JAPAN

• Social philosophies

Intellectual discourse developed by Japanese thinkers, scholars, and political and religious leaders who creatively combined indigenous philosophical and religious traditions with key concepts adopted from nonnative traditions beginning about the 7th century.

The most distinctive characteristic of Japanese philosophy is how it has assimilated and adapted foreign philosophies to its native worldview. Japan successfully resisted foreign invasion until 1945 and, although it borrowed ideas freely throughout its history, was able to do so without the imposition of a military or colonial presence.

Japanese philosophy thus bears the imprint of a variety of foreign traditions, but there is always a distinctively Japanese cultural context. In order to understand the dynamics of Japanese thought, it is necessary to examine both the influence of various foreign philosophies through Japanese history and the underlying or continuing cultural orientation that set the stage for which ideas would be assimilated and in what way.

The major philosophical traditions to influence Japan from abroad have been Confucianism, Buddhism, neo-Confucianism and Western philosophy. Daoism also had an impact, but more in the areas of alchemy, prognostication and folk medicine than in philosophy. Although these traditions often overlapped, each also had distinctive influences.

• Language

Japanese is an East Asian language spoken by about 125 million speakers, primarily in Japan, where it is the national language. It is a member of the Japonic language family, whose relation to other language groups, particularly to Korean and the suggested Altaic language family.

Writing:

The Japanese writing system consists of three different character sets: Kanji and Hiragana and Katakana. Texts can be written in two ways: In Western style, in horizontal rows from the top to the bottom of the page, or in traditional Japanese style, in vertical columns from the right to the left side of the page. Both writing styles exist side by side today.

Grammar:

Basic Japanese grammar is relatively simple. Complicating factors such as gender articles and distinctions between plural and singular are missing almost completely. Conjugation rules for verbs and adjectives are simple and almost free of exceptions. Nouns are not declinated at all, but appear always in the same form.

Pronunciation:

In comparison with other languages, Japanese knows relatively few sounds, and pronunciation poses little problems to most learners. The biggest difficulty are accents, which do exist, but to a much lower extent than in the Chinese language. In addition, there are relatively many homonyms, i.e. words that are pronounced the same way, but have different meanings.

• Education

The schooling years in the Japanese education system are segmented along the lines of 6 years of primary or elementary school; 3 years of middle or junior high school; 3 years of high school; and 4 years of university. However, the government has just announced that it is intending to make changes in the Education Law to allow schools to merge the 6-3 division between elementary and middle schools. The key purpose for this change is to allow elementary and middle schools to pool or share their resources, with special regard to making available specialist teachers of middle schools to elementary schools.

In Japan, education is compulsory at the elementary and lowers secondary levels. Most students attend public schools through the lower secondary level, but private education is popular at the upper secondary and university levels. Japan's education system played a central part in Japan's recovery and rapid economic growth in the decades following the end of World War II.

Japan has 23,633 elementary schools, 11,134 junior high schools, 5,450 senior high schools, 995 schools for the handicapped, 702 universities, 525 junior colleges, and 14,174 kindergartens. School attendance rate for the nine years of compulsory education is 99.98%.

About 20.7 million students were enrolled in educational institutions in Japan from the kindergarten to university levels. School life often receives bad press on delinquency, bullying or behavioral problems or the spate of horrendous and baffling crime knifings and killings taking place in schools in the past decade that were once unheard of in the country. Student life in public elementary schools in general is however acknowledged by most

Japanese to be largely enjoyable, except for some students that can set in during the transition to junior high school.

• Society’s Dynamic

Japan is an extremely homogeneous society with non-Japanese, mostly Koreans and Chinese, making up only about 1% of the population. The Japanese people are primarily the descendants of various peoples who migrated from Asia in prehistoric times; the dominant strain is N Asian or Mongolic, with some Malay and Indonesian admixture. One of the earliest groups, the Ainu, who still persist to some extent in Hokkaido, are physically somewhat similar to Caucasians.

Japan has 47 prefectures. On the basis of geographical and historical background, these prefectures can be divided into eight regions: Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kanto, Chubu, Kinki, Chugoku, Shikoku, and Kyushu-Okinawa.

Each region has its own dialect, customs, and unique traditional culture. For example, the Kanto region, which includes Tokyo, and the Kansai region, which includes Osaka, offer striking contrasts in everything from the taste of food to the style of traditional performing arts, and people have fun comparing them.

Japan is known throughout the world for its economic successes, yet Japanese society remains a paradox to many outside its borders. The people who stress the nation's uniqueness, including many Japanese, often overlook the common human traits that make cross-cultural communication possible and rewarding. Those who stress Japan's convergence with the West miss the deeper differences that have allowed Japan to chart its own path through the unknowns of the postindustrial period.

Geography and climate do not determine social organization or values, but they do set parameters for human action. Leaders of this island nation historically have exerted close political control over their people and have limited foreign influence to degrees not possible elsewhere. Mountainous terrain and wet-rice agriculture fostered, but did not ensure, attitudes of cooperation within the social unit and a sense of separateness from the outside.

Japanese society underwent great social changes after 1945. Families became smaller, women increasingly participated in paid labor, and urban life replaced the rural community as the common environment in which children were raised and human interaction took place. The changes brought new problems, such as industrial pollution, the entrance examination "hell," and social anomie. The government responded with new policies, and ordinary citizens utilized traditional customs to give meaning to the

present. Japanese cities in the late twentieth century are convenient and safe. Surface prosperity masks an unequal distribution of wealth and discrimination against those perceived to be "different." Films, television, nightlife, and comic books (manga), sometimes garish and violent, offer an escape from the pressures of contemporary life. Categorization of social problems as medical syndromes tends to focus attention on personal-problem solving and away from societal-level causes, such as poverty, gender roles, or the lack of assistance in caring for ill elderly relatives.

• Structure and stratification

Feudal Japan was divided into several castes: Nobility, Samurai or warriors, Commoners, The burakumin or outcasts.

Japan today consists of “upper,” “upper-middle,” “lower-middle,” and “lower” classes, and people move between classes over time. But they may still size up one’s social standing through the lens of caste.

Their social structure is somewhat similar to communist countries where everyone gain the same benefits, but instead of having small group of government officials that are rich, everyone falls in the middle class. Since migration to Japan is very strict, there are only small amount of foreigners, which in many multi-cultural countries, form a group of the "poor" class. Though, there is one distinct social class in Japan, which is the Imperial family. Although, they are restricted to the direct relative of the current Emperor so it hardly exceed 10 people.

Japan is a lot like other modern more developed countries; they have lower, middle and an upper class. Most people seem to fall within the middle class here, although the idea of what middle class is or looks like seems to be quite different among people. I live in a middle class neighborhood although there are some poor houses nearby and a few really nice houses a couple streets away.

There are also a lot of issues surrounding foreigners who live in Japan. Koreans and Chinese have experienced a lot of social discrimination here. To some extent, all foreigners are discriminated against.

• Location

Japan, an island nation in East Asia, is an archipelago (large group of islands) located east of the Korean peninsula. It has an area of 377,835 square kilometers (145,882 square miles), which makes it slightly smaller than the state of California. Japan is bordered by the

Pacific Ocean on the north and east, by the Philippine Sea and the East China Sea to the south, and by the Sea of Japan / East Sea on the west. It has a coastline of 29,751 kilometers (18,487 miles). Japan's major cities, including Tokyo, its capital, and Yokohama, its major port, are located in the southeastern part of the country, on the main island of Honshu. Kyoto, Nagoya, and Osaka are in the southern part of Honshu. Sapporo is located on the northern island of Hokkaido. The other 2 main islands in the Japanese archipelago are Kyushu and Shikoku, to the southwest.

Geographic coordinates: 36 00 N, 138 00 E

Map references: Asia

Area:

− total: 377,835 sq. km

− land: 374,744 sq. km

− water: 3,091 sq. km

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 29,751 km

Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm; between 3 nm and 12 nm in the international straits - La Perouse or Soya, Tsugaru, Osumi, and Eastern and Western Channels of the Korea or Tsushima Strait

• Leaders.

Head of state: Emperor Akihito

Akihito succeeded his father, Hirohito, in 1989. Under the 1947 constitution, Japan's emperors have a purely ceremonial role. Following his death, the Emperor will be known as Emperor Heisei (平成).

Prime minister: Shinzo Abe

Shinzo Abe became Japan's prime minister for the second time in December 2012, after his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) scored a landslide election win. Shinzo Abe arrives at the prime minister's official residence following his appointment in December 2012.

Shinzo Abe won his first seat in parliament in 1993 and was appointed to the cabinet for the first time in October 2005, when he was given the important role of chief cabinet secretary.

During his first premiership, he showed himself to be an outspoken populist, pushing for a more assertive foreign policy and a greater role for Japan on the world stage.

Under his administration, a bill was passed setting out steps for holding a referendum on revising the country's pacifist constitution. He also called for a greater sense of national pride and backed a law requiring the teaching of patriotism in schools. His visit to the Yasukuni shrine - seen by Japan's neighbors as a symbol of the country's militarism before and during World War II - in December 2013 drew sharp criticism from China and South Korea.

After standing down from the premiership in September 2007, he temporarily disappeared from the political spotlight. He returned to the political stage in September 2012 with his election as LDP leader, and soon expressed strong views on the ongoing territorial rows with China and South Korea.

The main challenge that he faces is the state of the economy. His decision to weaken the yen seemed to reap dividends when exports rose 10.1% in May 2013 - the fastest annual rate since 2010.

He went on to win control of the upper house of parliament in July, seeing this as an endorsement of his economic and foreign policy.

• Inhabitants

Japan has a population of 127.54 million. Over the past two decades or so, inequality in Japan has grown as a result of economic difficulties that Japan has faced since the end of the economic boom of the 1980s. This problem has been characterized by a rise in the percentage of the workforce employed on a temporary or part-time basis, from 19% in 1996 to 34.5% in 2009, together with an increase in the number of Japanese living in poverty. According to the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development, the percentage of people in Japan living in relative poverty (defined as an income that is less than 50% of the median) rose from 12% of the total population in the mid-Eighties to 15.3% in 2000. In 2005, it was estimated that 12.2% of children in Japan lived in poverty. From 1985 to 2008, the percentage of non-regular workers (those working on fixed-term contracts without job security, seniority wage increases, or other benefits) rose from 16.4% to 34.1% of the workforce. Various observers have come to describe Japan as a “disparity society”, a socially divided society with unambiguous class differences and inequalities (in a country where around 90% of the population have regarded themselves to be middle-class in various surveys).

Facts about Japan’s population in 2013:

• Japan’s population fell by a record 244,000 in 2013.

• An estimated 1,031,000 babies were born, down about 6,000 from a year earlier.

• 1,275,000 people died, up about 19,000 from the previous year, the highest annual rise since World War II.

• It has continually declined since 2007 by natural attrition (deaths minus births).

Japan is rapidly greying, with more than 20 percent of the population aged 65 or over, one of the highest proportions of elderly people in the world. The country has very little immigration and any suggestion of opening its borders to young workers who could help plug the population gap provokes strong reactions among the public.

The proportion of people aged 65 or over will reach nearly 40 percent of the population in 2060, according to a 2012 government report. Of major concern to Japanese government policy planners are the expected steady decline in the population during the

21st cent. (The population decreased for the first time in 2005) and the large and growing portion of the population that is elderly.

• Religion

Religion in Japan is a wonderful mish-mash of ideas, unlike in the West, religion in Japan is rarely preached, nor is it a doctrine. Instead it is a moral code, a way of living, almost indistinguishable from Japanese social and cultural values. Today, religion defines Japanese identity more than spirituality, and that helps strengthens family and community ties.

Japanese religion is also a private, family affair. It is separate from the state; there are no religious prayers or symbols in a school graduation ceremony for example. Religion is little discussed in everyday life and the majorities of Japanese do not worship regularly or claim to be religious. However most people turn to religious rituals in birth, marriage and death and take part in spiritual matsuri or festivals throughout the year.

Religion in Japan is mainly constituted by Shintoism and Buddhism. Shintoism is the spirituality of this world and this life, whereas Buddhism is concerned with the soul and the afterlife. This explains why for the Japanese the two religions exist so successfully together, without contradiction. To celebrate a birth or marriage, or to prey for a good harvest, the Japanese turn to Shintoism. Funerals, on the other hand, are usually Buddhist ceremonies.

Other religions

According to Article 20 of the Japanese constitution, Japan grants full religious freedom, allowing minority religions such as Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Sikhism to be practiced. These religions account for roughly 5-10% of Japan’s population. However, the spiritual vacuum left by the Emperor's renunciation was also rapidly filled by a plethora of new religions (shin shukyo) which sprang up across Japan.

However, the vast majority of new religions are focused on peace and the attainment of happiness, although many Japanese who have no involvement appear suspicious of such organizations. Tax dodging or money laundering are, according to some, par for the course.

Some of the new religions such as PL Kyoden (Public Liberty Kyoden) and Soka Gakkai have, however, become very much a part of the establishment in Japan, and it seems their role in politics and business is not to be underestimated.

• Culture

Japan has a fascinating and multifaceted culture; on the one hand it is steeped in the deepest of traditions dating back thousands of years; on the other it is a society in a continual state of rapid flux, with continually shifting fads and fashions and technological development that constantly pushes back the boundaries of the possible.

Manners and customs are an important part of many facets of Japanese life. Japanese people will grow up picking up the subtleties of this unique culture as they go through life, respecting the invisible and varied societal rules. There are many aspects of this seemingly complicated culture that as a foreign visitor, you will not be expected to know, but there are some things that will be easier to grasp than others.

Bowing

One of the most obvious social conventions is the bow. Everyone bows when they say hello, goodbye, thank you or sorry. Bowing is a term of respect, remorse, gratitude and greeting.

Taking off footwear

This is something that confuses many visitors to Japan, but is so easy to understand. It is customary in Japan to take off your shoes when entering a traditional ryokan (guesthouse), a home, temple or the occasional restaurant for example. Traditionally, the Japanese took off shoes entering homes as people would sleep, sit and eat on the tatami matted floors and footwear worn outside would spread dirt across their living area. Today people still take off their footwear, partly to keep the inside of the building clean, but also as a sign of respect.

Respect

The suffix “san” is often used when you refer to someone else and is a term of respect. If referring to Mr. /Mrs. Suzuki, you would say, “Suzuki san”. However, you would never refer to yourself as “-san” and would only use your name on its own.

• Science and technology

Science and technology in Japan is mostly focused and prominent in consumer electronics, robotics and the automotive industry.

Japan has the largest share in the world market in the fields of electronic, science and technology. It spends the biggest budget for research in these fields. That accounts for more

than $130 billion USD. The researchers are around 677, 731. In Asia, Japan is the only country that has received more Nobel prizes. This is just an indication of what Japan is capable of producing.

Japan is the only country in the world that has the largest international conglomerates like Sony, Canon, Panasonic, Fujitsu, Sharp, Hitachi, NEC, Epson and Toshiba. Then in the other fields Honda, Mazda, Nissan, Toyota, Nintendo, Mitsubishi and Subaru are the greatest companies known in the world as well.

Japan’s innovation can also be found in the field of Chemicals, Robotics, Optics, Metals and semi-conductors. The amazing quality of Japan can be understood from the fact that Japan possesses more than half of the Industrial robots in the world. It means almost 402,200 of the available 742,500 robots. Six of the world’s largest automotive manufacturers are from Japan only and houses seven of the world’s largest twenty semi-conductor sales companies.

In rail transport, Japan has the most advanced trains in the world. Shinkansen is such an amazing technology to date. The fastest train in the world, Maglev train, has a speed of 581 km per hours. This is unbeaten.

Japan also rules the space. The Japan Aerospace and Exploration Agency, is the foundation and reason for Japan’s space related research and development. It has excelled in the development of rockets and its contribution to the space technology is commendable.

Since Japan is much dependent on imported fuel, nuclear energy has become Japan’s priority. Presently, Japan is the third largest nuclear power in the world. It has 55 nuclear reactors now. They provide Japan’s 35% of electricity.

The only energy that Japan finds it difficult to produce is the wind energy. It is not that Japan has no know-how but the unpredictable wind in Japan makes it difficult for Japan to go deep into it. The typhoons play havoc at times.

Then again, Japan’s net technology transfers to Thailand, Indonesia, China and the United Kingdom are amazing.

Technologically, Japan is the technological head of the world.

• Concepts

Socialism

Social and economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of

production and co-operative management of the economy.

The Socialism period appeared during the Meiji period, with the development of a large

number of relatively short-lived political parties through the early Shōwa period. It

provoked hostility from the mainstream political parties, oligarchs and military alike, and

many went underground soon after formation. Although occasionally winning a seat in

the lower house of the Diet of Japan, left-socialist parties played little role in the

government of the Empire of Japan.

Communism

A system of social organization in which all economic and social activity is

controlled by a totalitarian state dominated by a single and self-perpetuating political party.

The Japan Communist Party was founded on 15 July 1922, as an underground branch

of Committer by a group of socialist activists. The Japan Communist Party was subjected to

repression and persecution by the military and police. Yamakawa had the party formally

dissolved in 1924 in an attempt to create a legal mass based political party to approach the

Japanese working class.

Capitalism

An economic system in which investment in and ownership of the means of production,

distribution and exchange of wealth is made by private individuals or corporations,

especially state-owned means of wealth.

Capitalism is a form of capitalism that first developed in post-World War II Japan and has

since spread to East Asian countries.

Collective capitalism stemmed from the economic and social restructuring of Japan

following World War Two. This programmed of industrial development made Japan

experienced tremendous growth. Japan permanently adopted the collective capitalist ideal.

Japan currently has the world's third largest economy by purchasing power parity (PPP) and

the second largest by market exchange rates.

Dictatorship

An autocratic or authoritarian form of government in which a government is ruled by an

individual

The dictatorship in Japan during World War II: the prime minister was Hideki Tojo while

Hirohito was the emperor.

Totalitarianism

Form of government that permits no individual freedom and seeks to subordinate all

aspects of the individual’s life to the authority of the government.

Japanese Army and Navy are engaged in another major war, the struggle for complete

mastery of the Japanese state and the Japanese national economy. The causative

interrelation between the tendency of expansionism and totalitarianism was so been quite so

close and compelling that look dangerous to the nation and to the Army and Navy

themselves.

Monarchy

Form of government in which sovereignty is actually embodied in a single individual.

A hereditary sovereign, as a king, queen, or emperor.

The Imperial Family or Yamato dynasty undertake official and public duties.

The Japanese monarchy is the oldest continuous hereditary monarchy in the world.

Parliamentary

System of democratic governance of a state in which the executive branch derives its

democratic legitimacy from, and is held accountable to the parliament.

The politics of Japan is conducted in a framework of a parliamentary representative

democratic monarchy where the Prime Minister of Japan is the head of government. The

Constitution of Japan defines the emperor to be "the symbol of the state and of the unity of

the people."

Republic

Form of government in which power is exercised by the public at large, and affairs of state

are a concern of the public sphere rather than privately accommodated.

Theres not a republic in Japan. Japan is the only country in the world to be ruled by an

Emperor. There is just the Democratic People Republic of Japan that is a country located

north of the Fukushima Line. The DPRJ is a corrupt communist dictatorship under the rule

of Masanichi Kaneshiro who was a major in the Imperial Army before the Red Army took

over.

Anarchy

A state of society without government or law.

Anarchism in Japan dates to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The anarchist movement

was influenced by World War I and World War II, in which Japan played a major role.

Revolution

An overthrow or repudiation and the thorough replacement of an established government or

political system by the people governed.

Various revolutions in Japan:

Meiji period was a revolution that brought the modernization and Westernization of Japan.

It was a beginning of an era of major political, economic and social change.

Japan participate in World War 1 in alliance with the Entente Power and play the role in

securing the sea Ianes in the South Pacific and Indian Oceans. Also participate in World

War II in alliance with the Axis Power.

Oligarchy

Form of power structure in which power effectively rests with a small number of people.

These people could be distinguished by royalty, wealth, family ties, education, corporate, or

military control.

Genro, was an oligarchy that dominated the Japanese government from the promulgation of

the Meiji Constitution (1889) to the early 1930s. The genro were men who had played a

leading role in the 1868 Meiji Restoration and in the organization of the new government

that followed this revolution. After the constitution was promulgated, these men became

personal counselors to the throne, a position that allowed them virtually to run the

bureaucracy, though they rarely assumed overt power for themselves.

Plutocracy

System ruled and dominated by the small minority of the wealthiest citizens.

Tyranny

A government in which all power belongs to one person, the rule or authority of a tyrant

Aristocracy

Form of government in which power is in the hands of a small, privileged, ruling class.

Regime

Form of government; the set of rules, cultural or social norms that regulate the operation of

government and its interactions with society. The time or period a person rules.

The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) secured a landslide victory in the National Diet

Lower House elections. It has pledged major reforms in domestic political and economic

governance, and may chart a new direction in foreign and security policy.

Constitution

Set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other

organization is governed

The constitution of Japan Promulgated on November 3, 1946 and came into effect on May

3, 1947

“It determined that we shall secure for ourselves and our posterity the fruits of peaceful

cooperation with all nations and the blessings of liberty throughout this land, and resolved

that never again shall we be visited with the horrors of war through the action of

government, do proclaim that sovereign power resides with the people and do firmly

establish this Constitution. Government is a sacred trust of the people, the authority for

which is derived from the people, the powers of which are exercised by the representatives

of the people, and the benefits of which are enjoyed by the people.”

Centralism

A way of organizing a political or educational system in which a single authority has power

and control over the entire system.

Federalism

Federalism is a system based upon democratic rules and institutions in which the power to

govern is shared between national and provincial/state governments, creating a federation.

The World Federalist Movement of Japan was founded in Tokyo on August 6, 1948 in

commemoration of the third anniversary of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima. Dedicated to

preventing further atrocities, WFM Japan has published two books on the history of world

federalism in Japan.

Social Party

The name of several different political parties around the world.

Democracy

Form in which all eligible citizens participate equally

• Social Democratic Party in Japan

The party was founded in January 1996 by the majority of legislators of the defunct Japan

Socialist Party (JSP), which was Japan's largest opposition party in the 1955 system and

because fall of the militarist regime which had led Japan into the Second World War. Short

period of government participation from 1993 to 1994

Branches of the Government

System by which a state or community is governed.

Japan Branches of Government:

• Executive -. The emperor is the ceremonial head of state. The prime minister, who is

the majority party leader, is appointed by the emperor upon nomination by the Diet.

The Cabinet is responsible to the Diet.

• Legislature- . The bicameral Diet has authority over all legislative matters. As a

result of an electoral reform law that came into effect in December 1994. The

parliament consisted of a 512-member House of Representatives and a 252-member

House of Councilors. Both houses are directly elected by the people, with

representatives serving 4 year terms unless the house is dissolved, and councilors

are elected every 3 years.

• Judiciary-. The Supreme Court consists of a chief justice and 14 associate judges.

• Local Government-. For administrative purposes, the nation is divided into 47

prefectures, each with its own popularly elected governor or mayor and

representative assembly. Cities, towns, and villages also elect representative

assemblies.

Conservatism

A political and social philosophy promotes retaining traditional social institutions

Liberalism

A political philosophy founded on ideas of liberty and equality.

• In the 20 century 'liberal' became a synonym for conservative and the main

conservative party is named Liberal Democratic Party. The Democratic Party is a

left of center liberal, social democratic party. The liberal character of the Liberal

League it is also considered to be conservative party.

Radicalism

The opinions and behavior of people who favor extreme changes, especially in government;

radical political ideas and behavior.

The radical movement among Japanese students was brought to wide public attention with

an airplane hijacking in 1970. Political matters have formed the basis for many of the

radical actions by students since then, from 1967, when the international situation in Red

China, Vietnam, and North Korea became strained. Although the older generation in charge

of production the young comprise its biggest customer group. Disillusioned by both the

education and the life style offered them, they search for a cause to which they can commit

themselves, and often find it in radicalism.

• How’s your country compared to other economies?

Japan is a country with an economy that occupies the third place of the largest economies in the world. Japan is one of the most highly developed nations in the world. Japanese brands like Toyota, Sony, Fujifilm, and Panasonic are famous across the globe.

There are a lot of differences between the economy of Japan and the economy of México. The most obvious one should be that, as it was mentioned, Japan has the third largest economy in the world while México´s is number fourteen. Secondly, Japan´s economy relies mainly in importing goods in order to turn them into products, while Mexico´s economy is export oriented, meaning that it is one of the largest merchandise exporters. Both Mexico and Japan share the automobile industry as an important part of their economies; however, Japan is the third biggest producer of automobiles in the world. Finally, speaking about poverty, Japan is said to have a 90% of their population to be middle class, while México is the country with the second highest degree of economic disparity.

• Economic Indicators

Supply: Since the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred, some of the supplies have been decreasing. The domestic supply of primary energy, and the nuclear energy, has been decreasing year-on-year. While coal, natural gas, and petroleum have increase year-on-year.

Demand:

Exported goods and services:

Japan has a highly industrialized economy. The high population is what explains the focus on their main exports, automotive products, also optical, technical, and medical products. Japan is an island nation and they have the advantage on exporting ships, boats, and other floating structures. Their main exports, which is the 79.6% of the overall value of its global shipments, are the following:

1.Vehicles excluding trains and streetcars: (20.8% of total exports)2.Machinery: (18.9%)3.Electronic equipment: (15.1%)4.Optical, technical and medical apparatus: (5.6%)5.Iron and steel: (4.9%)6.Organic chemicals: (3.7%)7.Plastics: (3.6%)8.Mineral fuels including oil: (2.3%)9.Ships, boats and other floating structures: (2.2%)Articles of iron or steel: (1.9%)

Imported goods and services:

Japan’s main imports, which are the 81% of the total imports, are: mineral fuels (37%), machinery (21%), food (8%), chemicals (8%), and raw materials (7%). Japan mainly imports with the countries of China (%), USA (8%), Saudi Arabia (6%), United Arab Emirates (5%), Australia (6%), South Korea (4%), and Western Europe (10%).

GDP:

Japan is an OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development), wealthy and large sized economy. The economy of Japan is the third largest economy in the world by GDP. The World Bank Group reports it.

The GDP measures the national incomes and outputs for a country economy, it’s the total of all final goods and services produced within a certain period of time. In 2012 the GDP of Japan was worth 5960 billon US dollars. According to trading economics, the Gross Product of Japan, represents 9.61 percent of the world economy. Since 1960 until 2012, Japan GDP averaged 2436.6 USD Billion reaching an all time high of 5960.0 USD Billion in December of 2012.

According to trading economics, Japan's economy is predominantly services-based. For example, in agriculture has a 1.17% of GDP, and their employs are 3.70% of the population. In the services area, they have a 44.60% of GDP, and they employ 35.70% of the population. And in the manufacturing and industry area, they have a 26.18% of GDP and they employ 25.30% of the population. While Japan's government spends a 41.25% of the GDP. And the net government debt is 133.45% of GDP. Here's a table showing the growth of Japan's GDP:

Recently, it was the last exchange rate, which is the rate at which one currency will be exchanged for another; it marked that 102.56 JPY (Japanese Yen) is 1 USD.

• Infrastructure

Tourism:

Means of transportation:

Japan's transport system is highly developed, with road and rail networks covering virtually every part of the country together with extensive air and sea services.

Shinkansen, or bullet trains, are express trains that travel at top speeds of 250 to 300 kilometers per hour. The Shinkansen network is a convenient way to travel around Japan. The Shinkansen is considered one of the fastest and safest railroad systems in the world.

Besides the Shinkansen, Japan has a passenger railway network. Many of Japan's major cities also have subway lines. The subway system in the capital Tokyo, which has over a dozen lines covering hundreds of kilometers of track, is considered to be one of the best in the world and continues to grow. Commuter rail services like these

are used by millions of people every day to get to and from work or school. Japanese trains of all kinds are famed for being clean and punctual.

The E5 series shinkansen boasts a speed of 300 km/h.(Railman Photo Office)

Communication:

The most common ways of communication in Japan are: Telephone, Mobil Phone, Radio, Television and Internet Service.

The first milestones in the Japanese history were newspapers in the Meiji period. Founded in 1861 in Nagasaki, with the telegraph and telephone following suit.

In the postwar period the Broadcasting Law of 1950 provides for independent management and programming by NHK. Television broadcasting began in 1953, and color television was introduced in 1960. Cable television was introduced in 1969. In 1978 an experimental broadcast satellite with two color television channels was launched.

Operational satellites for television use were launched between 1984 and 1990. Television viewing spread so rapidly that, by 1987, 99 percent of Japan's households had color television sets and the average family had its set on at least five hours a day. The new system also provided twenty-four hours a day, nonstop service.

Japan has been the world leader in telecommunications in the 1980s, but this position that has been challenged by the United States' dot-com industry in the 1990s. While the United States is leading in digital content, South Korea is leading in broadband access, India is leading in software, and Taiwan is leading in research and development.

What’s your country situation in relation to strengthening the regulation of international drug trafficking?

Links

http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Asia-and-the-Pacific/Japan.html#ixzz2xB0cG0hq

http://geography.about.com/library/cia/blcjapan.htm

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-15215135

http://www.insidejapantours.com/japanese-culture/religion/#sthash.2x0RPzyY.dpuf

http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/world/japan-japanese-society.html#ixzz2xB0BLv2p

http://www.mongabay.com/reference/country_studies/japan/SOCIETY.html

http://www.insidejapantours.com/japanese-culture/social-conventions/#sthash.VuWRs284.dpuf

http://www.insidejapantours.com/japanese-culture/#sthash.BW62vyBx.dpuf

http://loonybg.hubpages.com/hub/Facts-of-Japan-Technologically-advanced

http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/explore/economy/index.html

http://www.worldstopexports.com/japans-top-10-exports/2097

http://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2013/1002_01.html