Japan

The e-Advocate Legal Missions International Ezekiel 38 The Alliance of Nations: The Merchants of Tarshish

Japan

"Land of the Rising Sun"

“Helping Individuals, Organizations & Communities Achieve Their Full Potential”

Vol. VII, Issue XXV – Bonus October | November | October 2021

Quarterly Review

The Advocacy Foundation, Inc. Helping Individuals, Organizations & Communities Achieve Their Full Potential

Legal Missions International

Japan

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Biblical Authority Ezekiel 38 (NIV) 1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 "Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal; prophesy against him 3 and say: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.

4 I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army-your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords. 5 Persia, Cush and Put will be with them, all with shields and helmets, 6 also Gomer with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah from the far north with all its troops--the many nations with you. 7 " 'Get ready; be prepared, you and all the hordes gathered about you, and take command of them. 8 After many days you will be called to arms. In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live in safety. 9 You and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land. 10 " 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: On that day thoughts will come into your mind and you will devise an evil scheme. 11 You will say, "I will invade a land of unwalled villages; I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people--all of them living without walls and without gates and bars. 12 I will plunder and loot and turn my hand against the resettled ruins and the people gathered from the nations, rich in livestock and goods, living at the center of the land." 13 Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish and all her villages will say to you, "Have you come to plunder? Have you gathered your hordes to loot, to carry off silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods and to seize much plunder?" ' 14 "Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: In that day, when my people Israel are living in safety, will you not take notice of it? 15 You will come from your place in the far north, you and many nations with you, all of them riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army. 16 You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. In days to come, O Gog, I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me when I show myself holy through you before their eyes. 17 " 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Are you not the one I spoke of in former days by my servants the prophets of Israel? At that time they prophesied for years that I would bring you against them. 18 This is what will happen in that day: When Gog attacks the land of Israel, my hot anger will be aroused, declares the Sovereign LORD. 19 In my zeal and fiery wrath I declare that at that time there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. 20 The fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the beasts of the field, every creature that moves along the ground, and all the people on the face of the earth will tremble at my presence. The mountains will be overturned, the cliffs will crumble and every wall will fall to the ground. 21 I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Sovereign LORD. Every man's sword will be against his brother. 22 I will execute judgment upon him with plague and bloodshed; I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him. 23 And so I will show my greatness and my Page 4 of 65

holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.'

Japan in Biblical Prophecy Submit Bible questions, through our easy to use form, to our team of mature Christians known as the Email Evangelists.

Does Biblical prophecy state the nation of Japan will be a major factor in the end time just before the return of Jesus Christ? Will Japan be an enemy or an ally of the United States? Is it fulfilling its prophetic role RIGHT NOW? Which countries might launch a sudden sneak attack against other countries in the world? The 38th and 39th chapters of Ezekiel reveal vital information about what happens to certain groups and alliances before Jesus returns to set up the Kingdom of God on the earth.

The prophet Ezekiel, under the inspiration of God, describes a great war between two global power blocs that occurs in the end time. The first power block is: ""Son of man, set your face against GOG, of the land of MAGOG, the prince of ROSH, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, and say . . . "Behold, I am against you" ' " "'PERSIA, ETHIOPIA, AND LIBYA are with them . . . GOMER and all its troops; the house of TOGARMAH from the far north and all its troops'" (Ezekiel 38) Who are these ancient groups of people TODAY that will eventually become a part of an alliance of nations?

Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh: The English word "Rosh" comes from the Hebrew word (Strong's Concordance #H7218) which means "head" or "chief." It means either the individual who is the chief or leader of this alliance or the nation which leads it.

Gog is identified as the prince of Meshech and Tubal. These entities have long been identified by Christian teachers as designating Russia in the modern world, and they are correct. There is much support for this designation. According to Ezekiel's prophecy Russia will lead an attack.

Persia is the region now called Iran. In ancient times, these people were known as the Medo-Persians. The word "Medes" is derived from the word for their ancestor named Madai, a son of Japheth. Japheth's other sons included Gomer, Magog, MADAI, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. Ham, another one of Noah's sons, had sons himself named Put, Cush, Canaan and others. Cush's sons included Seba, Raamah and others. Raamah had sons named Dedan and Sheba (see Genesis 10).

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The next nation named as Russia’s ally is Ethiopia, which is derived from the Hebrew word for Cush (Strong's Concordance #H3568). Cush’s descendants do include the nation of Ethiopia in the Horn of Africa, but they are only a small portion of Cush’s descendants. Most Cushites migrated eastward toward and into the Indian subcontinent and the name of their forefather Cush is still on the "Hindu Kush" mountains along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The next ally is called Libya. The Hebrew word translated "Libya" is Phut or Put (Strong's Concordance #H6316). Phut is a nation descended from Phut, a son of Ham (Genesis 10:6), and Young's Analytical Concordance to the Bible defines Phut / Libya as " . . . the region W(est) from Egypt along the African coast." This describes the region which includes Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, etc. Ezekiel’s prophecy does not specifically state "all of Phut" will join Russia’s alliance, so time will tell whether this region joins Russia.

The next Russian ally is labeled Gomer, who was one of the sons of Japheth (Genesis 10:23). The original language word for "troops" in Ezekiel 38:6 means "bands." Gomer will have an extremely large population and it will have many internal ethnic groups defined as "bands" or "troops." The nations of Japheth are found in the Oriental regions of Asia and especially in the most populous nation on earth: China.

The last major ally listed is Togarmah, who was a son of Gomer (Genesis 10:2-3). This group is described as being populous and having many ethnic groups ("bands"). It will be located in the "far north" regions of Asia and its close relationship with Gomer indicates it will be located just north of Gomer’s latter-day descendants.

The other alliance The second large global alliance, attacked by the first one led by Russia, is called Israel in God's word. It is also referred to as the "the house of Israel." " . . . In the latter years you (the global alliance led by Russia) will come into the land of those brought back from the sword and gathered from many people on the mountains of ISRAEL . . . " "Thus says the Lord GOD: "On that day when My people ISRAEL dwell safely, will you not know it? Then you will come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army. You will come up against my people ISRAEL like a cloud . . .

"For seven months the HOUSE OF ISRAEL will be burying them, in order to cleanse the land." (Ezekiel 38:8, 14-16, 39:12) The lost tribes and Jesus When the Parthian empire fell millions of refugees swarmed into the European continent.

These refugees were known as the Saxons, Goths, etc. Many of the migrating tribes were

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descendants of Israelites who were taken captive out of the land of promise many years previous.

These peoples eventually formed countries known today as the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand to name a few.

A THIRD power bloc Ezekiel 38 mentions another bloc of nations which is NOT part of the attacking alliance.

Indeed, they OBJECT to it when it occurs: 13 The people of Sheba and Dedan and the merchants from the towns of (Tarshish) will ask you, 'Have you assembled your army and attacked in order to loot and plunder? Do you intend to get silver and gold, livestock and property, and march off with all those spoils?'

(Ezekiel 38:13) India, the largest democracy in the world, are descendants of the people of Dedan and Sheba. They increasingly are aligning themselves with the West due to the same concerns about terrorism, China and so on.

Tarshish (incorrectly translated as Spain in some Bibles), who was the son of Javan, are descendants of Japheth. Ezekiel 38 calls them "the MERCHANTS of Tarshish." The people of Japan perfectly fit the prophecies about Tarshish in the end time. They created the exportdriven model of goods and services to other nations as a national policy. The father of Tarshish is Javan, a name only slightly changed to form JAPAN. Is Japan a close ally of the West?

Japan lives near two world powers which it warred with in the past - the nations of China and Russia. These nations will not become its ally anytime soon. For its own survival it must, therefore, align itself with the other world power - the United States of America. The U.S. did not harshly rule Japan after the second world war. Rather, it allowed the nation to keep its monarchy and it treated its people with a certain amount of respect. And, more importantly, America helped lay the foundation in Japan for its economic revival.

TWO interpretations There are two different interpretations of what verse 13 of Ezekiel 38 means.

The FIRST interpretation is that a set of Asian nations that includes Japan are allied with the modern descendants of Israel. The SECOND interpretation is that the alliance that includes Japan (Tarshish) is a neutral set of nations between two warring alliances. It seems likely Japan will be a military ally of the United States in the world's last war, even if they are not the initial targets of Russia, China and others. There is no doubt that Japan, India and other Western-type nations are fully aware that if America falls they will fall next.

This end time war is called in the Gospels the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21-22) Page 7 of 65

The prophesies of Ezekiel show that God will intervene in mankind's last war. He will fight with and for the modern-day descendants of the tribes of Israel and their allies such as Japan. Those who oppose them with be destroyed.

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Table of Contents Japan

Biblical Authority I.

Introduction

II.

History

III.

Geography

IV.

Demographics

V.

Politics & Government

VI.

The Japanese Legal System

VII.

The Japanese Military

VIII. Science & Technology IX.

The Japanese Economy

X.

Education & Culture

XI.

Sports in Japan

Copyright Š 2015 The Advocacy Foundation, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Introduction Japan

(Japanese: 日本 Nippon or Nihon; formally 日本国 Nippon-koku or Nihon-koku, "State of Japan") is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south.

The Kanji that make up Japan's name mean "sun origin", and Japan is often called "Land of the Rising Sun".

Japan is a stratovolcanic archipelago of 6,852 islands. The four largest are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku, which make up about ninetyseven percent of Japan's land area. Japan's population of 126 million is the world's tenth largest. The Greater Tokyo Area, which includes the de facto capital of Tokyo and several surrounding prefectures, is the world's largest metropolitan area, with over 30 million residents.

Archaeological research indicates that people lived in Japan as early as the Upper Paleolithic period. The first written mention of Japan is in Chinese history texts from the 1st century AD. Influence from other regions, mainly Imperial China, followed by periods of isolation, later from Western European influence, has characterized Japan's history. From the 12th century until 1868, Japan was ruled by successive feudal military shoguns in the name of the Emperor. Japan entered into a long period of isolation in the early 17th century, which was only ended in 1853 when a United States fleet pressured Japan to open to the West. Nearly two decades of internal conflict and insurrection followed before the Meiji Emperor was restored as head of state in 1868 and the Empire of Japan was proclaimed, with the Emperor as a divine symbol of the nation. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, victories in the First Sino-Japanese War, the Russo-Japanese War and World War I allowed Japan to expand its empire during a period of increasing militarism. The Second Sino-Japanese War of 1937 expanded into part of World War II in 1941, which came to an end in 1945 following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Since adopting its revised constitution in 1947, Japan has maintained a unitary constitutional monarchy with an emperor and an elected legislature called the National Diet.

Japan is a member of the UN, the G7, the G8, the G20. A major economic and political power, Japan is a developed country and has the world's third-largest economy by nominal GDP and the world's fourth-largest economy by purchasing power parity. It is also the world's fifth-largest exporter and fifth-largest importer. Although Japan has officially renounced its right to declare war, it maintains a modern military with the world's eighth largest military Page 12 of 65

budget,[10] used for self-defense and peacekeeping roles. Japan ranks high in metrics of prosperity such as the Human Development Index, with the Japanese population enjoying the highest life expectancy of any country in the world and the infant mortality rate being the third lowest globally.

Etymology The English word Japan derives from the Chinese pronunciation of the Japanese name, 日本 , which in Japanese is pronounced Nippon or Nihon.

From the Meiji Restoration until the end of World War II, the full title of Japan was Dai Nippon Teikoku (大日本帝國?), meaning "the Empire of Great Japan". Today the name Nippon-koku or Nihon-koku (日本国?) is used as a formal modern-day equivalent; countries like Japan whose long form does not contain a descriptive designation are generally given a name appended by the character koku (国?), meaning "country", "nation" or "state".

Japanese people refer to themselves as Nihonjin (日本人?) and to their language as Nihongo (日本語?). Both Nippon and Nihon mean "sun-origin" and are often translated as Land of the Rising Sun. The term comes from Japanese missions to Imperial China and refers to Japan's eastward position relative to China. Before Nihon came into official use, Japan was known as Wa (倭?) or Wakoku (倭国?).

The English word for Japan came to the West via early trade routes. The Old Mandarin or possibly early Wu Chinese (吳語) pronunciation of Japan was recorded by Marco Polo as Cipangu. In modern Shanghainese, a Wu dialect, the pronunciation of characters 日本 'Japan' is Zeppen [zəʔpən]. The old Malay word for Japan, Jepang, was borrowed from a southern coastal Chinese dialect, probably Fukienese or Ningpo, and this Malay word was encountered by Portuguese traders in Malacca in the 16th century. Portuguese traders were the first to bring the word to Europe. An early record of the word in English is in a 1565 letter, spelled Giapan.

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History

The Golden Hall and five-storey pagoda of Hōryū-ji, among the oldest wooden buildings in the world, National Treasures, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site

A Paleolithic culture around 30,000 BC constitutes the first known habitation of the Japanese archipelago. This was followed from around 14,000 BC (the start of the Jōmon period) by a Mesolithic to Neolithic semi-sedentary hunter-gatherer culture, who include ancestors of both the contemporary Ainu people and Yamato people, characterized by pit dwelling and rudimentary agriculture. Decorated clay vessels from this period are some of the oldest surviving examples of pottery in the world. Around 300 BC, the Yayoi people began to enter the Japanese islands, intermingling with the Jōmon. The Yayoi period, starting around 500 BC, saw the introduction of practices like wet-rice farming, a new style of pottery, and metallurgy, introduced from China and Korea.

Japan first appears in written history in the Chinese Book of Han. According to the Records of the Three Kingdoms, the most powerful kingdom on the archipelago during the 3rd century was called Yamataikoku. Buddhism was first introduced to Japan from Baekje of Korea, but the subsequent development of Japanese Buddhism was primarily influenced by China. Despite early resistance, Buddhism was promoted by the ruling class and gained widespread acceptance beginning in the Asuka period (592–710).

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The Nara period (710–784) of the 8th century marked the emergence of a strong Japanese state, centered on an imperial court in Heijō-kyō (modern Nara). The Nara period is characterized by the appearance of a nascent literature as well as the development of Buddhist-inspired art and architecture. The smallpox epidemic of 735–737 is believed to have killed as much as one-third of Japan's population. In 784, Emperor Kammu moved the capital from Nara to Nagaoka-kyō before relocating it to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto) in 794.

This marked the beginning of the Heian period (794–1185), during which a distinctly indigenous Japanese culture emerged, noted for its art, poetry and prose. Murasaki Shikibu's The Tale of Genji and the lyrics of Japan's national anthem Kimigayo were written during this time.

Buddhism began to spread during the Heian era chiefly through two major sects, Tendai by Saichō, and Shingon by Kūkai. Pure Land Buddhism (Jōdo-shū, Jōdo Shinshū) greatly becomes popular in the latter half of the 11th century.

Feudal Era Japan's feudal era was characterized by the emergence and dominance of a ruling class of warriors, the samurai. In 1185, following the defeat of the Taira clan in the Genpei War, sung in the epic Tale of Heike, samurai Minamoto no Yoritomo was appointed shogun and established a base of power in Kamakura. After his death, the Hōjō clan came to power as regents for the shoguns. The Zen school of Buddhism was introduced from China in the Kamakura period (1185–1333) and became popular among the samurai class.

The Kamakura shogunate repelled Mongol invasions in 1274 and 1281, but was eventually overthrown by Emperor Go-Daigo. Go-Daigo was himself defeated by Ashikaga Takauji in 1336.

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Ashikaga Takauji established the shogunate in Muromachi, Kyoto. This was the start of the Muromachi Period (1336–1573). The Ashikaga shogunate achieved glory in the age of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, and the culture based on Zen Buddhism (art of Miyabi) prospered.

This evolved to Higashiyama Culture, and prospered until the 16th century. On the other hand, the succeeding Ashikaga shogunate failed to control the feudal warlords (daimyo), and a civil war (the Ōnin War) began in 1467, opening the century-long Sengoku period ("Warring States").

During the 16th century, traders and Jesuit missionaries from Portugal reached Japan for the first time, initiating direct commercial and cultural exchange between Japan and the West. Oda Nobunaga conquered many other daimyo using European technology and firearms; after he was assassinated in 1582, his successor Toyotomi Hideyoshi unified the nation in 1590. Hideyoshi invaded Korea twice, but following defeats by Korean and Ming Chinese forces and Hideyoshi's death, Japanese troops were withdrawn in 1598. This age is called Azuchi–Momoyama period (1573–1603).

Tokugawa Ieyasu served as regent for Hideyoshi's son and used his position to gain political and military support. When open war broke out, he defeated rival clans in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. Ieyasu was appointed shogun in 1603 and established the Tokugawa shogunate at Edo (modern Tokyo). The Tokugawa shogunate enacted measures including buke shohatto, as a code of conduct to control the autonomous daimyo; and in 1639, the isolationist sakoku ("closed country") policy that spanned the two and a half centuries of tenuous political unity known as the Edo period (1603–1868). The study of Western sciences, known as rangaku, continued through contact with the Dutch enclave at Dejima in Nagasaki. The Edo period also gave rise to kokugaku ("national studies"), the study of Japan by the Japanese.

Modern Era On March 31, 1854, Commodore Matthew Perry and the "Black Ships" of the United States Navy forced the opening of Japan to the outside world with the Convention of Kanagawa.

Subsequent similar treaties with Western countries in the Bakumatsu period brought economic and political crises. The resignation of the shogun led to the Boshin War and the establishment of a centralized state nominally unified under the Emperor (the Meiji Restoration).

Adopting Western political, judicial and military institutions, the Cabinet organized the Privy Council, introduced the Meiji Constitution, and assembled the Imperial Diet. The Meiji Restoration transformed the Empire of Japan into an industrialized world power that pursued military conflict to expand its sphere of influence. After victories in the First SinoJapanese War (1894–1895) and the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905), Japan gained control of Taiwan, Korea, and the southern half of Sakhalin. Japan's population grew from 35 million in 1873 to 70 million in 1935.

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The early 20th century saw a brief period of "Taishō democracy" overshadowed by increasing expansionism and militarization. World War I enabled Japan, on the side of the victorious Allies, to widen its influence and territorial holdings.

It continued its expansionist policy by occupying Manchuria in 1931; as a result of international condemnation of this occupation, Japan resigned from the League of Nations two years later. In 1936, Japan signed the AntiComintern Pact with Nazi Germany, and the 1940 Tripartite Pact made it one of the Axis Powers. In 1941, Japan negotiated the Soviet– Japanese Neutrality Pact.

The Empire of Japan invaded other parts of China in 1937, precipitating the Second SinoJapanese War (1937–1945).

The Imperial Japanese Army swiftly captured the capital Nanjing and conducted the Nanking Massacre. In 1940, the Empire then invaded French Indochina, after which the United States placed an oil embargo on Japan. On December 7–8, 1941, Japanese forces carried out surprise attacks on Pearl Harbor, attacks on British forces in Malaya, Singapore, and Hong Kong and declared war, bringing the US and the UK into World War II in the Pacific. After the Soviet invasion of Manchuria and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, Japan agreed to an unconditional surrender on August 15. The war cost Japan and the rest of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere millions of lives and left much of the nation's industry and infrastructure destroyed. The Allies (led by the US) repatriated millions of ethnic Japanese from colonies and military camps throughout Asia, largely eliminating the Japanese empire and restoring the independence of its conquered territories. The Allies also convened the International Military Tribunal for the Far East on May 3, 1946 to prosecute some Japanese leaders for war crimes. However, the bacteriological research units and members of the imperial family involved in the war were exonerated from criminal prosecutions by the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers despite calls for trials for both groups.

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In 1947, Japan adopted a new constitution emphasizing liberal democratic practices. The Allied occupation ended with the Treaty of San Francisco in 1952 and Japan was granted membership in the United Nations in 1956. Japan later achieved rapid growth to become the second-largest economy in the world, until surpassed by China in 2010. This ended in the mid-1990s when Japan suffered a major recession. In the beginning of the 21st century, positive growth has signaled a gradual economic recovery. On March 11, 2011, Japan suffered the strongest earthquake in its recorded history; this triggered the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, one of the worst disasters in the history of nuclear power.

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Geography Japan has a total of 6,852 islands extending along the Pacific coast of East Asia. The country, including all of the islands it controls, lies between latitudes 24° and 46°N, and longitudes 122° and 146°E. The main islands, from north to south, are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu. The Ryukyu Islands, which includes Okinawa, are a chain to the south of Kyushu.

Together they are often known as the Japanese Archipelago.

About 73 percent of Japan is forested, mountainous, and unsuitable for agricultural, industrial, or residential use. As a result, the habitable zones, mainly located in coastal areas, have extremely high population densities. Japan is one of the most densely populated countries in the world.

The islands of Japan are located in a volcanic zone on the Pacific Ring of Fire. They are primarily the result of large oceanic movements occurring over hundreds of millions of years from the mid-Silurian to the Pleistocene as a result of the subduction of the Philippine Sea Plate beneath the continental Amurian Plate and Okinawa Plate to the south, and subduction of the Pacific Plate under the Okhotsk Plate to the north. Japan was originally attached to the eastern coast of the Eurasian continent. The subducting plates pulled Japan eastward, opening the Sea of Japan around 15 million years ago.

Japan has 108 active volcanoes. Destructive earthquakes, often resulting in tsunami, occur several times each century. The 1923 Tokyo earthquake killed over 140,000 people. More recent major quakes are the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake and the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake, a 9.0-magnitude quake which hit Japan on March 11, 2011, and triggered a large tsunami. Due to its location in the Pacific Ring of Fire, Japan is substantially prone to earthquakes and tsunami, having the highest natural disaster risk in the developed world.

Climate The climate of Japan is predominantly temperate, but varies greatly from north to south.

Japan's geographical features divide it into six principal climatic zones: Hokkaido, Sea of Page 21 of 65

Japan, Central Highland, Seto Inland Sea, Pacific Ocean, and Ryūkyū Islands. The northernmost zone, Hokkaido, has a humid continental climate with long, cold winters and very warm to cool summers. Precipitation is not heavy, but the islands usually develop deep snowbanks in the winter.

In the Sea of Japan zone on Honshu's west coast, northwest winter winds bring heavy snowfall. In the summer, the region is cooler than the Pacific area, though it sometimes experiences extremely hot temperatures because of the foehn wind. The Central Highland has a typical inland humid continental climate, with large temperature differences between summer and winter, and between day and night; precipitation is light, though winters are usually snowy. The mountains of the Chūgoku and Shikoku regions shelter the Seto Inland Sea from seasonal winds, bringing mild weather year-round.

The Pacific coast features a humid subtropical climate that experiences milder winters with occasional snowfall and hot, humid summers because of the southeast seasonal wind. The Ryukyu Islands have a subtropical climate, with warm winters and hot summers.

Precipitation is very heavy, especially during the rainy season.

The average winter temperature in Japan is 5.1 °C (41.2 °F) and the average summer temperature is 25.2 °C (77.4 °F). The highest temperature ever measured in Japan—40.9 °C (105.6 °F)—was recorded on August 16, 2007. The main rainy season begins in early May in Okinawa, and the rain front gradually moves north until reaching Hokkaido in late July.

In most of Honshu, the rainy season begins before the middle of June and lasts about six weeks. In late summer and early autumn, typhoons often bring heavy rain.

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Biodiversity Japan has nine forest ecoregions which reflect the climate and geography of the islands.

They range from subtropical moist broadleaf forests in the Ry큰ky큰 and Bonin Islands, to temperate broadleaf and mixed forests in the mild climate regions of the main islands, to temperate coniferous forests in the cold, winter portions of the northern islands. Japan has over 90,000 species of wildlife, including the brown bear, the Japanese macaque, the Japanese raccoon dog, and the Japanese giant salamander. A large network of national parks has been established to protect important areas of flora and fauna as well as thirtyseven Ramsar wetland sites. Four sites have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List for their outstanding natural value.

Environment In the period of rapid economic growth after World War II, environmental policies were downplayed by the government and industrial corporations; as a result, environmental pollution was widespread in the 1950s and 1960s. Responding to rising concern about the problem, the government introduced several environmental protection laws in 1970. The oil crisis in 1973 also encouraged the efficient use of energy because of Japan's lack of Page 23 of 65

natural resources. Current environmental issues include urban air pollution (NOx, suspended particulate matter, and toxics), waste management, water eutrophication, nature conservation, climate change, chemical management and international co-operation for conservation.

Japan is a world leader in developing and implementing new environmentally-friendly technologies, subsequently ranking 26th in the 2014 Environmental Performance Index, which measures a nation's commitment to environmental sustainability. As a signatory of the Kyoto Protocol, and host of the 1997 conference that created it, Japan is under treaty obligation to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions and to take other steps to curb climate change.

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Demographics Japan's population is estimated at around 127.1 million, with 80% of the population living on Honshū.

Japanese society is linguistically and culturally homogeneous, composed of 98.5% ethnic Japanese, with small populations of foreign workers.

Zainichi Koreans, Zainichi Chinese, Filipinos, Brazilians mostly of Japanese descent, and Peruvians mostly of Japanese descent are among the small minority groups in Japan. In 2003, there were about 134,700 non-Latin American Western and 345,500 Latin American expatriates, 274,700 of whom were Brazilians (said to be primarily Japanese descendants, or nikkeijin, along with their spouses), the largest community of Westerners.

The most dominant native ethnic group is the Yamato people; primary minority groups include the indigenous Ainu and Ryukyuan peoples, as well as social minority groups like the burakumin.[154] There are persons of mixed ancestry incorporated among the Yamato, such as those from Ogasawara Archipelago. In spite of the widespread belief that Japan is ethnically homogeneous (in 2009, foreign-born non-naturalized workers made up only 1.7% of the total population), also because of the absence of ethnicity and/or race statistics for Japanese nationals, at least one analysis describes Japan as a multiethnic society, for example, John Lie. However, this statement is refused by many sectors of Japanese society, who still tend to preserve the idea of Japan being a monocultural society and with this ideology of homogeneity, has traditionally rejected any need to recognize ethnic differences in Japan, even as such claims have been rejected by such ethnic minorities as the Ainu and Ryukyuan people. Former Japanese Prime Minister Tarō Asō has once described Japan as being a nation of "one race, one civilization, one language and one culture".

Japan has the second longest overall life expectancy at birth of any country in the world: 83.5 years for persons born in the period 2010–2015. The Japanese population is rapidly Page 26 of 65

aging as a result of a post–World War II baby boom followed by a decrease in birth rates. In 2012, about 24.1 percent of the population was over 65, and the proportion is projected to rise to almost 40 percent by 2050.

The changes in demographic structure have created a number of social issues, particularly a potential decline in workforce population and increase in the cost of social security benefits like the public pension plan. A growing number of younger Japanese are not marrying or remain childless. In 2011, Japan's population dropped for a fifth year, falling by 204,000 people to 126.24 million people. This was the greatest decline since at least 1947, when comparable figures were first compiled. This decline was made worse by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, which killed nearly 16,000 people with approximately another 2,600 still listed as missing as of 2014.

Japan's population is expected to drop to 95 million by 2050, demographers and government planners are currently in a heated debate over how to cope with this problem.

Immigration and birth incentives are sometimes suggested as a solution to provide younger workers to support the nation's aging population. Japan accepts a steady flow of 15,000 new Japanese citizens by naturalization (帰化) per year. According to the UNHCR, in 2012 Japan accepted just 18 refugees for resettlement, while the US took in 76,000.

Japan suffers from a high suicide rate. In 2009, the number of suicides exceeded 30,000 for the twelfth straight year. Suicide is the leading cause of death for people under 30.

Largest cities or towns in Japan 2010 Census Ran k 1 2

Tokyo

Yokohama

Name

Prefectur e

Pop.

Ran k

Tokyo

Tokyo

8,949,44 7

11

Yokoham 3,689,60 Kanagawa a 3

12

Sendai

Miyagi

1,045,90 3

Name

Prefectur e

Hiroshima Hiroshima

Pop. 1,174,20 9

3

Osaka

Osaka

2,666,37 1

13

Kitakyushu

Fukuoka

977,288

4

Nagoya

Aichi

2,263,90 7

14

Chiba

Chiba

962,130

5

Sapporo

Hokkaidō

1,914,43 4

15

Sakai

Osaka

842,134

6

Kobe

Hyōgo

1,544,87 3

16

Niigata

Niigata

812,192

7

Kyoto

Kyōto

1,474,47 3

17

Hamamats u

Shizuoka

800,912

8

Fukuoka

Fukuoka

1,463,82 6

18

Kumamoto Kumamoto 734,294

9

Kawasaki Kanagawa

1,425,67 8

19

Sagamihara Kanagawa 717,561

1,222,91 0

20

10

Saitama

Saitama

Shizuoka

Shizuoka

716,328

Osaka

Nagoya

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Religion Japan enjoys full religious freedom based on Article 20 of its Constitution. Upper estimates suggest that 84–96 percent of the Japanese population subscribe to Buddhism or Shinto, including a large number of followers of a syncretism of both religions. However, these estimates are based on people affiliated with a temple, rather than the number of true believers. Other studies have suggested that only 30 percent of the population identify themselves as belonging to a religion. According to Edwin Reischauer and Marius Jansen, some 70–80% of the Japanese do not consider themselves believers in any religion.

Nevertheless, the level of participation remains high, especially during festivals and occasions such as the first shrine visit of the New Year. Taoism and Confucianism from China have also influenced Japanese beliefs and customs. Japanese streets are decorated on Tanabata, Obon and Christmas. Fewer than one percent of Japanese are Christian. Other minority religions include Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Judaism, and since the mid-19th century numerous new religious movements have emerged in Japan.

Languages More than 99 percent of the population speaks Japanese as their first language. Japanese is an agglutinative language distinguished by a system of honorifics reflecting the hierarchical nature of Japanese society, with verb forms and particular vocabulary indicating the relative status of speaker and listener. Japanese writing uses kanji (Chinese characters) and two sets of kana (syllabaries based on cursive script and radical of kanji), as well as the Latin alphabet and Arabic numerals.

Besides Japanese, the Ryukyuan languages (Amami, Kunigami, Okinawan, Miyako, Yaeyama, Yonaguni), also part of the Japonic language family, are spoken in the Ryukyu Islands chain. Few children learn these languages, but in recent years the local governments have sought to increase awareness of the traditional languages. The Okinawan Japanese dialect is also spoken in the region. The Ainu language, which has no proven relationship to Japanese or any other language, is moribund, with only a few elderly native speakers remaining in Hokkaido. Most public and private schools require students to take courses in both Japanese and English.

Tokyo

Capital Official languages

Recognised regional languages

National language

35°41′N 139°46′E

None     

Aynu itak Ryukyuan languages Eastern Japanese Western Japanese several other Japanese dialects

Japanese

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Ethnic Groups (2011) Demonym Government -

-

Emperor Prime Minister Deputy Prime Minister Legislature Upper house Lower house

-

National Foundation Day - Meiji Constitution Current Constitution San Francisco Peace Treaty

-

Total

-

Water (%)

-

2014 estimate 2010 census

-

Density

-

GDP (PPP) Total Per capita GDP (nominal) Total Per capita Gin (2008) HDI (2013)

-

Currency Time zone Summer (DST)

   

98.5% Japanese 0.5% Korean 0.4% Chinese 0.6% other

Japanese Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy Akihito Shinzō Abe Tarō Asō National Diet House of Councillors House of Representatives Formation 11 February 660 BC 29 November 1890 3 May 1947 28 April 1952 Area 377,944 km2 (62nd) 145,925 sq mi 0.8 Population 126,434,964 (10th) 128,056,026 337.1/km2 (36th) 873.1/sq mi 2014 estimate $4.788 trillion (4th) $37,683 (28th) 2014 estimate $4.770 trillion (3rd) $37,540 (26th) 37.6 medium · 76th 0.890 very high · 17th Yen (¥) / En 円 (JPY) JST (UTC+9) not observed (UTC+9) Page 29 of 65



Date format Drives on the Calling code ISO 3166 code Internet TLD



yyyy-mm-dd  yyyy年m月d日 Era yy年m月d日 (AD−1988) left +81 JP .jp

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Politics & Government

Japan is a constitutional monarchy where the power of the Emperor is very limited. As a ceremonial figurehead, he is defined by the constitution as "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people." Power is held chiefly by the Prime Minister and other elected members of the Diet, while sovereignty is vested in the Japanese people. Akihito is the current Emperor of Japan; Naruhito, Crown Prince of Japan, stands as next in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne.

Japan's legislative organ is the National Diet, a bicameral parliament. The Diet consists of a House of Representatives with 480 seats, elected by popular vote every four years or when dissolved, and a House of Councillors of 242 seats, whose popularly elected members serve six-year terms. There is universal suffrage for adults over 20 years of age, with a secret ballot for all elected offices. The Diet is dominated by the social liberal Democratic Party of Japan and the conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). The LDP has enjoyed near continuous electoral success since 1955, except for a brief 11 month period between 1993 and 1994, and from 2009 to 2012. It holds 294 seats in the lower house and 83 seats in the upper house.

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The Prime Minister of Japan is the head of government and is appointed by the Emperor after being designated by the Diet from among its members. The Prime Minister is the head of the Cabinet, and he appoints and dismisses the Ministers of State. Following the LDP's landslide victory in the 2012 general election, ShinzĹ? Abe replaced Yoshihiko Noda as the Prime Minister on December 26, 2012 and became the country's sixth prime minister to be sworn in 6 years. Although the Prime Minister is formally appointed by the Emperor, the Constitution of Japan explicitly requires the Emperor to appoint whoever is designated by the Diet.

Historically influenced by Chinese law, the Japanese legal system developed independently during the Edo period through texts such as Kujikata Osadamegaki. However, since the late 19th century the judicial system has been largely based on the civil law of Europe, notably Germany. For example, in 1896, the Japanese government established a civil code based on a draft of the German Bßrgerliches Gesetzbuch; with post–World War II modifications, the code remains in effect. Statutory law originates in Japan's legislature and has the rubber stamp of the Emperor. The Constitution requires that the Emperor promulgate legislation passed by the Diet, without specifically giving him the power to oppose legislation. Japan's court system is divided into four basic tiers: the Supreme Court and three levels of lower courts. The main body of Japanese statutory law is called the Six Codes.

Administrative Divisions Japan consists of forty-seven prefectures, each overseen by an elected governor, legislature and administrative bureaucracy. Each prefecture is further divided into cities, towns and villages.[72] The nation is currently undergoing administrative reorganization by merging many of the cities, towns and villages with each other. This process will reduce the number of sub-prefecture administrative regions and is expected to cut administrative costs.

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The Japanese Legal System The Japanese Judicial System and Judicial Proceedings

Japanese Courts There are five types of courts in Japan: the Supreme Court, High Courts, District Courts, Family Courts and Summary Courts. Japan adopts a three-tiered judicial system and a summary, family, or district court will be the court of first instance depending on the nature of the matter.

1) The summary courts handle, in principle, civil litigation cases involving claims which do not exceed 짜1.4 million.

The summary courts also handle civil conciliation cases and demands for payment. Furthermore, they handle criminal cases related to relatively light offenses. 2) The family courts handle lawsuits related to personal status, adjudications and conciliations for family affairs cases, adjudications for juvenile cases, etc. 3) The district courts handle the first instance of most types of civil, criminal, and administrative cases. Most of civil and administrative cases are normally deliberated by a single judge, except for cases for which the court has decided that it shall be tried by three judges. Regarding criminal cases, generally a single judge handles a case except for certain serious crimes which are tried by three judges. In Japan, the Saiban-in (lay judges) system started in May 2009 under which, lay judges chosen from citizens serve alongside professional judges in examining cases involving certain crimes at district courts (see IV-2, "Saiban-in (Lay Judge) System"). 4) The high courts handle appeals (koso appeals, appeals filed against a final judgment rendered by a lower court (usually a district court) and most kokoku appeals, appeals filed against a ruling or an order turning down a motion relating to proceedings without oral argument) filed against judgments rendered by district courts, family courts or summary courts, or certain decisions by administrative agencies.

In addition, on April 1, 2005 the Intellectual Property High Court, which specializes in intellectual property cases, was established as a special separate branch of the Tokyo High Court. 5) The Supreme Court is the highest and final court that handles appeals against judgments rendered by high courts (jokoku appeals) and certain special kokoku appeals that are prescribed under the procedural laws. It is composed of the Chief Justice and 14 Justices, with a Grand Bench comprised of all 15 Justices and three petty benches each comprised of 5 Justices. The cases are first assigned to one of the three petty benches, and those cases that involve constitutional questions are transferred to the Grand Bench for examination and adjudication.

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Judicial Proceedings Civil Cases Civil cases are legal disputes between private individuals. The classic examples are disputes over the lending of money or property leases. Indeed, the vast majority of legal disputes are civil cases. When these cases are disputed in courts, they are referred to as "civil litigation cases" in which the individual's rights and obligations are ultimately determined by the judgment.

as well as file administrative

When an individual is not satisfied with a decision made by the central or local government, she/he may also seek a judgment by a court as administrative litigation an appeal to the agency.

This category of cases is referred to as "administrative cases". Examples include demands for the cancellation of taxation imposed by the tax authorities or nullification of an election.

The court of first instance for a civil case is a district court or summary court, and a district court for an administrative case, which judges in accordance with the Code of Civil Procedure or the Administrative Case Litigation Act. Labor cases are another important form of legal dispute. There are two basic types: "individual labor cases" between an employer and an employee and "collective labor cases" between an employer and a union.

In April 2006, Japan introduced the Labor Adjudication System for individual labor cases.

Under this system, three labor adjudicators (one serving as judge and one each representing the interests of the employer and the employee) form a Labor Adjudication Committee that seeks to resolve the dispute in no more than three sessions by providing conciliation or adjudication.

The objectives are to resolve cases quickly, appropriately, and effectively. Cases that cannot be resolved by this system are referred to ordinary judicial proceedings.

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Family Affairs Cases As their name suggests, family affairs cases are disputes involving the family, for example marriage annulments/cancellation and divorces, custody over children, and inheritance. In the resolution of family affairs, particular attention must be given to emotional conflicts and privacy considerations. Japan has applied a system of conciliation where family courts around the country dispose of family affairs cases with closed proceedings when the parties have difficulty resolving the cases themselves. Conciliation is conducted by a Conciliation Committee comprised of a family court judge and members from the general public. This system results in conciliations for roughly 50% of the cases filed at the family courts. If the case is not resolved by conciliation, it is settled through adjudication by a family court or litigation. Whether the case is settled through adjudication or litigation depends on the case and relevant laws.

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Criminal Cases Japan has a three-stage trial system for criminal cases (however, the defendant also has the right to file for a "retrial" after a guilty verdict has been finalized if new evidence or the like is found, based on which a determination of innocence may be made). Public prosecutors have the authority to prosecute cases. A period of twenty-three days is allowed for arrest and detention before an indictment, and there is no pre-indictment bail system.

Trials focus on the examination of evidence. Procedures to arrange evidence and points of dispute may be held prior to a trial or between trials.

Previously, Japan had assigned court-appointed attorneys for defendants only after indictment. However, from October 2006, as part of the new judicial reforms, courtappointed attorneys must be assigned for suspects of certain serious crimes in custody prior to indictment.

The scope of this court-appointed attorney system has been expanded to include suspects facing servitude or imprisonment for a maximum of over three years since May 2009. The JFBA has long advocated a court-appointed attorney system for suspects and this has finally been achieved. For further information on problems in the criminal justice system and the JFBA's efforts to improve criminal procedures, see V-4, "Efforts to Improve Criminal Procedures".

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Juvenile Cases Juvenile cases are cases involving juveniles ages 14 to 19 who have committed a crime (juvenile offenders), and those cases concerning juveniles under 14 who have violated a criminal law or ordinance but are not considered as offenders under the Penal Code because of their young age (juveniles who committed illegal acts).

In order to realize the principles of the sound rearing of juveniles articulated in Article 1 of the Juvenile Act, Japan has applied a system where every juvenile case is referred to a family court after the investigation by the police and/or prosecutors. The family court investigates the accepted case and starts hearing proceedings. Hearing proceedings of juvenile cases differ from those of ordinary criminal cases. One difference is that juvenile hearing proceedings are not open to the public. Juvenile hearing proceedings may result in non-punishment or protective measures, such as referral to juvenile training schools or children's self-reliance support facilities. In certain cases, the family court may refer a case back to the public prosecutors for trial under ordinary criminal proceedings. In this case, the same criminal proceedings as those for an adult are conducted for the juvenile.

Civil and Criminal Legal Aid Systems Civil Legal Aid The Japan Legal Support Center was established by the government to offer support to citizens with limited financial resources through free legal counseling (support for legal consultation) and loans for attorney's fees (attorneys' remuneration and actual expenses for the trial) for legal representation in a civil trial (including family affairs cases and administrative cases)(support for representation), and loans for attorney's fees for preparation of documents to be submitted to the court (support for document preparation). Foreign nationals may use the civil legal aid system if they have residence in Japan and are lawfully residing in Japan.

)Criminal Legal Aid (a) Suspects/Defendants A court will appoint defense counsel upon request by a suspect with limited financial resources who is detained for a crime subject to servitude or imprisonment for a maximum of over three years. In case there is an indictment and a trial is scheduled, a court-appointed defense counsel will be appointed upon request by the defendant.

In principle, the entire sum of remuneration and expenses for the court-appointed defense counsel will be paid through public funds, and actual calculation and payment of services are provided by the Japan Legal Support Center. This service is available to foreign nationals with limited financial resources, regardless of their status of residence.

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(b) Juveniles For certain serious cases, the court may appoint a public attendant who is an attorney at its discretion. If the court orders the public prosecutor to appear before the court, a public attendant who is an attorney must be appointed for the juvenile. Remuneration and expenses for the courtappointed attorney attendant are also calculated and paid by the Japan Legal Support Center.

(3) Crime Victims

Under the determination of the court, victims of certain serious crimes are permitted to attend the criminal trial, to state their opinion and examine the defendant and witnesses by themselves or through support of an attorney retained by the victim. In case the victim has limited financial resources, the court will appoint an attorney who will support the victim's participation in the criminal trial at the victim's request (court-appointed attorneys for victims). Remuneration and expenses for the court-appointed attorneys for victims are also calculated and paid by the Japan Legal Support Center.

(4) Other The systems described above in (1) through (3) are all operated by the Japan Legal Support Center with public funding under the Comprehensive Legal Support Act. However, there are cases which have not been covered by legal aid by public funding. Therefore, the JFBA is providing the funds for cases where the need for redress of rights is significant, and implementing a legal aid system through entrustment of the administration of calculation and payment of the actual remuneration and expenses to the Japan Legal Support Center.

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The nine areas where these systems have been implemented are (1) aid for defense of criminal suspects (those that are out of scope of the court-appointed attorney system); (2) aid for attorney attendants in juvenile cases (same conditions as above); (3) legal support for crime victims (same conditions as above); (4) legal support related to refugee adjudication; (5) legal aid for foreign nationals (in case they lack lawful resident status); (6) legal support for children; (7) legal support for mentally disabled persons; (8) legal support concerning the Act on Medical Care and Treatment for Persons Who Have Caused Serious Cases Under the Condition of Insanity; and (9) legal support for the aged, disabled or homeless.

http://www.nichibenren.or.jp/en/about/judicial_system/judicial_system.html

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The Japanese Military

Japan is a member of the G8, APEC, and "ASEAN Plus Three", and is a participant in the East Asia Summit. Japan signed a security pact with Australia in March 2007 and with India in October 2008. It is the world's third largest donor of official development assistance after the United States and France, donating US$9.48 billion in 2009.

Japan has close economic and military relations with the United States; the US-Japan security alliance acts as the cornerstone of the nation's foreign policy. A member state of the United Nations since 1956, Japan has served as a non-permanent Security Council member for a total of 20 years, most recently for 2009 and 2010. It is one of the G4 nations seeking permanent membership in the Security Council.

Japan is engaged in several territorial disputes with its neighbors: with Russia over the South Kuril Islands, with South Korea over the Liancourt Rocks, with China and Taiwan over the Senkaku Islands, and with China over the EEZ around Okinotorishima. Japan also faces an ongoing dispute with North Korea over the latter's abduction of Japanese citizens and its nuclear weapons and missile program (see also Six-party talks).

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Japan maintains one of the largest military budgets of any country in the world. Japan contributed non-combatant troops to the Iraq War but subsequently withdrew its forces.

The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) is a regular participant in RIMPAC maritime exercises.

Japan's military (the Japan Self-Defense Forces) is restricted by Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, which renounces Japan's right to declare war or use military force in international disputes. Accordingly Japan's Self-Defence force is a usual military that has never fired shots outside Japan. It is governed by the Ministry of Defense, and primarily consists of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF), the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF). The forces have been recently used in peacekeeping operations; the deployment of troops to Iraq marked the first overseas use of Japan's military since World War II. Japan Business Federation has called on the government to lift the ban on arms exports so that Japan can join multinational projects such as the Joint Strike Fighter.

In May 2014 Prime Minister ShinzĹ? Abe said Japan wanted to shed the passiveness it has maintained since the end of World War II and take more responsibility for regional security. He said Japan wanted to play a key role and offered neighboring countries Japan's support.

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Science & Technology Japan is a leading nation in scientific research, particularly technology, machinery and biomedical research.

Nearly 700,000 researchers share a US$130 billion research and development budget, the third largest in the world.

Fields medalists, and one Gauss Prize laureate.

Japan is a world leader in fundamental scientific research, having produced nineteen Nobel laureates in either physics, chemistry or medicine, three

Some of Japan's more prominent technological contributions are in the fields of electronics, automobiles, machinery, earthquake engineering, industrial robotics, optics, chemicals, semiconductors and metals. Japan leads the world in robotics production and use, possessing more than 20% (300,000 of 1.3 million) of the world's industrial robots as of 2013—though their share was historically even higher, representing one-half of all industrial robots worldwide in 2000.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is Japan's space agency; it conducts space, planetary, and aviation research, and leads development of rockets and satellites. It is a participant in the International Space Station: the Japanese Experiment Module (Kibo) was added to the station during Space Shuttle assembly flights in 2008.

Japan's plans in space exploration include: launching a space probe to Venus, Akatsuki; developing the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter to be launched in 2016; and building a moon base by 2030.

On September 14, 2007, it launched lunar explorer "SELENE" (Selenological and Engineering Explorer) on an H-IIA (Model H2A2022) carrier rocket from Tanegashima Space Center. SELENE is also known as Kaguya, after the lunar princess of The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. Kaguya is the largest lunar mission since the Apollo program.

Its purpose is to gather data on the moon's origin and evolution. It entered a lunar orbit on October 4, flying at an altitude of about 100 km (62 mi). The probe's mission was ended when it was deliberately crashed by JAXA into the Moon on June 11, 2009.

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The Japanese Economy Economic History

Some of the structural features for Japan's economic growth developed in the Edo period, such as the network of transport routes, by road and water, and the futures contracts, banking and insurance of the Osaka rice brokers. During the Meiji period from 1868, Japan expanded economically with the embrace of the market economy. Many of today's enterprises were founded at the time, and Japan emerged as the most developed nation in Asia. The period of overall real economic growth from the 1960s to the 1980s has been called the Japanese post-war economic miracle: it averaged 7.5 percent in the 1960s and 1970s, and 3.2 percent in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Growth slowed markedly in the 1990s during what the Japanese call the Lost Decade, largely because of the after-effects of the Japanese asset price bubble and domestic policies intended to wring speculative excesses from the stock and real estate markets. Government efforts to revive economic growth met with little success and were further hampered by the global slowdown in 2000. The economy showed strong signs of recovery after 2005; GDP growth for that year was 2.8 percent, surpassing the growth rates of the US and European Union during the same period.

As of 2012, Japan is the third largest national economy in the world, after the United States and China, in terms of nominal GDP, and the fourth largest national economy in the world, after the United States, China and India, in terms of purchasing power parity. As of December 2013, Japan's public debt was more than 200 percent of its annual gross Page 51 of 65

domestic product, the second largest of any nation in the world. In August 2011, Moody's rating has cut Japan's long-term sovereign debt rating one notch from Aa3 to Aa2 inline with the size of the country's deficit and borrowing level. The large budget deficits and government debt since the 2009 global recession and followed by earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 made the rating downgrade. The service sector accounts for three quarters of the gross domestic product.

Exports Japan has a large industrial capacity, and is home to some of the largest and most technologically advanced producers of motor vehicles, electronics, machine tools, steel and nonferrous metals, ships, chemical substances, textiles, and processed foods. Agricultural businesses in Japan cultivate 13 percent of Japan's land, and Japan accounts for nearly 15 percent of the global fish catch, second only to China. As of 2010, Japan's labor force consisted of some 65.9 million workers. Japan has a low unemployment rate of around four percent. Some 20 million people, around 17 per cent of the population, were below the poverty line in 2007. Housing in Japan is characterized by limited land supply in urban areas.

Japan's exports amounted to US$4,210 per capita in 2005. As of 2012, Japan's main export markets were China (18.1 percent), the United States (17.8 percent), South Korea (7.7 percent), Thailand (5.5 percent) and Hong Kong (5.1 percent). Its main exports are transportation equipment, motor vehicles, electronics, electrical machinery and chemicals.

Japan's main import markets as of 2012 were China (21.3 percent), the US (8.8 percent),

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Australia (6.4 percent), Saudi Arabia (6.2 percent), United Arab Emirates (5.0 percent), South Korea (4.6 percent) and Qatar (4.0 percent).

Imports Japan's main imports are machinery and equipment, fossil fuels, foodstuffs (in particular beef), chemicals, textiles and raw materials for its industries. By market share measures, domestic markets are the least open of any OECD country.

Junichiro Koizumi's administration began some pro-competition reforms, and foreign investment in Japan has soared.

Japan ranks 27th of 189 countries in the 2014 Ease of doing business index and has one of the smallest tax revenues of the developed world. The Japanese variant of capitalism has many distinct features: keiretsu enterprises are influential, and lifetime employment and seniority-based career advancement are relatively common in the Japanese work environment. Japanese companies are known for management methods like "The Toyota Way", and shareholder activism is rare.

Some of the largest enterprises in Japan include Toyota, Nintendo, NTT DoCoMo, Canon, Honda, Takeda Pharmaceutical, Sony, Panasonic, Toshiba, Sharp, Nippon Steel, Nippon Oil, and Seven & I Holdings Co.. It has some of the world's largest banks, and the Tokyo Stock Exchange (known for its Nikkei 225 and TOPIX indices) stands as the second largest in the world by market capitalization. As of 2006, Japan was home to 326 companies from the Forbes Global 2000 or 16.3 percent. In 2013, it was announced that Japan would be importing shale natural gas.

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Infrastructure

As of 2011, 46.1 percent of energy in Japan was produced from petroleum, 21.3 percent from coal, 21.4 percent from natural gas, 4.0 percent from nuclear power, and 3.3 percent from hydropower. Nuclear power produced 9.2 percent of Japan's electricity, as of 2011, down from 24.9 percent the previous year. However, by May 2012 all of the country's nuclear power plants had been taken offline because of ongoing public opposition following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in March 2011, though government officials continued to try to sway public opinion in favor of returning at least some of Japan's 50 nuclear reactors to service. As of November 2014, two reactors at Sendai are likely to restart in early 2015. Given its heavy dependence on imported energy, Japan has aimed to diversify its sources and maintain high levels of energy efficiency.

Japan's road spending has been extensive. Its 1.2 million kilometers of paved road are the main means of transportation. A single network of high-speed, divided, limited-access toll roads connects major cities and is operated by toll-collecting enterprises. New and used cars are inexpensive; car ownership fees and fuel levies are used to promote energy efficiency. However, at just 50 percent of all distance traveled, car usage is the lowest of all G8 countries.

Dozens of Japanese railway companies compete in regional and local passenger transportation markets; major companies include seven JR enterprises, Kintetsu Corporation, Seibu Railway and Keio Corporation. Some 250 high-speed Shinkansen trains connect major cities and Japanese trains are known for their safety and punctuality.

Proposals for a new Maglev route between Tokyo and Osaka are at an advanced stage.

There are 175 airports in Japan; the largest domestic airport, Haneda Airport, is Asia's second-busiest airport. The largest international gateways are Narita International Airport, Kansai International Airport and Ch큰bu Centrair International Airport. Nagoya Port is the country's largest and busiest port, accounting for 10 percent of Japan's trade value.

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Education & Culture Education

were introduced in 1872 as a Restoration. Since 1947, compulsory education elementary and middle school, which (from age 6 to age 15). Almost education

Primary schools, secondary schools and universities result of the Meiji in Japan comprises together last for nine years all children continue their at a three-year senior high school, and, according to the MEXT, as of 2005 about 75.9 percent of high school graduates attended a university, junior college, trade school, or other higher education institution.

The two top-ranking universities in Japan are the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University. The Programme for International Student Assessment coordinated by the OECD currently ranks the overall knowledge and skills of Japanese 15year-olds as sixth best in the world.

Culture Japanese culture has evolved greatly from its origins. Contemporary culture combines influences from Asia, Europe and North America. Traditional Japanese arts include crafts such as ceramics, textiles, lacquerware, swords and dolls; performances of bunraku, kabuki, noh, dance, and rakugo; and other practices, the tea ceremony, ikebana, martial arts, calligraphy, origami, onsen, Geisha and games. Japan has a developed system for the protection and promotion of both tangible and intangible Cultural Properties and National

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Treasures. Eighteen sites have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, fourteen of which are of cultural significance.

Art The Shrines of Ise have been celebrated as the prototype of Japanese architecture. Largely of wood, traditional housing and many temple buildings see the use of tatami mats and sliding doors that break down the distinction between rooms and indoor and outdoor space. Japanese sculpture, largely of wood, and Japanese painting are among the oldest of the Japanese arts, with early figurative paintings dating back to at least 300 BC. The history of Japanese painting exhibits synthesis and competition between native Japanese aesthetics and adaptation of imported ideas.

The interaction between Japanese and European art has been significant: for example ukiyo-e prints, which began to be exported in the 19th century in the movement known as Japonism, had a significant influence on the development of modern art in the West, most notably on post-Impressionism. Famous ukiyoe artists include Hokusai and Hiroshige. The fusion of traditional woodblock printing and Western art led to the creation of manga, a comic book format that is now popular within and outside Japan. Manga-influenced animation for television and film is called anime. Japanesemade video game consoles have been popular since the 1980s.

Music Japanese music is eclectic and diverse. Many instruments, such as the koto, were introduced in the 9th and 10th centuries. The accompanied recitative of the Noh drama dates from the 14th century and the popular folk music, with the guitar-like shamisen, from the sixteenth. Western classical music, introduced in the late 19th century, now forms an integral part of Japanese culture. The imperial court ensemble Gagaku has influenced the work of some modern Western composers.

Notable classical composers from Japan include Toru Takemitsu and RentarĹ? Taki. Popular music in post-war Japan has been heavily influenced by American and European trends, which has led to the evolution of J-pop, or Japanese popular music. Karaoke is the most widely practiced cultural activity in Japan. A 1993 survey by the Cultural Affairs Agency

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found that more Japanese had sung karaoke that year than had participated in traditional pursuits such as flower arranging (ikebana) or tea ceremonies.

Literature The earliest works of Japanese literature include the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki chronicles and the Man'yōshū poetry anthology, all from the 8th century and written in Chinese characters.[202][203] In the early Heian period, the system of phonograms known as kana (Hiragana and Katakana) was developed. The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter is considered the oldest Japanese narrative. An account of Heian court life is given in The Pillow Book by Sei Shōnagon, while The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu is often described as the world's first novel.

During the Edo period, the chōnin ("townspeople") overtook the samurai aristocracy as producers and consumers of literature. The popularity of the works of Saikaku, for example, reveals this change in readership and authorship, while Bashō revivified the poetic tradition of the Kokinshū with his haikai (haiku) and wrote the poetic travelogue Oku no Hosomichi. The Meiji era saw the decline of traditional literary forms as Japanese literature integrated Western influences. Natsume Sōseki and Mori Ōgai were the first "modern" novelists of Japan, followed by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, Jun'ichirō Tanizaki, Yukio Mishima and, more recently, Haruki Murakami. Japan has two Nobel Prize-winning authors—Yasunari Kawabata (1968) and Kenzaburō Ōe (1994).

Itsukushima Shrine

The Itsukushima Shrine is a Shinto shrine on the island of Itsukushima (popularly known as Miyajima), best known for its "floating" torii gate. It is in the city of Hatsukaichi in Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. The shrine complex is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Japanese government has designated several buildings and possessions as National Treasures.

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Cuisine

Japanese cuisine is based on combining staple foods, typically Japanese rice or noodles, with a soup and okazu — dishes made from fish, vegetable, tofu and the like – to add flavor to the staple food. In the early modern era ingredients such as red meats that had previously not been widely used in Japan were introduced.

Japanese cuisine is known for its emphasis on seasonality of food, quality of ingredients and presentation. Japanese cuisine offers a vast array of regional specialties that use traditional recipes and local ingredients.

The Michelin Guide has awarded restaurants in Japan more Michelin stars than the rest of the world combined.

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Sports in Japan Traditionally, sumo is considered Japan's national sport. Japanese martial arts such as judo, karate and kendo are also widely practiced and enjoyed by spectators in the country. After the Meiji Restoration, many Western sports were introduced in Japan and began to spread through the education system. Japan hosted the Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 1964. Japan has hosted the Winter Olympics twice: Sapporo in 1972 and Nagano in 1998. Tokyo will host the 2020 Summer Olympics, making Tokyo the first Asian city to host the Olympics twice. Japan is the most successful Asian Rugby Union country, winning the Asian Five Nations a record 6 times and winning the newly formed IRB Pacific Nations Cup in 2011.

Japan will host the 2019 IRB Rugby World Cup. Baseball is currently the most popular spectator sport in the country. Japan's top professional league, Nippon Professional Baseball, was established in 1936. Since the establishment of the Japan Professional Football League in 1992, association football has also gained a wide following. Japan was a venue of the Intercontinental Cup from 1981 to 2004 and co-hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup with South Korea. Japan has one of the most successful football teams in Asia, winning the Asian Cup four times. Also, Japan recently won the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2011. Golf is also popular in Japan, as are forms of auto racing like the Super GT series and Formula Nippon. The country has produced one NBA player, Yuta Tabuse.

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