]! ^! In 1603, a Tokugawa shogunate (military dictatorship) ushered in a long period of isolation from foreign influence in order to secure its power. For 250 years this policy enabled Japan to enjoy stability and a flowering of its indigenous culture. Following the Treaty of Kanagawa with the US in 1854, Japan opened its ports and began to intensively modernize and industrialize. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Japan became a regional power that was able to defeat the forces of both China and Russia. It occupied Korea, Formosa (Taiwan), and southern Sakhalin Island. In 1931-32 Japan occupied Manchuria, and in 1937 it launched a full-scale invasion of China. Japan attacked US forces in 1941 - triggering America's entry into World War II - and soon occupied much of East and Southeast Asia. After its defeat in World War II, Japan recovered to become an economic power 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 starting in the 1990s following three decades of unprecedented growth, but Japan still remains a major economic power, both in Asia and globally. 
]" ^" Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula ^# 36 00 N, 138 00 E ^$ Asia ^% `! 377,835 sq km `" 374,744 sq km `# 3,091 sq km `* includes Bonin Islands (Ogasawara-gunto), Daito-shoto, Minami-jima, Okino-tori-shima, Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto), and Volcano Islands (Kazan-retto) ^& slightly smaller than California ^' 0 km ^( 29,751 km ^) `$ 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 `M 24 nm `N 200 nm ^* varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north ^+ mostly rugged and mountainous ^, `% Hachiro-gata -4 m `& Mount Fuji 3,776 m ^- negligible mineral resources, fish ^. `' 11.64% `( 0.9% `) 87.46% (2005) ^/ 25,920 sq km (2003) ^0 many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500 seismic occurrences (mostly tremors) every year; tsunamis; typhoons ^1 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 _P `P Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling ^2 strategic location in northeast Asia 
]# ^3 127,433,494 (July 2007 est.) ^4 `+ 13.8% (male 9,024,344/female 8,553,700) `, 65.2% (male 41,841,760/female 41,253,968) `- 21% (male 11,312,492/female 15,447,230) (2007 est.) ^5 `! 43.5 years `. 41.7 years `/ 45.3 years (2007 est.) ^6 -0.088% (2007 est.) ^7 8.1 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^8 8.98 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^9 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^: `0 1.06 male(s)/female `1 1.055 male(s)/female `, 1.014 male(s)/female `- 0.732 male(s)/female `2 0.953 male(s)/female (2007 est.) ^; `! 2.8 deaths/1,000 live births `. 3 deaths/1,000 live births `/ 2.59 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) ^< `2 82.02 years `. 78.67 years `/ 85.56 years (2007 est.) ^= 1.23 children born/woman (2007 est.) ^> less than 0.1% (2003 est.) ^? 12,000 (2003 est.) ^@ 500 (2003 est.) ^A `3 Japanese (singular and plural) `4 Japanese ^B Japanese 99%, others 1% (Korean 511,262, Chinese 244,241, Brazilian 182,232, Filipino 89,851, other 237,914) `* up to 230,000 Brazilians of Japanese origin migrated to Japan in the 1990s to work in industries; some have returned to Brazil (2004) ^C observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including Christian 0.7%) ^D Japanese ^E `5 age 15 and over can read and write `2 99% `. 99% `/ 99% (2002) 
]$ ^F `6 none `7 Japan `Z Nihon-koku/Nippon-koku `[ Nihon/Nippon ^H constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government ^I `8 Tokyo `9 35 42 N, 139 46 E `: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) ^J 47 prefectures; Aichi, Akita, Aomori, Chiba, Ehime, Fukui, Fukuoka, Fukushima, Gifu, Gunma, 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 ^K 660 B.C. (traditional founding by Emperor JIMMU) ^L Birthday of Emperor AKIHITO, 23 December (1933) ^M 3 May 1947 ^N 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 ^O 20 years of age; universal ^P `; Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989) `< Prime Minister Shinzo ABE (since 26 September 2006) `= Cabinet appointed by the prime minister `> Diet designates prime minister; constitution requires that prime minister commands parliamentary majority; following legislative elections, leader of majority party or leader of majority coalition in House of Representatives usually becomes prime minister; monarch is hereditary `? ABE was elected prime minister with 339 of 476 votes cast in the House of Representatives and 136 of 240 votes cast in the House of Councillors. ^Q bicameral Diet or Kokkai consists of the House of Councillors or Sangi-in (242 seats - members elected for six-year terms; half reelected every three years; 146 members in multi-seat constituencies and 96 by proportional representation) and the House of Representatives or Shugi-in (480 seats - members elected for four-year terms; 300 in single-seat constituencies; 180 members by proportional representation in 11 regional blocs) `> House of Councillors - last held 11 July 2004 (next to be held in July 2007); House of Representatives - last held 11 September 2005 (next election by September 2009) `? House of Councillors - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - LDP 115, DPJ 82, Komeito 24, JCP 9, SDP 5, others 7 : House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - LDP 47.8%, DPJ 36.4%, others 15.8%; seats by party - LDP 296, DPJ 113, Komeito 31, JCP 9, SDP 7, others 24 (2005) ^R Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the monarch after designation by the cabinet; all other justices are appointed by the cabinet) ^S Democratic Party of Japan or DPJ [Ichiro OZAWA]; Japan Communist Party or JCP [Kazuo SHII]; Komeito [Akihoro OTA]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Shinzo ABE]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Mizuho FUKUSHIMA] ^T NA ^U AfDB, APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, CE (observer), CERN (observer), CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, LAIA, MIGA, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE (partner), Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC (observer), SECI (observer), UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMOVIC, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC ^V `R Ambassador Ryozo KATO `S 2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 `T [1] (202) 238-6700 `U [1] (202) 328-2187 `V Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Agana (Guam), Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Portland (Oregon), San Francisco, Seattle ^W `R Ambassador J. Thomas SCHIEFFER `_ 1-10-5 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420 `` Unit 45004, Box 258, APO AP 96337-5004 `T [81] (03) 3224-5000 `U [81] (03) 3505-1862 `V Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, Sapporo `^ Fukuoka, Nagoya ^X white with a large red disk (representing the sun without rays) in the center 
]% ^Y Government-industry cooperation, a strong work ethic, mastery of high technology, and a comparatively small defense allocation (1% of GDP) helped Japan advance with extraordinary rapidity to the rank of second most technologically powerful economy in the world after the US and the third-largest economy in the world after the US and China, measured on a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis. One notable characteristic of the economy has been how manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors have worked together 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 have now eroded. Japan's industrial sector is heavily dependent on imported raw materials and fuels. The tiny 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 60% of its food on a caloric basis. 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, averaging just 1.7%, largely because of the after effects of overinvestment and an asset price bubble during the late 1980s that required a protracted period of time for firms to reduce excess debt, capital, and labor. From 2000 to 2001, government efforts to revive economic growth proved short-lived and were hampered by the slowing of the US, European, and Asian economies. In 2002-06, growth improved and the lingering fears of deflation in prices and economic activity lessened. Japan's huge government debt, which totals 176% of GDP, and the aging of the population are two major long-run problems. Some fear that a rise in taxes could endanger the current economic recovery. Debate also continues on the role of and effects of reform in restructuring the economy, particularly with respect to the 2007-17 privatization of Japan Post, which has functioned not only as the national postal delivery system but also, through its banking and insurance facilities, as Japan's largest financial institution. ^Z $4.22 trillion (2006 est.) ^[ $4.911 trillion (2006 est.) ^\ 2.8% (2006 est.) ^] $33,100 (2006 est.) ^^ `@ 1.6% `A 25.3% `B 73.1% (2006 est.) ^_ 66.44 million (2006 est.) ^` `@ 4.6% `A 27.8% `B 67.7% (2004) ^a 4.1% (2006 est.) _! NA% _" `C 4.8% `D 21.7% (1993) _d 38.1 (2002) _# 0.3% (2006 est.) _V 23.7% of GDP (2006 est.) _$ `E $1.411 trillion `F $1.639 trillion; including capital expenditures (public works only) of about $71 billion (2006 est.) _% 176.2% of GDP (2006 est.) _& rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit; pork, poultry, dairy products, eggs; fish _' among world's largest and technologically advanced producers of motor vehicles, electronic equipment, machine tools, steel and nonferrous metals, ships, chemicals, textiles, processed foods _( 3.3% (2006 est.) _) 996 billion kWh (2005) _* 946.3 billion kWh (2005) _+ 0 kWh (2005) _, 0 kWh (2005) _- 125,000 bbl/day (2006) _. 5.578 million bbl/day (2005) _/ 93,360 bbl/day (2001) _0 5.449 million bbl/day (2001) _W 59 million bbl (1 January 2006) _1 2.957 billion cu m (2004 est.) _2 83.55 billion cu m (2004 est.) _X 0 cu m (2004 est.) _Y 81.23 billion cu m (2004 est.) _Z 39.64 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.) _Q $174.4 billion (2006 est.) _3 $590.3 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) _4 transport equipment, motor vehicles, semiconductors, electrical machinery, chemicals _5 US 22.9%, China 13.4%, South Korea 7.8%, Taiwan 7.3%, Hong Kong 6.1% (2005) _6 $524.1 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) _7 machinery and equipment, fuels, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, raw materials _8 China 21%, US 12.7%, Saudi Arabia 5.5%, UAE 4.9%, Australia 4.7%, South Korea 4.7%, Indonesia 4% (2005) _[ $864.7 billion (August 2006 est.) _9 $1.547 trillion (30 June 2006) _\ ODA, $8.9 billion (2004) _; yen (JPY) _< yen per US dollar - 116.18 (2006), 110.22 (2005), 108.19 (2004), 115.93 (2003), 125.39 (2002) _= 1 April - 31 March 
]& _> 58.78 million (2005) _? 94.745 million (2005) _@ `G excellent domestic and international service `H high level of modern technology and excellent service of every kind `I country code - 81; 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) (1999) _A AM 215 (plus 370 repeaters), FM 89 (plus 485 repeaters), shortwave 21 (2001) _B 211 (plus 7,341 repeaters); in addition, US Forces are served by 3 TV stations and 2 TV cable services (1999) _C .jp _D 28.322 million (2006) _E 86.3 million (2005) 
]' _F 175 (2006) _G `! 145 `a 7 `J 41 `b 39 `c 28 `W 30 (2006) _R `! 30 `c 4 `W 26 (2006) _] 15 (2006) _^ gas 8,015 km; oil 170 km; oil/gas/water 60 km (2006) _e `! 23,556 km `m 3,204 km 1.435-m gauge (3,204 km electrified) `n 77 km 1.372-m gauge (77 km electrified); 20,264 km 1.067-m gauge (13,280 km electrified); 11 km 0.762-m gauge (11 km electrified) (2005) _H `! 1.183 million km `K 925,000 km (includes 6,946 km of expressways) `L 258,000 km (2003) _b 1,770 km (seagoing vessels use inland seas) (2006) _S `! 683 ships (1000 GRT or over) 10,415,892 GRT/11,765,038 DWT by type: bulk carrier 134, cargo 30, chemical tanker 20, container 11, liquefied gas 59, passenger 14, passenger/cargo 149, petroleum tanker 156, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 51, vehicle carrier 56 `d 2,459 (Australia 1, Bahamas 51, Belize 2, Burma 4, Cambodia 4, Cayman Islands 1, China 3, Cyprus 17, French Southern and Antarctic Lands 4, Honduras 4, Hong Kong 67, Indonesia 3, Isle of Man 4, South Korea 1, Liberia 102, Malaysia 4, Malta 1, Marshall Islands 7, Mongolia 1, Norway 1, Panama 2007, Philippines 26, Portugal 9, Singapore 100, Sweden 2, Thailand 4, Vanuatu 28, unknown 1) (2006) _I Chiba, Kawasaki, Kiire, Kisarazu, Kobe, Mizushima, Nagoya, Osaka, Tokyo, Yohohama 
]( _J Japanese Defense Agency (JDA): Ground Self-Defense Force (Rikujou Jietai, GSDF), Maritime Self-Defense Force (Kaijou Jietai, MSDF), Air Self-Defense Force (Nihon Koku-Jieitai, ASDF) (2006) _T 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001) _K males age 18-49: 27,003,112 females age 18-49: 26,153,482 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 22,234,663 females age 18-49: 21,494,947 (2005 est.) _L males age 18-49: 683,147 females age 18-49: 650,157 (2005 est.) _U 0.9% (2006 est.) 
]) _N the sovereignty dispute over the islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, and Shikotan, and the Habomai group, known in Japan as the "Northern Territories" and in Russia as the "Southern Kuril Islands," occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, now administered by Russia and claimed by Japan, remains the primary sticking point to signing a peace treaty formally ending World War II hostilities; Japan and South Korea claim Liancourt Rocks (Take-shima/Tok-do) occupied by South Korea since 1954; China and Taiwan dispute both Japan's claims to the uninhabited islands of the Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu Tai) and Japan's unilaterally declared exclusive economic zone in the East China Sea, the site of intensive hydrocarbon prospecting 