Japan

Japan Introduction

Japan is not a laid-back country. It is quite the opposite, in fact. In the U.S. the concept of a “couch potato” is well understood, but not so in Japan. Life in the country is fast-paced and centers mostly on work, socializing and recreation.

The land of the rising sun is an archipelago of nearly 7,000 islands in Eastern Asia. The island nation lies in the Pacific Ocean east of the Sea of Japan, China, the Korean Peninsula and Russia. The nation stretches from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south. Japan is an isolated island nation in the middle of the Sea of Japan and the North Pacific Ocean. Just a bit smaller than California, Japan’s land area makes it the sixty-second largest country in the world.

Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku, Japan’s four largest islands, represent 97 percent of the country’s land area. Nearly three-fourths of the country is forested and mountainous and not habitable. Most of Japan’s population centers are in its coastal areas, which have made the nation one of the most densely populated in the world. Fujiyama, or Mount Fuji, is Japan’s highest mountain, reaching an elevation over 12,000 feet.

The islands of Japan are located in a volcanic zone on what is called the Pacific Ring of Fire and often experience natural disasters, such as typhoons, tsunamis, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Japan has 108 active volcanoes. Tremors are almost a daily occurrence, although most are not severe. In March 2011, the Tohoku earthquake, a 9.0 tremor that generated a destructive tsunami and a national nuclear crisis, struck Japan.

Japan’s population of nearly 128 million makes it the tenth largest country in the world, but its declining birth rate, aging population and low immigration has the country concerned for its future. In 2012, Japan’s population declined by 212,000 people, the largest decrease ever recorded. The country’s population density of 343 persons per square kilometer is ranked seventh among countries with a population of 10 million or more.

Japan is divided into areas called prefectures, which are similar to states in the U.S. There are 47 prefectures that are further divided into sub-prefectures, districts and municipalities. These sub-prefectures are also divided into cities, towns and villages. The capital of Japan, Tokyo, is the country’s largest city with a metropolitan area population of over 32 million. Osaka is the second largest metro area in Japan with a population of nearly 17 million, followed by the Nagoya metropolitan area with over 9 million people.

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