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
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