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Communications

Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]

AM 318, FM 58, shortwave 0

Radios [time series]

97 million (1993 est.)

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

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)

Telephones - fixed lines (Telephones) [time series]

64 million (1987 est.)

Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]

7,549 (consisting of 6,995 non-government and non-commercial stations, of which 95 are main stations of 1 kW or greater power and 6,900 are low-power stations, and 554 commercial stations of which 113 are main stations and 441 are repeaters); note--in addition, US Forces are served by 3 TV stations and 2 TV cable stations (1997)

Televisions [time series]

100 million (1993 est.)

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture--products) [time series]

rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit; pork, poultry, dairy products, eggs; fish

Budget [time series]

revenues: $407 billion expenditures: $711 billion, including capital expenditures (public works only) of about $86 billion (FY99/00 est.)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

yen (Y)

Debt - external (Debt--external) [time series]

$NA

Economic aid (Economic aid--donor) [time series]

ODA, $9.1 billion (1999)

Economic overview (Economy--overview) [time series]

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 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 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 markedly 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 to 3.9% in 1996, largely a reflection of stimulative fiscal and monetary policies as well as low rates of inflation. But in 1997-98 Japan experienced a wrenching recession, centered about financial difficulties in the banking system and real estate markets and exacerbated by rigidities in corporate structures and labor markets. In early 1999 output has started to stabilize as emergency government spending begins to take hold. The crowding of habitable land area and the aging of the population are two major long-run problems.

Electricity - consumption (Electricity--consumption) [time series]

948.559 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity - exports (Electricity--exports) [time series]

0 kWh (1996)

Electricity - imports (Electricity--imports) [time series]

0 kWh (1996)

Electricity - production (Electricity--production) [time series]

948.559 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity - production by source (Electricity--production by source) [time series]

fossil fuel: 61.47% hydro: 8.34% nuclear: 29.83% other: 0.36% (1996)

Exchange rates [time series]

yen (Y) per US$1--113.18 (January 1999), 130.91 (1998), 120.99 (1997), 108.78 (1996), 94.06 (1995), 102.21 (1994)

Exports [time series]

$440 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Exports - commodities (Exports--commodities) [time series]

manufactures 96% (including machinery 50%, motor vehicles 19%, consumer electronics 3%)

Exports - partners (Exports--partners) [time series]

US 30%, EU 18%, Southeast Asia 12%, China 5%

Fiscal year [time series]

1 April--31 March

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

purchasing power parity--$2.903 trillion (1998 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP--composition by sector) [time series]

agriculture: 2% industry: 38% services: 60% (1997)

Real GDP per capita (GDP--per capita) [time series]

purchasing power parity?$23,100 (1998 est.)

Real GDP growth rate (GDP--real growth rate) [time series]

-2.6% (1998 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Imports [time series]

$319 billion (c.i.f., 1998)

Imports - commodities (Imports--commodities) [time series]

manufactures 54%, foodstuffs and raw materials 28%, fossil fuels 16%

Imports - partners (Imports--partners) [time series]

US 24%, Southeast Asia 14%, EU 14%, China 13%

Industrial production growth rate [time series]

-6.9% (1998)

Industries [time series]

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

0.9% (1998 est.)

Labor force [time series]

67.72 million (November 1998)

Labor force - by occupation (Labor force--by occupation) [time series]

trade and services 50%, manufacturing, mining, and construction 33%, utilities and communication 7%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 6%, government 3% (1994)

Population below poverty line [time series]

NA%

Unemployment rate [time series]

4.4% (November 1998)

Geography

Area [time series]

total: 377,835 sq km land: 374,744 sq km water: 3,091 sq km note: includes Bonin Islands (Ogasawara-gunto), Daito-shoto, Minami-jima, Okino-tori-shima, Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto), and Volcano Islands (Kazan-retto)

Area - comparative (Area--comparative) [time series]

slightly smaller than California

Climate [time series]

varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north

Coastline [time series]

29,751 km

Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]

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

Environment - current issues (Environment--current issues) [time series]

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

International environmental agreements (Environment--international agreements) [time series]

party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertication, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geographic coordinates [time series]

36 00 N, 138 00 E

Geography - note (Geography--note) [time series]

strategic location in northeast Asia

Irrigated land [time series]

27,820 sq km (1993 est.)

Land boundaries [time series]

0 km

Land use [time series]

arable land: 11% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 2% forests and woodland: 67% other: 19% (1993 est.)

Location [time series]

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

Map references [time series]

Asia

Maritime claims [time series]

exclusive economic zone: 200 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

Natural hazards [time series]

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

Natural resources [time series]

negligible mineral resources, fish

Terrain [time series]

mostly rugged and mountainous

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

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

Capital [time series]

Tokyo

Constitution [time series]

3 May 1947

Country name [time series]

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Japan

Data code [time series]

Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas S. FOLEY embassy: 10-5, Akasaka 1-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420 mailing address: Unit 45004, Box 258, APO AP 96337-5004 consulate(s) general: Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, Sapporo consulate(s): Fukuoka, Nagoya

Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Kunihiko SAITO chancery: 2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 consulate(s) general: Hagatna (Guam), Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Honolulu, Houston, Kansas City (Missouri), Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Portland (Oregon), San Francisco, and Seattle consulate(s): Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands)

Executive branch [time series]

chief of state: Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989) head of government: Prime Minister Keizo OBUCHI (since 30 July 1998) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; 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

Flag (Flag description) [time series]

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

Government type [time series]

constitutional monarchy

Independence [time series]

660 BC (traditional founding by Emperor Jimmu)

International organization participation [time series]

AfDB, APEC, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE (observer), CERN (observer), CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, G- 5, G- 7, 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, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNRWA, UNU, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court, chief justice is appointed by the monarch after designation by the cabinet, all other justices are appointed by the cabinet

Legal system [time series]

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

Legislative branch [time series]

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 12 July 1998 (next to be held NA July 2001); 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 102, DPJ 47, JCP 23, Komeito 22, SDP 13, Liberal Party 12, independents 26, others 7; note--the distribution of seats as of January 1999 is as follows--LDP 104, DPJ 56, Komeito 24, JCP 23, SDP 14, Liberal Party 12, independents 5, others 14; 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 15; note--the distribution of seats as of January 1999 is as follows--LDP 266, DPJ 94, Komeito/Reform Club 52, Liberal Party 39, JCP 26, SDP 14, independents 5, others 4

National holiday [time series]

Birthday of the Emperor, 23 December (1933)

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

Liberal Democratic Party or LDP president, Hirohisa FUJII, secretary general]; Japan Communist Party Katsuyuki ISHIDA, secretary general] note: subsequent to the last legislative elections, the New Frontier Party or NFP and the Sun Party disbanded; the DPJ was formed by former members of the SDP and Sakigake and, in April 1998, was joined by three additional parties which had formed after the NFP disbanded; New Peace Party and Komei merged to form Komeito in November 1998

Suffrage [time series]

20 years of age; universal

Military

Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]

Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (Army), Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (Navy), Japan Air Self-Defense Force (Air Force)

Military expenditures - dollar figure (Military expenditures--dollar figure) [time series]

$42.9 billion (FY98/99)

Military expenditures (Military expenditures--percent of GDP) [time series]

0.9% (FY98/99)

Military manpower - availability (Military manpower--availability) [time series]

males age 15-49: 30,646,516 (1999 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service (Military manpower--fit for military service) [time series]

males age 15-49: 26,438,961 (1999 est.)

Military manpower - military age (Military manpower--military age) [time series]

18 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually (Military manpower--reaching military age annually) [time series]

males: 784,658 (1999 est.)

People

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: 15% (male 9,697,851; female 9,242,027) 15-64 years: 68% (male 43,405,024; female 43,023,885) 65 years and over: 17% (male 8,686,347; female 12,126,943) (1999 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

10.48 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate [time series]

8.12 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Ethnic groups [time series]

Japanese 99.4%, other 0.6% (mostly Korean)

Infant mortality rate [time series]

4.07 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Languages [time series]

Japanese

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 80.11 years male: 77.02 years female: 83.35 years (1999 est.)

Literacy [time series]

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% (1970 est.) male: NA% female: NA%

Nationality [time series]

noun: Japanese (singular and plural) adjective: Japanese

Net migration rate [time series]

-0.34 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Population [time series]

126,182,077 (July 1999 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

0.2% (1999 est.)

Religions [time series]

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

Sex ratio [time series]

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: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate [time series]

1.48 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international (Disputes--international) [time series]

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 (Takeshima/Tokdo) disputed with South Korea; Senkaku-shoto (Senkaku Islands) claimed by China and Taiwan

Transportation

Airports [time series]

170 (1998 est.)

Airports - with paved runways (Airports--with paved runways) [time series]

total: 140 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 35 1,524 to 2,437 m: 39 914 to 1,523 m: 30 under 914 m: 31 (1998 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways (Airports--with unpaved runways) [time series]

total: 30 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 28 (1998 est.)

Heliports [time series]

14 (1998 est.)

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

total: 1.16 million km paved: 859,560 km (including 6,070 km of expressways) unpaved: 300,440 km (1996 est.)

Merchant marine [time series]

total: 713 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 13,753,027 GRT/19,311,312 DWT ships by type: bulk 159, cargo 54, chemical tanker 13, combination bulk 16, combination ore/oil 4, container 27, liquefied gas tanker 40, oil tanker 232, passenger 10, passenger-cargo 2, refrigerated cargo 27, roll-on/roll-off cargo 48, short-sea passenger 13, vehicle carrier 68 (1998 est.)

Pipelines [time series]

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

Ports (Ports and harbors) [time series]

Akita, Amagasaki, Chiba, Hachinohe, Hakodate, Higashi-Harima, Himeji, Hiroshima, Kawasaki, Kinuura, Kobe, Kushiro, Mizushima, Moji, Nagoya, Osaka, Sakai, Sakaide, Shimizu, Tokyo, Tomakomai

Railways [time series]

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 [time series]

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