COUNTRY PROFILE : JAPAN

DEMOGRAPHICS
• Area: 377,780 square kilometers (142,771 square miles)
Population: 127,692,000
Capital City: Tokyo
People: 98.3% Japanese; 1.7 % other (mostly Chinese or
ethnic Korean)
Language: Japanese
Religion(s): 80% of Japanese adhere to more than one
religion: Shinto (106.8 million), Buddhism (89.2 million),
Christianity (3.0 million), others (9.8 million)
Currency: Yen
 POLITICAL SCENARIO

Government: Representative democracy with a

bicameral (two chamber) parliament (the Diet).
Executive power rests with the Prime Minister
and his cabinet. The emperor is head of state,
although his function is purely symbolic.
Head of State: Emperor Akihito, ascended to
throne 7 January 1989.
Prime Minister: Naoto Kan, since 8 June 2010.
 Demographics
• HEALTH
• Japanese men and women enjoy the highest life expectancy in the world.
However, with the Japanese population expected to age rapidly during the
next 30 years, the Government is concerned about how it will finance health
care for the aged in the future.
• ECONOMY
• Basic Economic Facts
• GDP: US$ 4,909 billion (2008)
GDP per head: US$ 38,562 (2008)
Annual Growth: -0.7% (2008)
Inflation: 1.4% (2008)
Major Industries: High-tech electronic products, motor vehicles, office
machinery, chemicals.
Exchange rate: £1 = 133.8 Yen (June 2010)
 Economic stats
• Exports: Japan's main export goods are cars, electronic
devices and computers. Most important trade partners
are China and the USA, followed by South Korea, Taiwan,
Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and Germany.
• Imports: Japan has a surplus in its export/import
balance. The most important import goods are raw
materials such as oil, foodstuffs and wood. Major
supplier is China, followed by the USA, Australia, Saudi
Arabia, South Korea, Indonesia and the United Arab
Emirates.