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Japan

Japan is an island nation situated off the east coast of the Asian continent. The nation's roughly 7,000 islands extend in an arc of about 3,000 km northeast to southwest. Total land area, if the Northern Territories are included, is 377,864 km².

Fast Facts

Population (July 2003):

127,214,499

Age structure: (2003 est.)

0-14 years:	14.4% (male 9,368,132; female 8,906,024)
15-64 years:	67% (male 42,852,204; female 42,368,109)
65 years and over:	18.6% (male 9,945,638; female 13,774,392)

Official Language:

Japanese

Capital:

Tokyo

Currency:

Yen (JPY, ¥, 円)

Political System:

Parliamentary Democracy

Gross Domestic Product (PPP, 2002 est.)

3.55 Trillion US Dollars; per capita $28,000

Official Unemployment Rate (2000)

5.4% (NB: If calculated by western methods, could be double)

Number of Households (2000):

46,376,000

Legal Age of Adulthood:

20 years old

Legal age for Driving:

18 years for cars/motorcycles, 16 for 50cc scooters

Life Expectancy (2003)

Men: 77.63 years; Women: 84.41 years

Marriage and Divorce Rates (2000):

Marriages: 7.1/1000 persons, total 762,028; Divorces: 2/1000 persons, total 250,529

National Suicide Rate (2000):

14.2/100,000 persons

Number of Non-Japanese Residents (2000)

1,686,444

Religion:

Shintoism	49%
Buddhism	45%
Christianity	1%
Other religions	5%

Total Primary Energy Supply (FY1995; 588 million kl crude oil equivalent)

Petroleum	55.8%
Coal	16.5%
Nuclear	12%
Natural Gas	10.8%
Hydro	3.5%
Geothermal	0.2%
Others	1.1%

Time Zone:

GMT+9 (JST)

International Country Code:

+81

Internet top-level domain name:

jp