Japan Location:
Physical. Japan is a chain of islands located in Eastern Asia between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan It is slightly smaller than California. Japan's climate varies from tropical in the south to cool and temperate in the north. The terrain is rugged and mountainous. Japan's primary natural resource is fish.
Japan Geography:
Geography
Area: 145,882 square miles
Capital: Tokyo (pop 26,546,000)
Environmental concerns: air and water pollution; acidification of water; depletion of global resources of fish and tropical timber due to Japanese demand
Geographical features: mostly rugged and mountainous
Climate: tropical in the south to cool temperate in the north
Japan People:
People. Over 127 million people live in Japan. Japanese is the official and predominant language. Ethnically, the country is highly monoracial with 99% of Japanese descent while the remaining 1% is composed mostly of Korean descendants. Two primary religious traditions, Shinto and Buddhism, are practiced by 84% of inhabitants. Of the remaining 16%, 0.7% follow a Christian religion.
127,333,000 people; Japanese (99%); remaining 1% mostly Korean
Annual growth rate: 0.08%
Major language: Japanese
Religions: observe both Shinto and Buddhist (84%)
Japan Government:
Government. The Constitution of post-war Japan names the Japanese people as the ultimate source of sovereignty and the Emperor as the national symbol. The national parliament or Diet is composed of two houses, the House of Representatives and the House of Councilors. The prime minister assisted by a cabinet is also the leader of the party with the most seats in the Diet. Due to the factional nature of Japanese party politics, the cabinet and other political positions rotate frequently. There would be instability in governance except that the Japanese bureaucracy drafts 80% of the bills submitted to the Diet. Emperor Akihito has been the emperor since 1989 when he succeeded his father. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is the current prime minister.
Japan is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government traditionally founded in 660 B.C.; constitutional monarchy established in 1947
Emperor Akihito is the head of state; Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is the head of the government
7 major political parties
Suffrage: universal at 20
Japan Communication:
Communication and transportation
71,149,000 main telephone lines (2002)
57,200,000 Internet users (2002)
686,616 miles of highway
14,202 miles of railroad
174 airfields
68,030,000 motor vehicles
Japan Economy:
Economy. Japan has created the second largest economy in the world. Between the 1960's and the early 1990's, Japan experienced an era of unprecedented economic prosperity, annually growing three times as much as other industrialized nations. A recession in the 1990's continues to some extent today with the weaknesses of the economy a concern all over the world. Japan has attempted to dismantle some trade barriers, but high tariffs and other regulations make it difficult for foreign companies to do business in Japan. Despite this, foreign investment has risen annually in Japan.
Currency: yen
Per capita GDP: $28,200
GDP: $ 3.4582 trillion
GDP growth rate: 2.7%
Inflation rate: -0.3%
Labor force: (5%) agricultural; (25%) industry; (70%) services
Japan Information:
http://www.jin.jcic.or.jp
www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook | 
