Background: While retaining its time-honored culture Japan rapidly absorbed Western technology during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. After its devastating defeat in World War II Japan recovered to become the second most powerful economy in the world 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 in the 1990s following three decades of unprecedented growth.

Geographic coordinates: 36 00 N, 138 00 E

Map reference: Asia

Area
Total: 377,835 km²
Land: 374,744 km²
Water: 3,091 km²
Note: includes Bonin Islands (Ogasawara-gunto), Daito-shoto, Minami-jima, Okinotori-shima, Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto), and Volcano Islands (Kazan-retto)
Comparative: slightly smaller than California

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 29,751 km

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

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

Terrain: mostly rugged and mountainous

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

Natural resources: negligible mineral resources, fish

Land use
Arable land: 11%
Permanent crops: 1%
Permanent pastures: 2%
Forests and woodland: 67%
Other: 19% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 27,820 km² (1993 est.)

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

Geography
Note: strategic location in northeast Asia

Population: 125,732,794 (July 1997 est.)
Growth rate: 0.23% (1997 est.)

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

Ethnic groups: Japanese 99.4%, other 0.6% (mostly Korean)

Languages: Japanese

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

Age structure
0-14 years: 15% (male 9,931,114; female 9,464,940)
15-64 years: 69% (male 43,577,219; female 43,250,874)
65 years and over: 16% (male 8,089,200; female 11,419,447) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.23% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 10.01 births/1000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 7.39 deaths/1000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.37 migrant(s)/1000 population (1997 est.)

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

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
Total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 4 deaths/1000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 80.45 years
Male: 77.4 years
Female: 83.65 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.44 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 99% (1970 est.)
Male: NA%
Female: NA%

Country name
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Japan

Government type: constitutional monarchy

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 the Emperor, 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)
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

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 March 1997 is as follows - LDP 112, NFP 61, SDP 23, JCP 14, Sakigake 3, others 39; 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 and independents 15; note - the distribution of seats as of March 1997 is as follows - LDP 241, NFP 141, DPJ 52, JCP 26, SDP 15, Sun Party 10, others and independents 15

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

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

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Kunihiko SAITO
In the us chancery: 2,520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 939-6,700
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 328-2,187
In the us consulates 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
In the us consulates: Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands)
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant)
From the us embassy: 10-5, Akasaka 1-chome, Minato-ku (107), Tokyo
From the us mailing address: Unit 45,004, Box 258, APO AP 96,337-0001
From the us telephone: [81] (3) 3,224-5,000
From the us FAX: [81] (3) 3,505-1862
From the us consulates general: Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, Sapporo
From the us consulates: Fukuoka, Nagoya

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

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 slowly 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 considerably 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 in 1996, largely a reflection of stimulative fiscal and monetary policies as well as low rates of inflation and social disorder. As a result of the expansionary fiscal policies and declining tax revenues due to the recession, Japan currently 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.

Real gdp growth rate: 3.6% (1996)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $22,700 (1996 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 2%
Industry: 41.5%
Services: 56.5% (1995)

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

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

Industrial production growth rate: 2.4% (1996 est.)

Labor force
Total: 67.23 million (March 1997)
By occupation trade and services: 50%
By occupation construction: 33%
By occupation utilities and communication: 7%
By occupation agriculture forestry and fishing: 6%
By occupation government: 3% (1994)

Unemployment rate: 3.4% (1996)

Budget
Revenues: $528 billion
Expenditures: $673 billion, including capital expenditures (public works only) of about $75 billion (FY97/98 est.)

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Exports
Total value: $385 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
Commodities: manufactures 96% (including machinery 50%, motor vehicles 19%, consumer electronics 3%)
Partners: Southeast Asia 37%, US 27%, Western Europe 15%, China 5%

Imports
Total value: $329 billion (c.i.f., 1996 est.)
Commodities: manufactures 54%, foodstuffs and raw materials 28%, fossil fuels 16%
Partners: Southeast Asia 24%, US 22%, Western Europe 15%, China 12%

Debt external: $NA

Exchange rates: yen (¥) per US$1 - 118.02 (January 1997), 108.78 (1996), 94.06 (1995), 102.21 (1994), 111.20 (1993), 126.65 (1992)

Electricity
Capacity: 199.88 million kW (1994)
Production: 992.5 billion kWh (1995)
Consumption per capita: 6,895 kWh (1995 est.)

Telephones: 64 million (1987 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)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $48.5 billion (FY96/97)
Percent of gdp: 1% (FY96/97)

Airports: 164 (1996 est.)
With paved runways total: 162
With paved runways over 3047 m: 6
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 32
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 35
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 29
With paved runways under 914 m: 60 (1996 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 2
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2 (1996 est.)

Heliports: 12 (1996 est.)

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

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

Merchant marine
Total: 773 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 15,026,322 GRT/21,941,516 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 178, cargo 56, chemical tanker 7, combination bulk 6, combination ore/oil 6, container 38, liquefied gas tanker 39, oil tanker 254, passenger 8, passenger-cargo 2, refrigerated cargo 38, roll-on/roll-off cargo 43, short-sea passenger 23, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 73
Note: Japan owns an additional 1,579 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 54,474,380 DWT operating under the registries of The Bahamas, Burma, Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, Honduras, South Korea, Kuwait, Liberia, Malta, Malaysia, Panama, Philippines, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Singapore, Thailand, US, and Vanuatu (1996 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 disputed with South Korea; Senkaku-shoto (Senkaku Islands) claimed by China and Taiwan