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Communications

Airports [time series]

165 total, 157 usable; 129 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 29 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 56 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air [time series]

360 major transport aircraft

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

1,098,900 km total; 718,700 km paved, 380,200 km gravel, crushed stone, or unpaved; 3,900 km national expressways, 46,544 km national highways, 43,907 km principal local roads, 86,930 km prefectural roads, and 917,619 other (1987)

Waterways (Inland waterways) [time series]

about 1,770 km; seagoing craft ply all coastal inland seas

Merchant marine [time series]

1,019 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 22,396,958 GRT/34,683,035 DWT; includes 9 passenger, 55 short-sea passenger, 4 passenger cargo, 95 cargo, 40 container, 33 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 125 refrigerated cargo, 99 vehicle carrier, 231 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 14 chemical tanker, 41 liquefied gas, 11 combination ore/oil, 3 specialized tanker, 257 bulk, 2 combination bulk; note--Japan also owns a large flag of convenience fleet, including up to 40% of the total number of ships under Panamanian flag

Pipelines [time series]

crude oil, 84 km; refined products, 322 km; natural gas, 1,800 km

Ports [time series]

Chiba, Muroran, Kitakyushu, Kobe, Tomakomai, Nagoya, Osaka, Tokyo, Yokkaichi, Yokohama, Kawasaki, Niigata, Fushiki-Toyama, Shimizu, Himeji, Wakayama-Shimozu, Shimonoseki, Tokuyama-Shimomatsu

Railways (Railroads) [time series]

27,327 km total; 2,012 km 1.435-meter standard gauge and 25,315 km predominantly 1.067-meter narrow gauge; 5,724 km doubletrack and multitrack sections, 9,038 km 1.067-meter narrow-gauge electrified, 2,012 km 1.435-meter standard-gauge electrified (1987)

Telecommunication systems (Telecommunications) [time series]

excellent domestic and international service; 64,000,000 telephones; stations--318 AM, 58 FM, 12,350 TV (196 major--1 kw or greater); satellite earth stations--4 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT; submarine cables to US (via Guam), Philippines, China, and USSR

Defense Forces

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (Army), Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (Navy), Japan Air Self-Defense Force (Air Force), Maritime Safety Agency (Coast Guard)

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

$NA, 1.0% of GNP (1990 est.)

Manpower availability [time series]

males 15-49, 32,256,893; 27,771,374 fit for military service; 992,255 reach military age (18) annually

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

accounts for only 2% of GNP; highly subsidized and protected sector, with crop yields among highest in world; principal crops--rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit; animal products include pork, poultry, dairy and eggs; about 50% self-sufficient in food production; shortages of wheat, corn, soybeans; world's largest fish catch of 11.9 million metric tons in 1988

Budget [time series]

revenues $499 billion; expenditures $532 billion, including capital expenditures (public works only) of $52 billion (FY90)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

yen (plural--yen); 1 yen (3) = 100 sen

Economic aid [time series]

donor--ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $83.2 billion; ODA outlay of $7.9 billion in 1989

Electricity [time series]

191,000,000 kW capacity; 790,000 million kWh produced, 6,390 kWh per capita (1989)

Exchange rates [time series]

yen (3) per US$1--133.88 (January 1991), 144.79 (1990), 137.96 (1989), 128.15 (1988), 144.64 (1987), 168.52 (1986), 238.54 (1985)

Exports [time series]

$286.5 billion (f.o.b., 1990); commodities--manufactures 97% (including machinery 38%, motor vehicles 17%, consumer electronics 10%); partners--US 31%, Southeast Asia 29%, Western Europe 21%, Communist countries 3%, Middle East 3%

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$NA

Fiscal year [time series]

1 April-31 March

GNP [time series]

$2,115.2 billion, per capita $17,100; real growth rate 5.6% (1990)

Imports [time series]

$234.7 billion (c.i.f., 1990); commodities--manufactures 50%, fossil fuels 24%, foodstuffs and raw materials 26%; partners--Southeast Asia 23%, US 23%, Western Europe 18%, Middle East 13%, Communist countries 7%

Industrial production growth rate (Industrial production) [time series]

growth rate 4.6% (1990 est.); accounts for 30% of GDP (mining and manufacturing)

Industries [time series]

metallurgy, engineering, electrical and electronic, textiles, chemicals, automobiles, fishing, telecommunications

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

3.1% (1990)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

Although Japan has few natural resources, since 1971 it has become the world's third-largest economy, ranking behind only the US and the USSR. Government-industry cooperation, a strong work ethic, and a comparatively small defense allocation have helped Japan advance rapidly, notably in high-technology fields. Industry, the most important sector of the economy, is heavily dependent on imported raw materials and fuels. Self-sufficent in rice, Japan must import 50% of its requirements for other grain and fodder crops. Japan maintains one of the world's largest fishing fleets and accounts for nearly 15% of the global catch. Overall economic growth has been spectacular: a 10% average in the 1960s, a 5% average in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1990 strong investment and consumption spending helped maintain growth at 5.6%. Inflation remains low at 3.1% despite higher oil prices and rising wages because of a tight labor market. Japan continues to run a huge trade surplus, $52 billion in 1990, which supports extensive investment in foreign properties.

Unemployment rate [time series]

2.1% (1990)

Geography

Climate [time series]

varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north

Coastline [time series]

29,751 km Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm (3 nm in international straits--La Perouse or Soya, Tsugaru, Osumi, and Eastern and Western channels of the Korea or Tsushima Strait)

Area - comparative (Comparative area) [time series]

slightly smaller than California

Disputes - international (Disputes) [time series]

Etorofu, Kunashiri, and Shikotan Islands and the Habomai island group occupied by Soviet Union since 1945, claimed by Japan; Liancourt Rocks disputed with South Korea; Senkaku-shoto (Senkaku Islands) claimed by China and Taiwan

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

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

Land boundaries [time series]

none

Land use [time series]

arable land 13%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 1%; forest and woodland 67%; other 18%; includes irrigated 9%

Natural resources [time series]

negligible mineral resources, fish

Note [time series]

strategic location in northeast Asia

Terrain [time series]

mostly rugged and mountainous

Area (Total area) [time series]

377,835 km2; land area: 374,744 km2; includes Bonin Islands (Ogasawara-gunto), Daito-shoto, Minami-jima, Okinotori-shima, Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto), and Volcano Islands (Kazan-retto)

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

47 prefectures (fuken, singular and plural); 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

Capital [time series]

Tokyo

Political parties (Communists) [time series]

about 490,000 registered Communist party members

Constitution [time series]

3 May 1947

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation) [time series]

Ambassador Ryohei MURATA; Chancery at 2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 939-6700; there are Japanese Consulates General in Agana (Guam), Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Kansas City (Missouri), Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and Portland (Oregon), and a Consulate in Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands); US--Ambassador Michael H. ARMACOST; Embassy at 10-1, Akasaka 1-chome, Minato-ku (107), Tokyo (mailing address is APO San Francisco 96503); telephone [81] (3) 3224-5000; there are US Consulates General in Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, and Sapporo and a Consulate in Fukuoka

Executive branch [time series]

emperor, prime minister, Cabinet

Flag [time series]

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

Independence [time series]

660 BC, traditional founding by Emperor Jimmu

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court Chief of State--Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989); Head of Government--Prime Minister Kiichi MIYAZAWA (since 5 November 1991) Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Toshiki KAIFU, president; Keizo OBUCHI, secretary general; Japan Socialist Party (JSP), T. DOI, chairman; Democratic Socialist Party (DSP), Keigo OUCHI, chairman; Japan Communist Party (JCP), K. MIYAMOTO, Presidium chairman; Komeito (Clean Government Party, CGP), Koshiro ISHIDA, chairman

Legal system [time series]

civil law system with English-American influence; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Legislative branch [time series]

bicameral Diet (Kokkai) consists of an upper house or House of Councillors (Sangi-in) and a lower house or House of Representatives (Shugi-in)

Country name (Long-form name) [time series]

none

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

AfDB, AG (observer), APEC, AsDB, BIS, CCC, COCOM, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, G-2, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LORCS, NEA, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

National holiday [time series]

Birthday of the Emperor, 23 December (1933)

Suffrage [time series]

universal at age 20 House of Councillors--last held on 23 July 1989 (next to be held 23 July 1992); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(252 total, 100 elected) LDP 109, JSP 67, CGP 21, JCP 14, other 41; House of Representatives--last held on 18 February 1990 (next to be held by February 1993); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(512 total) LDP 275, JSP 136, CGP 45, JCP 16, DSP 14, other parties 5, independents 21; note--9 independents are expected to join the LDP, 5 the JSP

Government type (Type) [time series]

constitutional monarchy

People

Birth rate [time series]

10 births/1,000 population (1991)

Death rate [time series]

7 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

Japanese 99.4%, other (mostly Korean) 0.6%

Infant mortality rate [time series]

4 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

Labor force [time series]

63,330,000; trade and services 54%; manufacturing, mining, and construction 33%; agriculture, forestry, and fishing 7%; government 3% (1988)

Languages (Language) [time series]

Japanese

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

76 years male, 82 years female (1991)

Literacy [time series]

99% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write (1970 est.)

Nationality [time series]

noun--Japanese (sing., pl.); adjective--Japanese

Net migration rate [time series]

0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

Organized labor [time series]

about 29% of employed workers; public service 76.4%, transportation and telecommunications 57.9%, mining 48.7%, manufacturing 33.7%, services 18.2%, wholesale, retail, and restaurant 9.3%

Population [time series]

124,017,137 (July 1991), growth rate 0.4% (1991)

Religions (Religion) [time series]

most Japanese observe both Shinto and Buddhist rites so the percentages add to more than 100%--Shinto 95.8%, Buddhist 76.3%, Christian 1.4%, other 12% (1985)

Total fertility rate [time series]

1.6 children born/woman (1991)