 1,161,894 km paved: 534,471 km (including 6,455 km of expressways) unpaved: 627,423 km (1999) |
| Waterways: | 1,770 km (seagoing vessels use inland seas) (2004) |
| Pipelines: | gas 2,719 km; oil 170 km; oil/gas/water 60 km (2004) |
| 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 |
| Merchant marine: | total: 568 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 10,149,196 GRT/12,680,544 DWT by type: bulk 113, cargo 39, chemical tanker 18, combination bulk 31, combination ore/oil 1, container 14, liquefied gas 53, passenger 8, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 170, refrigerated cargo 6, roll on/roll off 58, short-sea/passenger 7, vehicle carrier 49 registered in other countries: 1,989 (2003 est.) foreign-owned: China 1, Panama 1, Philippines 1, Singapore 1 |
| Airports: | 174 (2003 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways: | total: 143 over 3,047 m: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 37 914 to 1,523 m: 28 under 914 m: 32 (2004 est.) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 39 |
| Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 31 over 3047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 26 (2004 est.) |
| Heliports: | 15 (2003 est.) |
| Military | Japan |
| Military branches: | Ground Self-Defense Force (Army), Maritime Self-Defense Force (Navy), Air Self-Defense Force (Air Force), Coast Guard |
| Military manpower - military age and obligation: | 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001) |
| Military manpower - availability: | males age 15-49: 29,179,095 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 15-49: 25,189,438 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - reaching military age annually: | males: 700,931 (2004 est.) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $42,488.1 million (2003) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 1% (2003) |
| Transnational Issues | Japan |
| Disputes - 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; intensified media coverage and protests highlight dispute over the fishing-rich Liancourt Rocks (Tok-do/Take-shima) also claimed by South Korea; China and Taiwan have intensified their claims to the Senkaku Islands (Diaoyu Tai) administered by Japan |
| This page was last updated on 16 December, 2004 |
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