Emperor: Akihito (1989)

Prime Minister: Junichiro Koizumi (2001)

Area: 145,882 sq mi (377,835 sq km)

Population (2005 est.): 127,417,244 (growth rate: 0.1%); birth rate: 9.5/1000; infant mortality rate: 3.3/1000; life expectancy: 81.2; density per sq mi: 873

Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Tokyo, 31,139,900 (metro. area), 8,240,100 (city proper)

Other large cities: Yokohama, 3,494,900 (part of Tokyo metro. area); Osaka, 2,597,000; Nagoya, 2,189,700; Sapporo, 1,848,000; Kobe, 1,529,900 (part of Osaka metro. area); Kyoto, 1,470,600 (part of Osaka metro. area); Fukuoka, 1,368,900; Kawasaki, 1,276,200 (part of Tokyo metro. area); Hiroshima, 1,132,700

Monetary unit: Yen

Language: Japanese

Ethnicity/race: Japanese 99%, other 1% (mostly Korean)

Religions: Shintoist and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including Christian 0.7%)

Literacy rate: 99% (1995 est.)

Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2004 est.): $3.745 trillion; per capita $29,400. Real growth rate: 2.9%. Inflation: –0.1%. Unemployment: 4.7%. Arable land: 12%. Agriculture: rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit, pork, poultry, dairy products, eggs, fish. Labor force: 66.97 million; services 70%, industry 25%, agriculture 5% (2002 est.). Industries: among world's largest and technologically advanced producers of motor vehicles, electronic equipment, machine tools, steel and nonferrous metals, ships, chemicals, textiles, processed foods. Natural resources: negligible mineral resources, fish. Exports: $538.8 billion (f.o.b., 2004 est.): transport equipment, motor vehicles, semiconductors, electrical machinery, chemicals. Imports: $401.8 billion (f.o.b., 2004 est.): machinery and equipment, fuels, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, raw materials (2001). Major trading partners: U.S., China, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia (2003).

Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 60.381 million (1997); mobile cellular: 63.88 million (2000). Radio broadcast stations: AM 215 plus 370 repeaters, FM 89 plus 485 repeaters, shortwave 21 (2001). Radios: 120.5 million (1997). Television broadcast stations: 211 plus 7,341 repeaters; note: in addition, U.S. Forces are served by 3 TV stations and 2 TV cable services (1999). Televisions: 86.5 million (1997). Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 73 (2000). Internet users: 56 million (2002).

Transportation: Railways: total: 23,168 km (2002). Highways: total: 1,161,894 km; paved: 534,471 km (including 6,455 km of expressways); unpaved: 627,423 km (1999). Waterways: about 1,770 km; seagoing craft ply all coastal inland seas. Ports and harbors: Akita, Amagasaki, Chiba, Hachinohe, Hakodate, Higashi-Harima, Himeji, Hiroshima, Kawasaki, Kinuura, Kobe, Kushiro, Mizushima, Moji, Nagoya, Osaka, Sakai, Sakaide, Shimizu, Tokyo, Tomakomai. Airports: 172 (2002).

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