General 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.
Area comparative: Slightly smaller
than California.
Climate: Varies from
tropical in south to cool temperate in north.
Terrain: Mostly rugged and mountainous.
Population: 126,974,628 (July 2002 est.)
Ethnic groups: Japanese 99%, others 1% (Korean
51,126, Chinese 24,424, Brazilian 18,223, Filipino
8,995, other 23,792) (2000)
Religions: Observe both Shinto and Buddhist
84%, other 16% (including Christian 0.7%)
Language: Japanese
Government type: Constitutional monarchy with
a parliamentary government.
Capital: Tokyo
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.
Economic overview: 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 US and third largest
economy in the world after the US 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% 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 the 1990s 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. Government
efforts to revive economic growth have met with little
success and were further hampered in 2000-01 by the
slowing of the US 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".
Communication/Telephone system: Excellent domestic
and international service.
Places of interest: You'll do best to come
with an open mind and be prepared to be pleasantly
surprised.
Travel tips:
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