Ethnic Composition
| Japanese |
99% |
| (Including Korean, Chinese, Brazilian,
Filipino) |
|
| Other (mostly Korean) |
1% |
|
Religious Composition
| Shinto and Buddhist |
84% |
| Other (including Christian, 0.7%) |
16% |
|
Languages SpokenJapanese |
Education and LiteracyIn Japan, 99 percent of the population are considered
literate. |
Labor Force
Total:
67.7 million (2000)
By occupation:
| Services |
65% |
| Industry |
30% |
| Agriculture |
5% |
|
Geography |
Land Mass Total145,882 sq mi (377,835 sq km)
Note:
Includes Bonin Islands
(Ogasawara-gunt
o), Daito-shoto, Minami-jima, Okino-shima, Ryukyu
Islands (Nansei-shoto), and Volcano Islands (Kazan
Retto). |
Land144,689 sq mi (374,744 sq km) |
Water
1,193 sq mi
(3,091 sq km) |
Land Boundaries0 sq mi (0 sq km), island |
Coastline18,486 mi (29,751 km) |
Maritime claimContiguous zone:
24 nm
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 |
Climate/WeatherVaries from tropical in south to cool temperate in north.
|
TerrainMostly rugged and mountainous. |
Elevation extremesLowest:
Hachiro-gata 13 ft (4 m)
Highest:
Fujiyama 12,388 ft (3,776 m) |
Natural ResourcesNegligible mineral resources, fish. |
Land use
| Arable land |
12% |
| Permanent crops |
1% |
| Other |
87% |
(1998) |
Natural hazardsMany dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500 seismic
occurrences (mostly tremors) every year; tsunamis. |
Environment - current issuesAir 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. |
Geography NoteStrategic location in northeast Asia. |
Demographics |
Population
126,974,628
(July 2002) |
Age structure
| 0-14 years: |
14.5% |
Male: 9,465,282 |
Female: 8,999,888 |
| 15-64 years: |
67.5% |
Male: 43,027,320 |
Female: 42,586,112 |
| 65 years and over: |
18% |
Male: 9,664,112 |
Female:13,231,914 |
|
Growth Rate0.15% (2002) |
Life Expectancy80.91 years
Female: 84.25 years
Male: 77.73 years |
GDP Per CapitaPurchasing power parity
US$27,200 (2001) |
Infant Mortality3.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2002) |
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: |
0.73 male(s)/female |
| Total population: |
0.96 male(s)/female |
(2002) |
Net migration rate0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002) |
Economy & Trade |
Government-industry cooperation, a strong work
ethic, mastery of high technology, and a comparatively small
defense allocation (1% of GDP) have helped Japan advance with
extraordinary rapidity to the rank of second most
technologically powerful economy in the world after the U.S.
and third largest economy in the world after the U.S. and
China. 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. Both features are now
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
percent of its requirements of other grain and fodder
crops. Japan maintains one of the world's largest fishing
fleets and accounts for nearly 15 percent of the global
catch.
For three decades overall real economic growth had been
spectacular: a 10 percent average in the 1960s, a 5
percent average in the 1970s, and a 4 percent average
in the 1980s. Growth slowed markedly in the 1990s largely
because of the aftereffects of over investment during the late
1980s and domestic policies intended to wring speculative
excesses from the stock and real estate markets. Government
efforts to revive economic growth have met with little success
and were further hampered in 2000-01 by the slowing of the U.S.
and Asian economies. The crowding of habitable land area and
the aging of the population are two major long-run problems.
Robotics constitutes a key long-term economic strength, with
Japan possessing 410,000 of the world's 720,000 "working
robots".
On the "macro" side of the economy, analysts both domestic and
foreign hold out little hope for major improvements in the
Japanese fiscal picture. Predictions of 7 percent plus
unemployment underpinned with government deficits in excess of
11 percent of GDP do not presage a speedy recovery.
Japan's decline and current stasis has cast a general cloud of
economic gloom throughout Asia. Japan may rise again, but it
will have to do so under its own power, as the other G7
economies and foreign investors have grown tired of the lack of
reform.
|
Unemployment4.9% (2001) |
Inflation Rate-0.6% (2001) |
Industries
Japan is among world's largest and most
technologically advanced producers of motor vehicles,
electronic equipment, machine tools, steel and nonferrous
metals, ships, chemicals, textiles, and processed foods. |
ExportsUS$404.6 billion (f.o.b., 2001) |
ImportsUS$331.6 billion (f.o.b., 2001) |
Total TradePurchasing power parity
GDP US$3.45 trillion (2001) |
Top Export PartnersUS 29.7%, Taiwan 7.5%, South Korea 6.4%, China 6.3%, Hong Kong
5.7% (2000) |
Top Import PartnersUS 19%, China 14.5%, South Korea 5.4%, Taiwan 4.7%, Indonesia
4.3%, Australia 3.9% (2000) |
Top ExportsMotor vehicles, semiconductors, office machinery, chemicals
|
Top ImportsFuels, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, office machinery |
Economic aidDonor: ODA, $9.1 billion (1999) |
Fiscal Year:April 1 to March 31 |
Business Workweek
|
| |
Monday - Friday |
Saturday -
Sunday |
| Offices |
9a.m. to 5p.m. |
Saturday from 9a.m. to
noon. |
| Retail |
10a.m. to 6 or 7p.m. but closed one day
during the week. |
Most shops are open on
weekends. |
| Banks |
9a.m. to 3p.m. |
Closed |
| Government |
9a.m. to 5p.m. |
Local government offices are
open the first and third Saturdays of the month until
noon. |
|
Holidays |
Official Holidays
| Holidays |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
| New Year's Day |
January 1 |
January 1 |
January 1 |
| Bank Holiday |
January 2 |
January 2 |
January 2 |
| Bank Holiday |
January 3 |
January 3 |
January 3 |
| Coming of Age Day¹ |
January 14 |
January 13 |
January 12 |
| National Foundation Day |
February 11 |
February 11 |
February 11 |
| Vernal Equinox² |
March 21 |
March 20 |
March 20 |
| Greenery Day |
April 29 |
April 29 |
April 29 |
| Constitution Memorial Day |
May 3 |
May 3 |
May 3 |
| National Holiday |
May 4 |
May 4 |
May 4 |
| Children's Day |
May 5 |
May 5 |
May 5 |
| Marine Day |
July 20 |
July 20 |
July 20 |
| Respect for the Aged Day |
September 15 |
September 15 |
September 15 |
| Autumnal Equinox³ |
September 23 |
September 23 |
September 23 |
| Health and Sports Day*¹ |
October 13 |
October 11 |
October 10 |
| National Culture Day |
November 3 |
November 3 |
November 3 |
| Labor Thanksgiving Day |
November 23 |
November 23 |
November 23 |
| Emperor's Birthday |
December 23 |
December 23 |
December 23 |
| Bank Holiday |
December 31 |
December 31 |
December 31 |
| ¹ |
Observed the second Monday in
January. |
| ² |
The Vernal Equinox in Japan is the day
when the sun crosses the equator making night and day of
equal length. This is a national holiday, and also
a time to pay respects to ancestors. |
| ³ |
Autumnal equinox, or winter solstice is
the day when the sun crosses the equator from north to
south. This is a national holiday, and a day when
Japanese pay respects to their ancestors. |
| *¹ |
Observed the second Monday in
October. |
Note: In addition to the above public holidays, many Japanese
companies and government offices traditionally close for
several days during the New Year's holiday season (December 28
to January 3). Although it depends on the company, many close
during "Golden Week" (April 29 to May 5) and the traditional
"O-Bon" (Festival of Souls) period for several days in
mid-August (usually about August 12 to 15). |
