Japan

“Land of the Rising Sun”

Japan

Population• 127 million people• High population

density• 65% live in cities like

Tokyo and Osaka• most live on island of

Honshu• 90% of population is

Japanese• Non-Japanese must

register and carry identification

Language• Japanese books are

read from “back” to “front”

• use several types of alphabets:– Kanji– Hiragana– Katakana

• English is taught in schools and often used in business

Religion

• 80% practice combination of Shinto and Confucianism

• Less than 1% of population is Christian

Government• Constitutional

monarchy• Japan’s emperor has

no real power• Prime Minister

governs the nation• Diet (legislature)

makes the laws• certain political

families have held a seat in the Diet for several generations

Economy• imports about half of its

food• rice is most important

crop• most people work in

manufacturing• work hard and are loyal

to their companies• because of tariffs,

Japan has a huge trade surplus

• U.S. is most important trading partner

Economy

Schools• education in Japan is

extremely important• study more and

spend more time in school

• many attend juku• schools are more

formal• great respect for

teachers• help with chores or

serving others• wear uniforms

Culture: Food

Culture: Games & Sports

Culture: Holidays

Other Customs & Traditions

Tokyo

Issues & Challenges

• must import much of its food and natural resources

• natural disasters• overcrowding• pollution• economic

competition