Map of Japan | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

top of page


Background: 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 an economic power. In March 2011, Japan's strongest-ever earthquake, and an accompanying tsunami, devastated the northeast part of Honshu island, killed thousands, and damaged several nuclear power plants. The catastrophe hobbled the country's economy and its energy infrastructure, and tested its ability to deal with humanitarian disasters. Prime Minister Shinzo ABE was reelected to office in December 2012, and has since embarked on ambitious economic and security reforms to improve Japan's economy and bolster the country's international standing.


top of page


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

Geographic coordinates: 36 00 N, 138 00 E

Map reference: Asia

Area
Total: note: includes Bonin Islands (Ogasawara-gunto), Daito-shoto, Minami-jima, Okino-tori-shima, Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto), and Volcano Islands (Kazan-retto)
Land: 364,485 km²
Water: 13,430 km²
Rank: 63
Comparative: slightly smaller than California

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 29,751 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm; between 3 nm and 12 nm in the international straits - La Perouse or Soya Tsugaru Osumi and Eastern and Western Channels of the Korea or Tsushima Strait
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm

Climate: varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north

Terrain: mostly rugged and mountainous

Elevation
Mean elevation: 438 m
Elevation extremes: -4 m
Note: lowest point: Hachiro-gata

Natural resources: negligible mineral resources, fish, note, with virtually no natural energy resources, Japan is the world's largest importer of coal and liquefied natural gas, as well as the second largest importer of oil

Land use
Agricultural land: 12.5% (2011 est.)
Forest: 68.5% (2011 est.)
Other: 19% (2011 est.)

Irrigated land: 24,690 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500 seismic occurrences (mostly tremors but occasional severe earthquakes) every year; tsunamis; typhoonsvolcanism: 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'

Geography
Note: note 1: strategic location in northeast Asia; composed of four main islands - from north: Hokkaido, Honshu (the largest and most populous), Shikoku, and Kyushu (the 'Home Islands') - and 6,848 smaller islands and islets


top of page


Population
Distribution: 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): 126,168,156 (July 2018 est.)
Rank: 10
Growth rate: -0.24% (2018 est.)
Growth rate rank: 212
Below poverty line: 16.1% (2013 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Japanese (singular and plural)
Adjective: Japanese

Ethnic groups:

Languages: Japanese

Religions:

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 12.71% (male 8,251,336 /female 7,787,234)
15-24 years: 9.63% (male 6,397,995 /female 5,746,140)
25-54 years: 37.28% (male 23,246,562 /female 23,784,273)
55-64 years: 12.01% (male 7,588,597 /female 7,563,245)
65 years and over: 28.38% (male 15,655,860 /female 20,146,914) (2018 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 64 (2015 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 21.3 (2015 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 42.7 (2015 est.)
Potential support ratio: 2.3 (2015 est.)

Median age
Total: 47.7 years
Male: 46.4 years
Female: 49.2 years (2018 est.)
Rank: 2

Population growth rate: -0.24% (2018 est.)
Rank: 212

Birth rate: 7.5 births/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 223

Death rate: 9.9 deaths/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 37

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 87

Population distribution: 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)

Urbanization
Urban population: 91.6% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: -0.14% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 37.468 million TOKYO (capital), 19.281 million Osaka, 9.507 million Nagoya, 5.551 million Kitakyushu-Fukuoka, 2.899 million Shizuoka-Hamamatsu, 2.665 million Sapporo (2018)

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 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
International agreements party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
15-24 years: 1.11 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
25-54 years: 0.98 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
55-64 years: 1 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
Total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 30.7 years (2015 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 2 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Male: 2.2 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Female: 1.7 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Rank: 222

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 85.5 years (2018 est.)
Male: 82.2 years (2018 est.)
Female: 89 years (2018 est.)
Rank: 2

Total fertility rate: 1.42 children born/woman (2018 est.)
Rank: 209

Contraceptive prevalence rate:

Drinking water source
Urban: 0% of population
Rural: 0% of population
Total: 0% of population (2015 est.)

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 2.37 physicians/1000 population (2014)

Hospital bed density: 13.4 beds/1000 population (2012)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 0% of population (2015 est.)
Rural: 0% of population (2015 est.)
Total: 0% of population (2015 est.)

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate note: <.1% (2017 est.)
People living with hivaids: 28,000 (2017 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 73
Deaths note: <200 (2017 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 4.3% (2016)
Rank: 186

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 3.4% (2010)
Rank: 95

Education expenditures: 3.6% of GDP (2014)
Rank: 124

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 15 years (2014)
Male: 15 years (2014)
Female: 15 years (2014)

Youth unemployment


top of page


Country name
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

Government type: parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Capital
Name: Tokyo
Geographic coordinates: 35 41 N, 139 45 E
Time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions: 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

Dependent areas

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

National holiday: Birthday of Emperor AKIHITO, 23 December (1933); note - celebrates the birthday of the current emperor

Constitution
History: previous 1890; latest approved 6 October 1946, adopted 3 November 1946, effective 3 May 1947 (2017)
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 (2017)

Legal system: 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

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989); note - The Imperial Council ruled on 2 December 2017 that the Emperor will be allowed to abdicate in April 2019
Head of government: Prime Minister Shinzo ABE (since 26 December 2012); Deputy Prime Minister Taro ASO (since 26 December 2012)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister
Electionsappointments: the monarchy is hereditary; the leader of the majority party or majority coalition in the House of Representatives usually becomes prime minister

Legislative branch
Description:
Elections:
Election results:: note: the Diet in June 2017 redrew Japan's electoral district boundaries and reduced from 475 to 465 seats in the House of Representatives; the amended electoral law, which cuts 6 seats in single-seat districts and 4 in multi-seat districts, was reportedly intended to reduce voting disparities between densely and sparsely populated voting districts

Judicial branch
Highest courts: 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 judges 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)

Political parties and leaders: Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan or CDP [Yukio EDANO]Democratic Party of Japan or DPJ [Kohei OTSUKA]Group of Reformists [Sakihito OZAWA]Initiatives from Osaka (Osaka Ishin no kai) [Ichiro MATSUI]Japan Communist Party or JCP [Kazuo SHII]Japan Innovation Party or JIP [Ichiro MATSUI]Party of Hope or Kibo no To [Yuichiro TAMAKI]Komeito [Natsuo YAMAGUCHI]Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Shinzo ABE]Liberal Party [Ichiro OZAWA] (formerly People's Life Party & Taro Yamamoto and Friends or PLPTYF)New Renaissance Party [Hiroyuki ARAI]Party for Japanese Kokoro or PJK [Masashi NAKANO]Social Democratic Party or SDP [Tadatomo YOSHIDA]The Assembly to Energize Japan and the Independents [Kota MATSUDA]

International organization participation: ADB, AfDB (nonregional member), APEC, Arctic Council (observer), ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, CD, CE (observer), CERN (observer), CICA (observer), CP, CPLP (associate), EAS, EBRD, EITI (implementing country), FAO, FATF, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, G-20, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAIA (observer), MIGA, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE (partner), Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC (observer), SELEC (observer), SICA (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMISS, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Shinsuke SUGIYAMA (since 28 March 2018) (2018)
In the us chancery: 2,520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 238-6,700
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 328-2,187
In the us consulate: Anchorage (AK), Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver (CO), Detroit (MI), Honolulu, Houston, Las Vegas (NV), Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville (TN), New Orleans, New York, Oklahoma City (OK), Orlando (FL), Philadelphia, Phoenix (AZ), Portland (OR), San Francisco, Seattle, Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands), Tamuning (Guam)
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador William F. Bill HAGERTY, IV (since 31 August 2017)
From the us embassy: 1-10-5 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8,420
From the us mailing address: Unit 9,800, Box 300, APO AP 96,303-0300
From the us telephone: [81] (03) 3,224-5,000
From the us FAX: [81] (03) 3,505-1862
From the us consulate:

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

National symbols: red sun disc, chrysanthemum; national colors: red, white

National anthem
Name: Kimigayo (The Emperors Reign)
Lyricsmusic: 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

National heritage


top of page


Economy overview: Over the past 70 years, government-industry cooperation, a strong work ethic, mastery of high technology, and a comparatively small defense allocation (slightly less than 1% of GDP) have helped Japan develop an advanced economy. Two notable characteristics of the post-World War II 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 have significantly eroded under the dual pressures of global competition and domestic demographic change.Measured on a purchasing power parity basis that adjusts for price differences, Japan in 2017 stood as the fourth-largest economy in the world after first-place China, which surpassed Japan in 2001, and third-place India, which edged out Japan in 2012. For three postwar decades, overall real economic growth was impressive - averaging 10% in the 1960s, 5% in the 1970s, and 4% in the 1980s. Growth slowed markedly in the 1990s, averaging just 1.7%, largely because of the aftereffects of inefficient investment and the collapse of an asset price bubble in the late 1980s, which resulted in several years of economic stagnation as firms sought to reduce excess debt, capital, and labor. Modest economic growth continued after 2000, but the economy has fallen into recession four times since 2008.Japan enjoyed an uptick in growth since 2013, supported by Prime Minister Shinzo ABE’s 'Three Arrows' economic revitalization agenda - dubbed 'Abenomics' - of monetary easing, 'flexible' fiscal policy, and structural reform. Led by the Bank of Japan’s aggressive monetary easing, Japan is making modest progress in ending deflation, but demographic decline - a low birthrate and an aging, shrinking population - poses a major long-term challenge for the economy. The government currently faces the quandary of balancing its efforts to stimulate growth and institute economic reforms with the need to address its sizable public debt, which stands at 235% of GDP. To help raise government revenue, Japan adopted legislation in 2012 to gradually raise the consumption tax rate. However, the first such increase, in April 2014, led to a sharp contraction, so Prime Minister ABE has twice postponed the next increase, which is now scheduled for October 2019. Structural reforms to unlock productivity are seen as central to strengthening the economy in the long-run.Scarce in critical natural resources, Japan has long been dependent on imported energy and raw materials. After the complete shutdown of Japan’s nuclear reactors following the earthquake and tsunami disaster in 2011, Japan's industrial sector has become even more dependent than before on imported fossil fuels. However, ABE’s government is seeking to restart nuclear power plants that meet strict new safety standards and is emphasizing nuclear energy’s importance as a base-load electricity source. In August 2015, Japan successfully restarted one nuclear reactor at the Sendai Nuclear Power Plant in Kagoshima prefecture, and several other reactors around the country have since resumed operations; however, opposition from local governments has delayed several more restarts that remain pending. Reforms of the electricity and gas sectors, including full liberalization of Japan’s energy market in April 2016 and gas market in April 2017, constitute an important part of Prime Minister Abe’s economic program.Under the Abe Administration, Japan’s government sought to open the country’s economy to greater foreign competition and create new export opportunities for Japanese businesses, including by joining 11 trading partners in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Japan became the first country to ratify the TPP in December 2016, but the United States signaled its withdrawal from the agreement in January 2017. In November 2017 the remaining 11 countries agreed on the core elements of a modified agreement, which they renamed the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Japan also reached agreement with the European Union on an Economic Partnership Agreement in July 2017, and is likely seek to ratify both agreements in the Diet this year.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 4

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 164

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 42

Gross national saving:
Rank: 41

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 55.5% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 19.6% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 24% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 17.7% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -16.8% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 1.1% (2017 est.)
Industry: 30.1% (2017 est.)
Services: 68.7% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: vegetables, rice, fish, poultry, fruit, dairy products, pork, beef, flowers, potatoes/taros/yams, sugarcane, tea, legumes, wheat and barley

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

Industrial production growth rate: 1.4% (2017 est.)
Rank: 145

Labor force: 65.01 million (2017 est.)
Rank: 8
By occupation agriculture: 2.9%
By occupation industry: 26.2%
By occupation services: 70.9% (February 2015 est.)

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 34

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 16.1% (2013 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 24.8% (2008)
Highest 10: 24.8% (2008)

Distribution of family income gini index:
Rank: 79

Budget
Revenues: 1.714 trillion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: 1.885 trillion (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -3.5% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 147

Taxes and other revenues: 35.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Rank: 63

Public debt:
Rank: 1

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 27

Central bank discount rate:
Rank: 138

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 191

Stock of narrow money:
Rank: 2

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 2

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 3

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 3

Current account balance:
Rank: 2

Exports:
Rank: 4
Partners: US 19.4%, China 19%, South Korea 7.6%, Hong Kong 5.1%, Thailand 4.2% (2017)
Commodities: 14.9 motor vehicles5.4 iron and steel products5 semiconductors4.8 auto parts3.5 power generating machinery3.3 plastic materials (2014 est.)

Imports:
Rank: 4 (2014 est.)
Partners: China 24.5%, US 11%, Australia 5.8%, South Korea 4.2%, Saudi Arabia 4.1% (2017)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 2

Debt external:
Rank: 7

Stock of direct foreign investment at home:
Rank: 25

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad:
Rank: 8

Exchange rates:


top of page


Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100% (2016)
Production: 989.3 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Production rank: 5
Consumption: 943.7 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption rank: 4
Exports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Exports rank: 152
Imports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 163
Installed generating capacity: 295.9 million kW (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 4
Generation sources fossil fuels: 71% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 105
Generation sources nuclear: 1% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 30
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 8% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 121
Generation sources other renewable sources: 20% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 38

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 3,841 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 81
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 143
Crude oil imports: 3.208 million bbl/day (2017 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 4
Crude oil proven reserves: 44.12 million bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 77

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 3.467 million bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products production rank: 5
Products consumption: 3.894 million bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products consumption rank: 4
Products exports: 370,900 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products exports rank: 24
Products imports: 1.1 million bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products imports rank: 5

Natural gas
Production: 3.058 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Production rank: 57
Consumption: 127.2 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption rank: 5
Exports: 169.9 million m³ (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 47
Imports: 116.6 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Imports rank: 2
Proven reserves: 20.9 billion m³ (1 January 2018 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 74

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 1.268 billion Mt (2017 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 5

Energy consumption per capita


top of page


Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 63,941,094 (2017 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 51 (2017 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 3
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 170,128,499 (2017 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 135 (2017 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 7

Telephone system
General assessment: excellent domestic and international service; Japan has exceedingly high mobile, mobile broadband and fixed broadband penetration; one of Japans largest e-commerce companies planning to build its own nationwide 4G mobile network; Japan govt. to open up to new mobile network operators (MNO) for 5G services to be commercially available in 2020; Japans first Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) commencing during 2018 (2017)
Domestic: high level of modern technology and excellent service of every kind; 51 per 100 for fixed-line and 135 per 100 for mobile-cellular subscriptions (2017)
International: country code - 81; numerous submarine cables provide links throughout Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Europe, 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 (2017)

Broadcast media: 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 (2012)

Internet
Country code: .jp
Users total: 116,565,962 (July 2016 est.)
Users percent of population: 92% (July 2016 est.)
Users rank: 5

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 40,390,640 (2017 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 32 (2017 est.)
Rank: 3


top of page


Military expenditures:
Rank: 121

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; mandatory retirement at age 53 for senior enlisted personnel and at 62 years for senior service officers (2012)

Space program

Terrorist groups
Home based Aum Shinrikyo:


top of page


National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 23 (2015)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 627 (2015)
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 113.762 million (2015)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 8,868,745,000
Note: mt-km (2015)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: JA (2016)

Airports: 175 (2013)
Rank: 33
With paved runways total: 142 (2017)
With paved runways over 3047 m: 6 (2017)
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 45 (2017)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 38 (2017)
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 28 (2017)
With paved runways under 914 m: 25 (2017)
With unpaved runways total: 33 (2013)
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 5 (2013)
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 28 (2013)

Heliports: 16 (2013)

Pipelines: 4,456 km gas, 174 km oil, 104 km oil/gas/water (2013)

Railways
Total: 27,311 km (2015)
Standard gauge: 4,800 km
Note: 1.435-1.067-m gauge (132 km electrified) (2015)
Narrow gauge: 124 km
Dual gauge: 132 km: 22,207 1.067-m gauge (15,430 km electrified)
Rank: 11

Roadways
Total: 1,218,772 km (2015)
Paved: 992,835 km
Note: (includes 8,428 km of expressways) (2015)
Unpaved: 225,937 km (2015)
Rank: 6

Waterways: 1770 km
Note: (seagoing vessels use inland seas) (2010)
Rank: 44

Merchant marine
Total: 5,289 (2017)
By type: bulk carrier 150, container ship 20, general cargo 1963, oil tanker 714, other 2,442 (2017)
Rank: 3

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Chiba, Kawasaki, Kobe, Mizushima, Moji, Nagoya, Osaka, Tokyo, Tomakomai, Yokohama
Container port: Kobe (2,707,000), Nagoya (2,631,000), Osaka (1,970,000), Tokyo (4,150,000), Yokohama (2,787,000) (2015)
LNG terminal: Chita, Fukwoke, Futtsu, Hachinone, Hakodate, Hatsukaichi, Higashi Ohgishima, Higashi Niigata, Himeiji, Joetsu, Kagoshima, Kawagoe, Kita Kyushu, Mizushima, Nagasaki, Naoetsu, Negishi, Ohgishima, Oita, Sakai, Sakaide, Senboku, Shimizu, Shin Minato, Sodegaura, Tobata, Yanai, Yokkaichi: Okinawa - Nakagusuku


top of page


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 hostilitiesJapan and South Korea claim Liancourt Rocks (Take-shima/Tok-do) occupied by South Korea since 1954the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands are also claimed by China and Taiwan

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Stateless persons: 585 (2017)

Illicit drugs