Japan

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An island country in [[East Asia]].
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'''Japan''' (日本) is an Eastern Asian island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula. It consists of the main islands [[Hokkaido]] (北海道), [[Honshu]] (本州), [[Shikoku]](四国), [[Kyushu]] (九州) and [[Okinawa]] (沖縄) - along with 3,000 smaller islands. The largest city in Japan is [[Tokyo]].
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==Geography and Weather==
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* Land mass is slightly smaller than California.
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* Weather ranges from tropical in south to temperate in north.
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==Government==
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* Constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government
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* Chief of State is Emperor Akihito (since 1/7/1989)
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* Head of government is Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (since 9/26/2006)
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* Cabinet is appointed by the Prime Minister, who is designated by the Diet (the legislative branch); constitution requires that prime minister commands parliamentary majority; following legislative elections, leader of majority party or leader of majority coalition in House of Representatives usually becomes prime minister; monarch is hereditary.
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* bicameral Diet or [[Kokkai]] consists of the House of Councillors or Sangi-in (242 seats - members elected for six-year terms; half reelected every three years; 146 members in multi-seat constituencies and 96 by proportional representation) and the House of Representatives or Shugi-in (480 seats - members elected for four-year terms; 300 in single-seat constituencies; 180 members by proportional representation in 11 regional blocs)
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* Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the monarch after designation by the cabinet; all other justices are appointed by the cabinet)
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* The main political parties are [[Democratic Party of Japan]] or DPJ; [[Japan Communist Party]] or JCP; [[Komeito]]; [[Liberal Democratic Party]] or LDP; [[Social Democratic Party]] or SDP
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* Country is divided into 47 prefectures; [[Aichi Prefecture|Aichi]], [[Akita Prefecture|Akita]], [[Aomori Prefecture|Aomori]], [[Chiba Prefecture|Chiba]], [[Ehime Prefecture|Ehime]], [[Fukui Prefecture|Fukui]], [[Fukuoka Prefecture|Fukuoka]], [[Fukushima Prefecture|Fukushima]], [[Gifu Prefecture|Gifu]], [[Gunma Prefecture|Gunma]], [[Hiroshima Prefecture|Hiroshima]], [[Hokkaido Prefecture|Hokkaido]], [[Hyogo Prefecture|Hyogo]], [[Ibaraki Prefecture|Ibaraki]], [[Ishikawa Prefecture|Ishikawa]], [[Iwate Prefecture|Iwate]], [[Kagawa Prefecture|Kagawa]], [[Kagoshima Prefecture|Kagoshima]], [[Kanagawa Prefecture|Kanagawa]], [[Kochi Prefecture|Kochi]], [[Kumamoto Prefecture|Kumamoto]], [[Kyoto Prefecture|Kyoto]], [[Mie Prefecture|Mie]], [[Miyagi Prefecture|Miyagi]], [[Miyazaki Prefecture|Miyazaki]], [[Nagano Prefecture|Nagano]], [[Nagasaki Prefecture|Nagasaki]], [[Nara Prefecture|Nara]], [[Niigata Prefecture|Niigata]], [[Oita Prefecture|Oita]], [[Okayama Prefecture|Okayama]], [[Okinawa Prefecture|Okinawa]], [[Osaka Prefecture|Osaka]], [[Saga Prefecture|Saga]], [[Saitama Prefecture|Saitama]], [[Shiga Prefecture|Shiga]], [[Shimane Prefecture|Shimane]], [[Shizuoka Prefecture|Shizuoka]], [[Tochigi Prefecture|Tochigi]], [[Tokushima Prefecture|Tokushima]], [[Tokyo]], [[Tottori Prefecture|Tottori]], [[Toyama Prefecture|Toyama]], [[Wakayama Prefecture|Wakayama]], [[Yamagata Prefecture|Yamagata]], [[Yamaguchi Prefecture|Yamaguchi]], and [[Yamanashi Prefecture|Yamanashi]]
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* Voting age is 20 years old for all citizens
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==Map of Japan==
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<googlemap lat="38.13455657705411" lon="137.4169921875" width="500" height="450" zoom="5" type="map">
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</googlemap>
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==People==
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* Population: 127,463,611 (July 2006 estimate, World Factbook)
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* Ethnic groups: Japanese 99%, others 1% (Korean 511,262, Chinese 244,241, Brazilian 182,232, Filipino 89,851, other 237,914) ''note: up to 230,000 Brazilians of Japanese origin migrated to Japan in the 1990s to work in industries; some have returned to Brazil (2004)''
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* Religions: both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including Christian 0.7%)
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==Tourism==
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As of 1998, Japan was the 32nd most visited country by tourists in the world - a relatively low rank considering its wealth and population. Japan runs a tourism deficit, as more Japanese visit abroad than foreigners visit Japan. According to Japanese government statistics, in 2002 16.8 million Japanese went on holiday abroad, while only 6 million foreign tourists visited Japan. Tourists come to Japan for a variety of reasons, including [[sightseeing in Japan|sightseeing]], [[skiing]], [[shopping]], and [[relaxation]].
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==External Links==
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[http://www.jnto.go.jp/ Japan National Tourist Organization Official Website]
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==Popular Japan Articles by Category==
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<tagcloud>min_count=5</tagcloud>

Current revision

Japan (日本) is an Eastern Asian island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula. It consists of the main islands Hokkaido (北海道), Honshu (本州), Shikoku(四国), Kyushu (九州) and Okinawa (沖縄) - along with 3,000 smaller islands. The largest city in Japan is Tokyo.

Contents

Geography and Weather

  • Land mass is slightly smaller than California.
  • Weather ranges from tropical in south to temperate in north.

Government

Map of Japan


People

  • Population: 127,463,611 (July 2006 estimate, World Factbook)
  • Ethnic groups: Japanese 99%, others 1% (Korean 511,262, Chinese 244,241, Brazilian 182,232, Filipino 89,851, other 237,914) note: up to 230,000 Brazilians of Japanese origin migrated to Japan in the 1990s to work in industries; some have returned to Brazil (2004)
  • Religions: both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including Christian 0.7%)


Tourism

As of 1998, Japan was the 32nd most visited country by tourists in the world - a relatively low rank considering its wealth and population. Japan runs a tourism deficit, as more Japanese visit abroad than foreigners visit Japan. According to Japanese government statistics, in 2002 16.8 million Japanese went on holiday abroad, while only 6 million foreign tourists visited Japan. Tourists come to Japan for a variety of reasons, including sightseeing, skiing, shopping, and relaxation.

External Links

Japan National Tourist Organization Official Website

Popular Japan Articles by Category

3-Star Hotels in Tokyo  4-Star Hotels in Tokyo  5-Star Hotels in Tokyo  Akasaka Restaurants  Bars and Pubs in Harajuku  Budget Hotels in Tokyo  Business Hotels in Tokyo  Cafes and Tea Shops in Harajuku  Cafes and Tea Shops in Tokyo  Chinese Restaurants in Tokyo  Chiyoda-ku Hotels  Cities of Tokyo  Gothic Lolita Clothing  Gothic and Lolita  Harajuku Restaurants  Harajuku Streets  International Restaurants in Tokyo  JPop Bands  JRock Bands  Japan Hotels  Japanese Albums  Japanese Art  Japanese Art Galleries  Japanese Artists  Japanese Bands  Japanese Cities  Japanese Clothing Brands  Japanese Clothing Labels  Japanese Clothing Stores  Japanese Companies  Japanese Concert Venues  Japanese Contemporary Art  Japanese Culture  Japanese Department Stores  Japanese Fashion  Japanese Fashion Designers  Japanese Fashion Magazines  Japanese Food  Japanese Foods  Japanese History  Japanese Magazines  Japanese Manga  Japanese Mobile Phones  Japanese Music  Japanese Music Festivals  Japanese Photographers  Japanese Pop Culture  Japanese Restaurants in Harajuku  Japanese Restaurants in Tokyo  Japanese Rock Bands  Japanese Rock Concerts  Japanese Tourist Attractions  Japanese Transportation  Japanese actors  Japanese actresses  Japanese anime  Japanese anime series  Japanese artists  Japanese fashion  Japanese fashion designers  Japanese manga  Japanese mangaka  Japanese movies  Japanese singers  Living people  Luxury Hotels in Tokyo  Minato-ku Hotels  Minato-ku Restaurants  Popular Tokyo Shopping Areas  Prefectures of Japan  Restaurants in Japan  Shibuya-ku Restaurants  Shibuya Concert Venues  Shinjuku-ku Hotels  Shinjuku Hotels  Tokyo  Tokyo Art Galleries  Tokyo Bars and Pubs  Tokyo Concert Venues  Tokyo Hotels  Tokyo Neighborhoods  Tokyo Parks  Tokyo Restaurants  Tokyo Shopping Streets  Tokyo Special Wards  Tokyo Subway Stations  Tokyo Tourist Attractions  Tokyo Train Stations  Tokyo Transportation  Types of manga  Visual Kei Bands  Years 
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