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East & Southeast Asia
Page last updated on January 03, 2018
East & Southeast Asia
Flag Description
white with a large red disk (representing the sun without rays) in the center
East & Southeast Asia
East & Southeast Asia
This photograph, taken from the International Space Station, highlights one of Japan&s most active volcanoes. Sakurajima began forming approximately 13,000 prior to 1914, it was an island in Kagoshima Bay. Sakurajima became linked to the mainland by the deposition of volcanic material following a major eruption in 1914. Image courtesy of NASA.
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The city of Ishinomaki was one of the hardest hit when a powerful tsunami swept ashore on 21 March 2011. This satellite image is from three days later, when water still inundated the city. Water is dark blue in this false-color image. Plant-covered land is red, exposed earth is tan, and the city is silver. The most extensive flooding may be seen around Matsushima Air Base (lower left corner) where several airplanes were damaged and where the surrounding neighborhoods are flooded. Dark blue fills in the spaces between buildings in sections of Ishinomaki near the harbor (image center) and by the river (upper right). Photo courtesy of NASA.
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A nighttime view of Tokyo, Japan from the International Space Station. The heart of the city is brightest, with ribbons of lights radiating outward from the center along streets and railways. The regularly spaced bright spots along one of the ribbons heading almost due west out of the downtown area are train stations along a public transit route. The lights of Tokyo are a cooler blue-green color than in many other world cities. The color results from the more widespread use of mercury vapor lighting as opposed to sodium vapor lighting, which produces an orange-yellow light. Photo: NASA.
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This high-oblique, northeast-looking space shuttle photograph captures a portion of Southern Honshu Island and Shikoku Island of Japan. The darker areas show volcanic, mountainous terrain that comprises more than 80 percent of J the lighter, more highly reflective areas of the coastal plains and valleys are urban and agricultural areas. Separated by the Seto Inland Sea are Shikoku Island to the south and the Osaka-Kobe industrial metroplex on Honshu Island to the north. Photo courtesy of NASA.
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Satellite image shows North and South Korea (upper left) as well as the Japanese island of Shikoku, nestled between Kyushu to the southwest and Honshu to the north. Photo courtesy of NASA.
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Mt. Fuji on the island of Honshu as seen from the space shuttle. The snow-capped inactive volcano, surrounded at lower levels by clouds in this image, lies several miles south of Tokyo. Image courtesy of NASA.
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Colorful kimonos in a Tokyo coffee shop.
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Equestrian statue of the famous samurai Kusunoki Masashige () outside of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.
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The temple gable mimics the shape of Mt. Fuji in the background.
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Layers of green foliage along the shoreline of a Japanese garden.
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Lotus blossoms.
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An ice sculpture at the Sapporo Snow Festival reproduces the Trevi Fountain in Rome.
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Shotoku-taishi-do Hall, Narita, Japan.
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The Metropolitan Government Building (Tocho) in Tokyo.
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A roof finial of watari-yagura in Tokyo.
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A Laughing Buddha in Narita.
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The Imperial Palace and Nijubashi Bridge in Tokyo.
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Gaku-do Hall in Narita.
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East Gardens of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.
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East & Southeast Asia
Introduction ::
In 1603, after decades of civil warfare, the Tokugawa shogunate (a military-led, dynastic government) ushered in a long period of relative political stability and isolation from foreign influence. For more than two centuries this policy enabled Japan to enjoy a flowering of its indigenous culture. Japan opened its ports after signing the Treaty of Kanagawa with the US in 1854 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 an ally of the US. While the emperor retains his throne as a symbol of national unity, elected politicians hold actual decision-making power. Following three decades of unprecedented growth, Japan's economy experienced a major slowdown starting in the 1990s, but the country remains an economic power. In March 2011, Japan's strongest-ever earthquake, and an accompanying tsunami, devastated the northeast part of Honshu island, killed thousands, and damaged several nuclear power plants. The catastrophe hobbled the country's economy and its energy infrastructure, and tested its ability to deal with humanitarian disasters. Prime Minister Shinzo ABE was reelected to office in December 2012, and has since embarked on ambitious economic and security reforms to improve Japan's economy and bolster the country's international standing.
Geography ::
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
total: 377,915 sq km
land: 364,485 sq km
water: 13,430 sq km
note: includes Bonin Islands (Ogasawara-gunto), Daito-shoto, Minami-jima, Okino-tori-shima, Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto), and Volcano Islands (Kazan-retto)
country comparison to the world:
slightly smaller than California
Area comparison map:
East & Southeast Asia
Area Comparison
slightly smaller than California
territorial sea: 12 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
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north
mostly rugged and mountainous
mean elevation: 438 m
elevation extremes: lowest point: Hachiro-gata -4 m
highest point: Mount Fuji 3,776 m
negligible mineral resources, fish
note: with virtually no natural energy resources, Japan is the world's largest importer of coal and liquefied natural gas, as well as the second largest importer of oil
agricultural land: 12.5%
arable land 11.7%; permanent crops 0.8%; permanent pasture 0%
forest: 68.5%
other: 19% (2011 est.)
24,690 sq km (2012)
all primary and secondary regions of high population dens one-third of the population resides in and around Tokyo on the central plain (Kanto Plain)
many dormant and s about 1,500 seismic occurrences (mostly tremors but occasional severe earthquakes) typhoons
volcanism: both Unzen (1,500 m) and Sakura-jima (1,117 m), which lies near the densely populated city of Kagoshima, have been deemed Decade Volcanoes by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to their explosive history and close proximity
other notable historically active volcanoes include Asama, Honshu Island's most active volcano, Aso, Bandai, Fuji, Iwo-Jima, Kikai, Kirishima, Komaga-take, Oshima, Suwanosejima, Tokachi, Yake-dake, and Usu
air pollution from power plant emissions
acidification of lakes and reservoirs degrading water quality and thre Japan is one of the largest consumers of fish and tropical timber, contributing to the depletion of these resources in A following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, Japan originally planned to phase out nuclear power, but it has now implemented a new policy of seeking to restart nuclear power plants that meet strict new safety standards
party to: 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
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
strategic location in northeast A composed of four main islands - from north Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu (the "Home Islands") - and 6,848 smaller islands and islets
People and Society ::
126,451,398 (July 2017 est.)
country comparison to the world:
noun: Japanese (singular and plural)
adjective: Japanese
Japanese 98.5%, Koreans 0.5%, Chinese 0.4%, other 0.6%
note: up to 230,000 Brazilians of Japanese origin migrated to Japan in the 1990s t some have returned to Brazil (2004)
Shintoism 79.2%, Buddhism 66.8%, Christianity 1.5%, other 7.1%
note: total adherents exceeds 100% because many people practice both Shintoism and Buddhism (2012 est.)
0-14 years: 12.84% (male 8,361,611/female 7,875,045)
15-24 years: 9.64% (male 6,417,085/female 5,778,904)
25-54 years: 37.5% (male 23,435,323/female 23,980,781)
55-64 years: 12.15% (male 7,692,424/female 7,665,157)
65 years and over: 27.87% (male 15,397,309/female 19,847,759) (2017 est.)
population pyramid:
East & Southeast Asia
Population Pyramid
A population pyramid illustrates the age and sex structure of a country's population and may provide insights about political and social stability, as well as economic development. The population is distributed along the horizontal axis, with males shown on the left and females on the right. The male and female populations are broken down into 5-year age groups represented as horizontal bars along the vertical axis, with the youngest age groups at the bottom and the oldest at the top. The shape of the population pyramid gradually evolves over time based on fertility, mortality, and international migration trends.For additional information, please see the entry for Population pyramid on the Definitions and Notes page under the References tab.
total dependency ratio: 64
youth dependency ratio: 21.3
elderly dependency ratio: 42.7
potential support ratio: 2.3 (2015 est.)
total: 47.3 years
male: 46 years
female: 48.7 years (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world:
-0.21% (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world:
7.7 births/1,000 population (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world:
9.8 deaths/1,000 population (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world:
all primary and secondary regions of high population dens one-third of the population resides in and around Tokyo on the central plain (Kanto Plain)
urban population: 94.3% of total population (2017)
rate of urbanization: 0.15% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)
TOKYO (capital) 38.001 Osaka-Kobe 20.238 Nagoya 9.406 Kitakyushu-Fukuoka 5.51 Shizuoka-Hamamatsu 3.369 Sapporo 2.571 million (2015)
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.11 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2016 est.)
30.7 years (2015 est.)
5 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world:
total: 2 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 2.2 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 1.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world:
total population: 85.3 years
male: 81.9 years
female: 88.8 years (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world:
1.41 children born/woman (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world:
note: percent of women aged 20-49 (2015)
10.2% of GDP (2014)
country comparison to the world:
2.3 physicians/1,000 population (2012)
13.7 beds/1,000 population (2009)
urban: 100% of population
rural: 100% of population
total: 100% of population
unimproved:
urban: 0% of population
rural: 0% of population
total: 0% of population (2015 est.)
urban: 100% of population
rural: 100% of population
total: 100% of population
unimproved:
urban: 0% of population
rural: 0% of population
total: 0% of population (2015 est.)
4.3% (2016)
country comparison to the world:
3.4% (2010)
3.8% of GDP (2014)
country comparison to the world:
total: 15 years
male: 15 years
female: 15 years (2014)
total: 5.1%
male: 5.7%
female: 4.5% (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world:
Government ::
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Japan
local long form: Nihon-koku/Nippon-koku
local short form: Nihon/Nippon
etymology: the English word for Japan comes via the Chinese name for the country "Cipangu"; both Nihon and Nippon mean "where the sun originates" and are frequently translated as "Land of the Rising Sun"
parliamentary constitutional monarchy
name: Tokyo
geographic coordinates: 35 41 N, 139 45 E
time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
47 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
3 May 1947 (current constitution adopted as amendment to Meiji Constitution); notable earlier dates: 660 B.C. (traditional date of the founding of the nation by Emperor JIMMU); 29 November 1890 (Meiji Constitution provides for constitutional monarchy)
Birthday of Emperor AKIHITO, 23 December (1933); note - celebrates the birthday of the current emperor
previous 1890; latest approved 6 October 1946, adopted 3 November 1946, effective 3 May 1947; note - the constitution has not been amended since its enactment in )
civil law system based on G system also reflects Anglo-American influence and J judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdicti accepts ICCt jurisdiction
citizenship by birth: no
citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Japan
dual citizenship recognized: no
residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years
18 universal
chief of state: Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989)
head of government: Prime Minister Shinzo ABE (since 26 December 2012); Deputy Prime Minister Taro ASO (since 26 December 2012)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister
elections/appointments: the mo the leader of the majority party or majority coalition in the House of Representatives usually becomes prime minister
description: bicameral Diet or Kokkai consists of the House of Councillors or Sangi-in (242 146 members directly elected in multi-seat districts by simple majority vote and 96 directly elected in a single national constituency by proportional members serve 6-year terms with half the membership renewed every 3 years) and the House of Representatives or Shugi-in (475 295 members directly elected in single-seat districts by simple majority vote and 180 directly elected in multi-seat districts by party-list proportional members serve 4-year terms); note - Japan's amended electoral law, changed in May 2017, reduced the total number of House seats to 465 - the number of House of Representatives seats in single-seat districts is reduced to 289 and the number of House of Representatives seats in multi-seat districts reduced to 176; the change is effective for the December 2018 House of Representatives election
note: the Diet in June 2017 enacted a law - effective in mid-July - that redraws Japan's electoral district boundaries and reduces the current 275 seats in the House of Representatives to 265; the new law, which cuts 6 seats in single-seat districts and 4 in multi-seat districts, is reportedly intended to reduce voting disparities between densely and sparsely popula this law will apply to the next election
elections: House of Councillors - last held on 10 July 2016 (next to be held in July 2019); House of Representatives - last held on 22 October 2017 (next to be held by 22 October 2021)
election results: House of Councillors - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - LDP 55, DP 32, Komeito 14, JCP 6, Osaka Ishin no Kai (Initiatives from Osaka) 7, PLPTYF 1, SDP 1, independent 5
House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - LDP 284, CDP 55, New Hope 50, Komeito 29, JCP 12, JIP 11, SDP 2, independents 22
highest court(s): Supreme Court or Saiko saibansho (consists of the chief justice and 14 associate justices); note - the Supreme Court has jurisdiction in constitutional issues
judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court chief justice designated by the Cabinet and appo associate justices appointed by the Cabinet and conf all justices are reviewed in a popular referendum at the first general election of the House of Representatives following each judge's appointment and every 10 years afterward
subordinate courts: 8 High Courts (Koto-saiban-sho), each with a Family Court (Katei-saiban-sho); 50 District Courts (Chiho saibansho), with 203 438 Summary Courts (Kani saibansho)
Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan or CDP [Yukio EDANO]
Democratic Party of Japan or DPJ [Kohei OTSUKA]
Group of Reformists [Sakihito OZAWA]
Japan Communist Party or JCP [Kazuo SHII]
Japan Innovation Party or JIP [Ichiro MATSUI]
Kibo no To or New Hope [Yuriko KOIKE]
Komeito [Natsuo YAMAGUCHI]
Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Shinzo ABE]
Liberal Party [Ichiro OZAWA] (formerly People's Life Party & Taro Yamamoto and Friends or PLPTYF)
New Renaissance Party [Hiroyuki ARAI]
Party for Japanese Kokoro or PJK [Masashi NAKANO]
Social Democratic Party or SDP [Tadatomo YOSHIDA]
The Assembly to Energize Japan and the Independents [Kota MATSUDA]
trade unions
ADB, AfDB (nonregional member), APEC, Arctic Council (observer), ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, CD, CE (observer), CERN (observer), CICA (observer), CP, CPLP (associate), EAS, EBRD, EITI (implementing country), FAO, FATF, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, G-20, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAIA (observer), MIGA, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE (partner), Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC (observer), SELEC (observer), SICA (observer), UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMISS, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
chief of mission: Ambassador Kenichiro SASAE (since 14 January 2013)
chancery: 2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 238-6700
FAX: [1] (202) 328-2187
consulate(s) general: Anchorage (AK), Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver (CO), Detroit (MI), Honolulu (HI), Houston, Las Vegas (NV), Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville (TN), New Orleans, New York, Oklahoma City (OK), Orlando (FL), Philadelphia (PA), Phoenix (AZ), Portland (OR), San Francisco, Seattle, Saipan (Puerto Rico), Tamuning (Guam)
chief of mission: Ambassador William F. "Bill" HAGERTY, IV (since 31 August 2017)
embassy: 1-10-5 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420
mailing address: Unit 9800, Box 300, APO AP
telephone: [81] (03)
FAX: [81] (03)
consulate(s) general: Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, Sapporo
consulate(s): Fukuoka, Nagoya
white with a large red disk (representing the sun without rays) in the center
red sun disc, national colors: red, white
name: "Kimigayo" (The Emperor"s Reign)
lyrics/music: unknown/Hiromori HAYASHI
note: adopted 1999; unofficial national anthem since 1883; oldest anthem lyrics in the world, dating to the 10t there is some opposition to the anthem because of its association with militarism and worship of the emperor
Economy ::
Over the past 70 years, government-industry cooperation, a strong work ethic, mastery of high technology, and a comparatively small defense allocation (slightly less than 1% of GDP) have helped Japan develop an advanced economy. Two notable characteristics of the post-World War II economy were the close interlocking structures of manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors, known as keiretsu, and the guarantee of lifetime employment for a substantial portion of the urban labor force. Both features have significantly eroded under the dual pressures of global competition and domestic demographic change.
Measured on a purchasing power parity basis that adjusts for price differences, Japan in 2016 stood as the fourth-largest economy in the world after first-place China, which surpassed Japan in 2001, and third-place India, which edged out Japan in 2012. For three postwar decades, overall real economic growth was impressive - a 10% average in the 1960s, 5% in the 1970s, and 4% in the 1980s. Growth slowed markedly in the 1990s, averaging just 1.7%, largely because of the aftereffects of inefficient investment and the collapse of an asset price bubble in the late 1980s, which entailed considerable time for firms to reduce excess debt, capital, and labor. Modest economic growth continued after 2000, but the economy has fallen into recession four times since 2008.
Japan enjoyed an uptick in growth in 2013 on the basis of Prime Minister Shinzo ABE&s &Three Arrows& economic revitalization agenda - dubbed &Abenomics& - of monetary easing, &flexible& fiscal policy, and structural reform. Led by the Bank of Japan&s aggressive monetary easing, Japan is making modest progress in ending deflation, but demographic decline & a low birthrate and an aging, shrinking population & poses a major long-term challenge for the economy. The government currently faces the quandary of balancing its efforts to stimulate growth and institute economic reforms with the necessity of addressing its sizable public debt, which stands at 235% of GDP. To help raise government revenue, Japan adopted legislation in 2012 to gradually raise the consumption tax rate. However, the first such increase, in April 2014, led to another recession, so Prime Minister ABE has twice postponed the next increase, now scheduled for October 2019. Structural reforms to unlock productivity are seen as central to strengthening the economy in the long-run.
Scarce in critical natural resources, Japan has long been dependent on imported energy and raw materials. After the complete shutdown of Japan&s nuclear reactors following the earthquake and tsunami disaster in 2011, Japan's industrial sector has become even more dependent than before on imported fossil fuels. However, ABE&s government is seeking to restart nuclear power plants that meet strict new safety standards and is emphasizing nuclear energy&s importance as a base-load electricity source. In August 2015, Japan successfully restarted one nuclear reactor at the Sendai Nuclear Power Plant in Kagoshima prefecture, and several other reactors around the country have sinc however, opposition from local governments has delayed several more restarts that remain pending. Reforms of the electricity and gas sectors, including full liberalization of Japan&s energy market in April 2016 and gas market in April 2017, constitute an important part of Prime Minister Abe&s economic program.
In October 2015, Japan and 11 trading partners reached agreement on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a pact that had promised to open Japan's economy to increased foreign competition and create new export opportunities for Japanese businesses. Japan was the second country to ratify the TPP in December 2016; the United States signaled its withdrawal from the TPP on January 23, 2017, and as of April 2017 the agreement has not gone into effect.
$5.233 trillion (2016 est.)
$5.115 trillion (2015 est.)
$5.004 trillion (2014 est.)
note: data are in 2016 dollars
country comparison to the world:
$4.937 trillion (2016 est.)
1% (2016 est.)
1.1% (2015 est.)
0.3% (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world:
$41,200 (2016 est.)
$40,800 (2015 est.)
$40,300 (2014 est.)
note: data are in 2016 dollars
country comparison to the world:
27.2% of GDP (2016 est.)
27% of GDP (2015 est.)
24.6% of GDP (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world:
household consumption: 55.9%
government consumption: 19.8%
investment in fixed capital: 23.1%
investment in inventories: 0.2%
exports of goods and services: 16.1%
imports of goods and services: -15.2% (2016 est.)
agriculture: 1.1%
industry: 29.6%
services: 69.4% (2016 est.)
vegetables, rice, fish, poultry, fruit, dairy products, pork, beef, flowers, potatoes/taros/yams, sugarcane, tea, legumes, wheat and barley
among world's largest and most technologically advanced producers of motor vehicles, electronic equipment, machine tools, steel and nonferrous metals, ships, chemicals, textiles, processed foods
1.2% (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world:
66.73 million (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world:
agriculture: 2.9%
industry: 26.2%
services: 70.9% (February 2015 est)
3.1% (2016 est.)
3.4% (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world:
16.1% (2013 est.)
lowest 10%: 2.7%
highest 10%: 24.8% (2008)
37.9 (2011)
24.9 (1993)
country comparison to the world:
revenues: $1.684 trillion
expenditures: $1.909 trillion (2016 est.)
34.1% of GDP (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world:
-4.6% of GDP (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world:
222.2% of GDP (2016 est.)
219.3% of GDP (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world:
1 April - 31 March
-0.1% (2016 est.)
0.8% (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world:
0.3% (31 December 2015)
0.3% (31 December 2014)
country comparison to the world:
1.48% (31 December 2016 est.)
1.48% (31 December 2015 est.)
country comparison to the world:
$5.651 trillion (31 December 2016 est.)
$5.126 trillion (31 December 2015 est.)
country comparison to the world:
$8.023 trillion (31 December 2016 est.)
$7.537 trillion (31 December 2015 est.)
country comparison to the world:
$12.11 trillion (31 December 2016 est.)
$11.17 trillion (31 December 2015 est.)
country comparison to the world:
$4.895 trillion (31 December 2015 est.)
$4.378 trillion (31 December 2014 est.)
$4.543 trillion (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world:
$188.1 billion (2016 est.)
$134.1 billion (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world:
$634.9 billion (2016 est.)
$622 billion (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world:
motor vehicles 14.9%; iron and steel products 5.4%; semiconductors 5%; auto parts 4.8%; power generating machinery 3.5%; plastic materials 3.3% (2014 est.)
US 20.2%, China 17.7%, South Korea 7.2%, Hong Kong 5.2%, Thailand 4.3% (2016)
$583.5 billion (2016 est.)
$629.4 billion (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world:
petroleum 16.1%; liquid natural gas 9.1%; clothing 3.8%; semiconductors 3.3%; coal 2.4%; audio and visual apparatus 1.4% (2014 est.)
China 25.8%, US 11.4%, Australia 5%, South Korea 4.1% (2016)
$1.217 trillion (31 December 2016 est.)
$1.233 trillion (31 December 2015 est.)
country comparison to the world:
$3.24 trillion (31 March 2016 est.)
$2.83 trillion (31 March 2015 est.)
country comparison to the world:
$238.4 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$205.6 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
country comparison to the world:
$1.363 trillion (31 December 2016 est.)
$1.26 trillion (31 December 2015 est.)
country comparison to the world:
yen (JPY) per US dollar -
108.76 (2016 est.)
108.76 (2015 est.)
121.02 (2014 est.)
97.44 (2013 est.)
79.79 (2012 est.)
electrification - total population: 100% (2016)
976.3 billion kWh (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world:
933.6 billion kWh (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world:
0 kWh (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world:
0 kWh (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world:
322.2 million kW (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world:
59.5% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world:
12.5% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world:
7% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world:
15% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world:
3,918 bbl/day (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world:
0 bbl/day (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world:
3.181 million bbl/day (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world:
44.12 million bbl (1 January 2017 es)
country comparison to the world:
3.536 million bbl/day (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world:
4.026 million bbl/day (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world:
381,100 bbl/day (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world:
1.141 million bbl/day (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world:
4.453 billion cu m (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world:
123.6 billion cu m (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world:
0 cu m (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world:
114.7 billion cu m (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world:
20.9 billion cu m (1 January 2017 es)
country comparison to the world:
1.257 billion Mt (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world:
Communications ::
total subscriptions: 64,024,938
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 51 (July 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world:
total: 164,265,142
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 130 (July 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world:
general assessment: excellent domestic and international service
domestic: high level of modern technology and excellent service of every kind
international: country code - 81; numerous submarine cables provide links throughout Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Europe, and US; satellite earth stations - 7 Intelsat (Pacific and Indian Oceans), 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region), 2 Inmarsat (Pacific and Indian Ocean regions), and 8 SkyPerfect JSAT (2012)
a mixture of public and commercial broadcast TV 6 national terrestrial TV networks including 1 the large number of radio and TV stations available provide a w satellite and cable services provide access to international channels (2012)
total: 116,565,962
percent of population: 92.0% (July 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world:
Transportation ::
number of registered air carriers: 23
inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 627
annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 113.762 million
annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 8,868.745 million mt-km (2015)
175 (2013)
country comparison to the world:
total: 142
over 3,047 m: 6
2,438 to 3,047 m: 45
1,524 to 2,437 m: 38
914 to 1,523 m: 28
under 914 m: 25 (2017)
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 28 (2013)
gas 4,456 oil 174 oil/gas/water 104 km (2013)
total: 27,311 km
standard gauge: 4,800 km 1.435-m gauge (4,800 km electrified)
dual gauge: 132 km 1.435-1.067-m gauge (132 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 124 km 1.372-m gauge (124 km electrified); 22,207 km 1.067-m gauge (15,430 km electrified); 48 km 0.762-m gauge (48 km electrified) (2015)
country comparison to the world:
total: 1,218,772 km
paved: 992,835 km (includes 8,428 km of expressways)
unpaved: 225,937 km (2015)
country comparison to the world:
1,770 km (seagoing vessels use inland seas) (2010)
country comparison to the world:
total: 5,289
by type: bulk carrier 150, container ship 20, general cargo 1,963, oil tanker 714, other 2,442 (2017)
country comparison to the world:
major seaport(s): Chiba, Kawasaki, Kobe, Mizushima, Moji, Nagoya, Osaka, Tokyo, Tomakomai, Yokohama
container port(s) (TEUs): Kobe (2,707,000), Nagoya (2,631,000), Osaka (1,970,000), Tokyo (4,150,000), Yokohama (2,787,000) (2015)
LNG terminal(s) (import): Chita, Fukwoke, Futtsu, Hachinone, Hakodate, Hatsukaichi, Higashi Ohgishima, Higashi Niigata, Himeiji, Joetsu, Kagoshima, Kawagoe, Kita Kyushu, Mizushima, Nagasaki, Naoetsu, Negishi, Ohgishima, Oita, Sakai, Sakaide, Senboku, Shimizu, Shin Minato, Sodegaura, Tobata, Yanai, Y Okinawa - Nakagusuku
Military and Security ::
0.93% of GDP (2016)
0.94% of GDP (2015)
0.96% of GDP (2014)
0.95% of GDP (2013)
0.97% of GDP (2012)
country comparison to the world:
Japanese Ministry of Defense (MOD): Ground Self-Defense Force (Rikujou Jieitai, GSDF), Maritime Self-Defense Force (Kaijou Jieitai, MSDF), Air Self-Defense Force (Koukuu Jieitai, ASDF) (2011)
18 years of age for volunt mandatory retirement at age 53 for senior enlisted personnel and at 62 years for senior service officers (2012)
Transnational Issues ::
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 Japan and South Korea claim Liancourt Rocks (Take-shima/Tok-do) occupied by South Korea since 1954; the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands are also claimed by China and Taiwan
stateless persons: 626 (2016)