JAPAN
GEOGRAPHY, CULTURE, GOVERNMENT, ECONOMY
Geography
Japan is an mountainous island chain located of the southeast coast of mainland China in the Pacific Ocean. Its size is comparable to the state of California with a climate that is cool and temperate in the north and tropical in the south. Japan has regular occurances of natural hazards including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis. Natural resources are scarce in Japan. Japan relies on importing most of its coal, natural gas, and oil. Japan does have a large fishing industry that helps feed the citizens.
Culture
Citizens of Japan are called Japanese consisting of 98.5% being native Japanese. Other ethnic groups are Koreans at 0.5%, Chinese at 0.4% and several others. The language spoken there is called Japanese as well. Most of the population practice the religion of Shintoism and Buddhism. There are a small percentage of Christians and various other religions.
Government
Japan has been using a parliamentary government since it adopted its constitution on May 3, 1947. It also has a constitutional monarchy (Emporer) that is hereditary. Citizens twenty years and older elect the Prime Minister who appoints his cabinet members.The Legislative Branch is made up of two chambers called The House of Councillors (Sangi-in) and The House of Representatives (Shugi-in).The Judicial Branch is made up of a Supreme Court and Local Courts with the Supreme Court as the final judiciary authority.
Economy
Japans economy uses the Yen as currancy and is fueled by industry, services, and agricultural based labor force. Services such as doctors and accountants make up the largest percentage (69.7%), industrial jobs make up 26.2%, and a small percentage (3.9%) work in agriculture. The per capita GDP is $36,200 per person making Japan one of the worlds richest countries. Rice is Japans largest agricultural product with sugar beets, vegtables, fruit, pork , poultry, dairy, and fish also being produced. Their largest industry is motor vehicles at 13.6% followed by semiconductors at 6.2%, iron and steel at 5.5%, auto parts at 4.6%, plastic materials at 3.5%, and power generating machinery at 3.5%. Japan is a large importer and exporter of goods. They export to China (19.7%), US (15.5%), South Korea (8%), Hong Kong (5.2%), and Tailand (4.6%). Japan also imports goods from China (21.5%), US (8.9%), Australia (6.6%), and Saudi Arabia (5.9%).
Resources
Content:https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/Pictures:https://www.porttrips.com/shore-excursions-in-Japan/1-73http://www.knightsedge.com/p-339-thegolden-warrior-samurai.aspxhttp://www.nndb/people/711/000023642/http://www.cnn.com/LIVING/http://4umi.com/image/map/http://www.cedarville.edu/resources/education/geo/japan/economy.htmhttp://www.forbes.com/fdc/welcome_mjx.shtml