Japan: Facts and Figures - Facts and Figures

Official name

Japan

Capital

Tokyo

Area

377,930 sq km

145,920 sq mi

Administrative divisions (population)

Aichi

7,185,744 (2008)

Akita

1,130,823 (2008)

Aomori

1,430,543 (2008)

Chiba

6,090,799 (2008)

Ehime

1,471,510 (2008)

Fukui

815,344 (2008)

Fukuoka

5,030,818 (2008)

Fukushima

2,075,555 (2008)

Gifu

2,095,484 (2008)

Gunma

2,012,151 (2008)

Hiroshima

2,864,167 (2008)

Hokkaido

5,571,770 (2008)

Hyogo

5,582,230 (2008)

Ibaraki

2,982,000 (2008)

Ishikawa

1,167,151 (2008)

Iwate

1,366,652 (2008)

Kagawa

1,019,333 (2008)

Kagoshima

1,739,075 (2008)

Kanagawa

8,798,289 (2008)

Kochi

784,038 (2008)

Kumamoto

1,844,644 (2008)

Kyoto

2,558,542 (2008)

Mie

1,856,282 (2008)

Miyagi

2,334,874 (2008)

Miyazaki

1,161,026 (2008)

Nagano

2,176,806 (2008)

Nagasaki

1,469,197 (2008)

Nara

1,419,626 (2008)

Niigata

2,413,103 (2008)

Otia

1,215,388 (2008)

Okayama

1,948,250 (2008)

Okinawa

1,391,215 (2008)

Osaka

8,670,302 (2008)

Saga

864,738 (2008)

Saitama

7,067,336 (2008)

Shiga

1,377,886 (2008)

Shimane

733,123 (2008)

Shizuoka

3,775,400 (2008)

Tochigi

2,006,701 (2008)

Tokushima

805,951 (2008)

Tokyo

12,462,200 (2008)

Tottori

602,411 (2008)

Toyama

1,106,340 (2008)

Wakayama

1,045,973 (2008)

Yamagata

1,194,071 (2008)

Yamaguchi

1,479,840 (2008)

Yamanashi

871,481 (2008)

Largest cities (population)

Tokyo

8,413,883 (2008)

Yokohama

3,585,785 (2008)

Osaka

2,516,543 (2008)

Nagoya

2,164,640 (2008)

Sapporo

1,880,138 (2008)

Kobe

1,505,111 (2008)

Kyoto

1,387,935 (2008)

Fukuoka

1,375,292 (2008)

Kawasaki

1,340,801 (2008)

Hiroshima

1,149,478 (2008)

Sendai

1,003,733 (2008)

Kitakyūshū

982,836 (2008)

Chiba

917,854 (2008)

Sakai

833,694 (2008)

Hamamatsu

790,302 (2008)

Kumamoto

662,836 (2008)

Okayama

685,564 (2008)

Sagamihara

691,162 (2008)

Kagoshima

601,682 (2008)

Funabashi

584,152 (2008)

Population

127,078,680 (2009 estimate)

Population growth rate

-0.19 per cent (2009 estimate)

Population density

339 persons per sq km (2009 estimate)

878 persons per sq mi (2009 estimate)

Urbanization

Per cent urban

66 per cent (2005 estimate)

Per cent rural

34 per cent (2005 estimate)

Life expectancy

Total

82.1 years (2009 estimate)

Female

85.6 years (2009 estimate)

Male

78.8 years (2009 estimate)

Infant mortality rate

3 deaths per 1,000 live births (2009 estimate)

Literacy rate

Total

99 per cent (1995)

Female

99 per cent (1993 estimate)

Male

99 per cent (1993 estimate)

Ethnic divisions

Japanese

99.4 per cent

Other (mostly Korean),
including Ainu

0.6 per cent

Languages

Japanese (official), Central Okinawan, Korean, indigenous languages

Religions

Observe both Shinto and Buddhism

85 per cent

Other or none

15 per cent

Type of government

Constitutional monarchy

Independence

660 BC (traditional founding by Emperor Jimmu)

Constitution

May 3, 1947

Voting rights

Universal at age 20

Gross domestic product (GDP) (US$)

4,384,255 million (2007)

GDP per capita (US$)

34,313.40 (2007)

GDP by economic sector

GDP, agriculture

1.7 per cent (2004)

GDP, industry

30.2 per cent (2004)

GDP, services

68.1 per cent (2004)

National budget (US$)

Total revenue

892,795 million (1993)

Total expenditure

896,052 million (1993)

Monetary unit

1 yen, consisting of 100 sen

Exports

Manufactured goods (especially machinery, motor vehicles, consumer electronics), chemicals, scientific instruments, photographic equipment, metals and metal products, iron and steel, textiles

Imports

Manufactured goods, fossil fuels, foodstuffs, raw materials

Major trading partners for exports

United States, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong SAR, China, Singapore, Thailand, Germany, United Kingdom, Philippines, Australia

Major trading partners for imports

United States, China, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, Indonesia, Germany, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Singapore, United Kingdom

Industries

Steel and non-ferrous metallurgy, heavy electrical equipment, construction and mining equipment, motor vehicles and parts, electronic and telecommunications equipment and components, machine tools and automated production systems, locomotives and rolling stock, shipbuilding, chemicals, textiles, food processing, printing and publishing

Agriculture

Principal crops: rice, sugar beet, vegetables, fruits; animal products: pork, poultry, dairy products, eggs

Natural resources

Hydroelectric power, one of the world's largest fish catches

Basic Facts and People sections

Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org).

Health and Education section

Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org).

Government section

Government, independence, legislature, constitution, highest court, and voting qualifications data are largely from various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. The armed forces data are from Military Balance.

Economy section

Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the latest Europa World Yearbook and various International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications.

Energy, Communication, and Transportation section

Electricity information is from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) database (www.eia.doe.gov). Radio, telephone, television, and newspaper information is from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Internet hosts, motor vehicles, and road data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org).

Note

Figures may not total 100 per cent due to rounding.