Japan
GOVERNMENT ECONOMY CULTURE and GEOGRAPHY
GOVERNMENT
Japan has a constitutional monarchy and Parliament. The reigning monarch is Emperor Akihito(1989-Present). The current prime minister is Shinzo Abe(2012-Present). Japan has 3 main government branches.Legislative: This branch is composed of a lower house and a upper house. Executive: It is headed by the Prime Minister and reports to the National Diet.Judicial: This judicial branch has several courts. The judges are appointed by the Emperor.
ECONOMY
The Yen is Japan's currency. One Yen equals 0.01 U.S. Dollar. Japan's industries consist of automobile production, electronics and technology, chemicals, iron and steel, ship building and textiles. Agricutulture is not one of Japan' s biggest industries. Rice is a very important crop but over half of all other grains must be imported from other countries.
CULTURE
Japan's main language is Japanese. It's main religions are Buddhism and Shinto. The country has a very large population. It has nearly 127,650,000 people making it the 10th most populated country in the world. Japan is made up of Japanese(98.5%). The rest of the population are Chinese, Koreans, Filipinos, and Brazilians.
GEOGRAPHY
Located in East Asia, Japan is an Island Nation. Its total land area is 145,916 square miles. It is about the same size as Montana. It has a climate that goes from cool to tropical. The land is mountainous. The highest point is Mt. Fuji at 12,388 feet. Japan has its share of natural disasters too. It has volcanoes, earthquakes, and tsunamis.