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Japan
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Japan
日本
Flag Imperial Seal
Anthem: "Kimi ga ye"
Founded on February 11, 660 BC (officially)[1]
III IV centuries (according to some researchers)[2] Official language Japanese[3] The capital of Tokyo is Tokyo The largest cities are Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Kobe, Fukuoka, Kyoto, Kawasaki, Saitama Form of government parliamentary monarchy Emperor
Prime Minister Akihito
Shinzo Abe Territory
• Total
• % of the water surface.
61st in the world
377,944[4] km2
0.8 Population
* Assessment (2015)
* Density
-126 910 000[5] people. (10th)
336.3 people/km2 (25 i) GDP (PPP)
• Total (2011)
• Per capita
4.395 trillion [6] dollars. (4th)
$ 34,611[6] (24th) GDP (nominal value)
• Total (2010)
• Per capita
5,390 trillion [6] dollars. (3rd)
$ 42,325[6] (17th) HDI (2013) - 0.890[7] (very high) (17th place) Ethnohoronim Japanese, Japanese, Japanese Currency Japanese yen Internet domain .jp ISO code JP IOC code JPN Telephone Code +81 Time zones JST (UTC+9)
Coordinates: 37°25 ' 00 "s. w. 138°57' 00 " v. d. / 37.41667° s.
w.
138.95000° v. d. / 37.41667; 138.95000 (G) (O) Show a geographical map
The request "Japan" is redirected here; for the music group, see Japan (band).
Japan (Japanese: Nihon, Nippon?), the official name of "Nihon Koku", " Nippon Koku "(inf.)
(Japanese:?) — an island state in East Asia.
It is located in the Pacific Ocean, to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North and South Korea, Russia, occupies the territory from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south of the country.
Japan is located on the Japanese archipelago, consisting of 6852 islands[note 1][8].
The four largest islands — Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku — make up 97% of the total area of the archipelago.
Most of the islands are mountainous, many are volcanic.
The highest point of Japan is the Fujiyama volcano (3776 m).
With a population of more than 126 million people, Japan ranks tenth in the world.
Greater Tokyo, which includes the capital of Japan, Tokyo, and several nearby prefectures, with a population of more than 30 million people, is the largest urban agglomeration in the world.
As a great economic power[9], Japan ranks third in the world in terms of nominal GDP and fourth in terms of GDP calculated by purchasing power parity.
Japan is the fourth largest exporter and the sixth largest importer.
Japan is a developed country with a very high standard of living (the seventeenth place on the human development index).
Japan has one of the highest life expectancy (in 2009 it was 82.12 years[10]) and one of the lowest infant mortality rates[11].
Japan is a member of the Group of Seven and APEC, and is regularly elected as a non permanent member of the UN Security Council.
Although Japan has officially renounced its right to declare war, it has a large modern army that is used for self defense and in peacekeeping operations.
Japan is the only country in the world against which nuclear weapons have been used.
Content
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1 Name 2 History 3 State and Political Structure 3.1 Legislative power 3.2 Executive power 3.3 Judicial power 3.4 Legal system 3.5 Armed Forces 3.6 Law Enforcement agencies 3.7 Foreign Policy
4 Geography 4.1 Terrain 4.2 Minerals 4.3 Water Resources 4.4 Climate 4.5 Natural Hazards 4.6 Flora 4.7 Fauna 4.8 Soils 4.9 Ecology
5 Administrative and territorial structure 6 Population 6.1 Religion 6.2 Languages
7 Economy 7.1 General characteristics 7.2 Foreign Economic relations 7.3 Energy 7.4 Tourism 7.5 Transport 7.6 Communications
8 Science 9 Culture and Society 9.1 Chronology 9.2 Literature 9.3 Fine Arts 9.4 Decorative and Applied Arts 9.5 Music 9.6 Architecture 9.7 Theater 9.8 Cinema 9.9 Anime and manga 9.10 Cuisine 9.11 Mass Media 9.12 Sports 9.13 Holidays
10 Social Sphere 10.1 Education 10.2 Health Care 10.3 Homeless
11 See also 12 Notes 13 Sources 14 Literature 15 References
Title[edit / edit wiki text]
Russian Russian word "Japan" is an exonym, in the Russian language it came presumably from the German language (from it. Japan), although the vocalism corresponds better to the French Japon[12].
In the period from the Meiji Restoration to the end of World War II, the full name of Japan sounded like Dai Nippon Teikoku (yap. 大日本本?), which means the Great Empire of Japan.
Now the official name of the country is "Nihon Koku" or " Nippon Koku "(Japanese:?).
The Japanese themselves call the country "Nippon" listen (inf.) or "Nihon" listen (inf.), both variants are written using the kanji.
The first one is often used as an official one, for example, on yen, postage stamps and in the names of many sporting events.
"Nihon" is usually used in everyday life.
The Japanese call themselves nihonjin (Japanese?), and their language is nihongo(Japanese?).
"Nihon" literally means "the source/homeland of the Sun", and this name is often translated as "The Land of the Rising Sun".
This is what the Chinese called Japan in the correspondence of the Emperor of Japan with the Chinese Sui dynasty, since Japan is located east of China.
The name "Nihon" began to be actively used, starting around the Nara period.
Before that, the country was called "Yamato" (yap. 大和?), or in Chinese — Wa (yap. 倭?), Wagoku (yap .国国?)[13].
History[edit / edit wiki text]
Main article: History of Japan
A sample of ceramics from the middle period of the Dzemon
The main gate of the capital Heijo kyo
Emperor Nintoku's Burial Mound
Samurai of Satsuma Province during the Boshin War
Dutch merchants in the representation of the Japanese
Commodore Perry in a Japanese performance
Europeanized Japanese.
The end of the XIX century
Skyscrapers of Tokyo
Sky Tree Tokyo
The atomic bombing of Nagasaki
The first signs of settlement of the Japanese archipelago appeared around the 40th millennium BC with the beginning of the Japanese Paleolithic, which lasted until the 12th millennium BC. [note 2]
The population of ancient Japan was engaged in hunting and gathering, made the first stone tools of rough processing.
There are no ceramic products in this period, so the period is also called the period of pre ceramic culture[14].
Since 12,000 BC, the Dzemon period begins, which, according to the archaeological periodization of the history of Western countries, corresponds to the Mesolithic and Neolithic.
The peculiarities of this period were the formation of the Japanese archipelago and the beginning of the use of ceramic products by its inhabitants.
In the yayoi period, which began around 500 BC[15], irrigation rice planting, a potter's wheel and a loom, metal processing (copper, bronze and iron) and the construction of defensive settlements appeared on the Japanese archipelago[16].
These innovations were introduced to Japan by immigrants from China and Korea.
The Japanese are first mentioned in one of the Chinese historical chronicles — Hanshu.
The land of Wa, as the Chinese called the Japanese archipelago, is described in more detail in the Chinese " History of the Three Kingdoms "(part "The Legend of the People of Wa")[17].
According to it, the most powerful principality in the third century was the Yamatai principality, which was led by the ruler Himiko.
In 250, Yayoi was replaced by the Kofun period, during which the culture of mounds spread, and a Japanese state of the same name appeared in the Yamato region.
Kofun smoothly passed in 538 to the Asuka period.
Its features were the spread of Buddhism, which came to Japan from the Korean state of Baekje[18] (with which Japan actively developed trade, cultural and political ties, military alliances were concluded against other Korean states), the development of a centralized Chinese style state, the creation of the first set of laws "ritsure" and the flourishing of Japanese culture under the influence of mainland philosophical and cultural ideas.
In the eighth century, a strong centralized Japanese state appeared in the Nara period, concentrated in the imperial capital of Heijo kyo on the territory of modern Nara.
In addition to the accelerated Sinification of Japanese society, this period is characterized by the creation of the first historical chronicles and the flourishing of culture.
Kojiki was completed in 712, and Nihon Seki was completed in 720[19].
In 784, Emperor Kammu moved the capital from Nara to Nagaoka kyo, but in 794 it was moved to Heian Kyo (modern Kyoto)[20].
Thus began the Heian period, during which the Japanese national culture appeared and flourished.
The invention of the syllabic alphabet kana made it possible to write in Japanese instead of Chinese.
The poetic anthology "Kokinvakasyu" written by Kana became the first of the imperial anthologies to establish the patterns that tank poetry followed up to the XIX century.
Such monuments of Heian prose as "The Tale of Genji" or "Notes at the head of the bed" are still revered by many both in Japan itself and outside it, the peaks of Japanese literature.
Such monuments of Heian prose as "The Tale of Genji" or "Notes at the head of the bed" are still revered by many both in Japan itself and outside it, the peaks of Japanese literature.
Japanese feudalism is characterized by the emergence of a ruling class of warriors, the "samurai department"[21].
In 1192, Minamoto no Yoritomo, who defeated the rival Taira clan in 1185, was appointed shogun, which marked the beginning of the Kamakura period.
With his death in 1199, the actual power passed to the Hojo family, the regents of his son.
The Kamakura Shogunate successfully repelled the Mongol invasions in 1274 and 1281, strengthening the Bakufu position.
Zen became the official religion of the Shogunate.
After the victory over the Mongols, Japanese soldiers began internecine wars, which quickly led to the decline of the Kamakura regime.
In 1318, Emperor Go Daigo ascended to the throne and by 1333, with the support of the commander in chief, Bakufu Ashikagi Takauji, was able to regain power, but in 1336, who did not share power with the son of Emperor Ashikaga Takauji, elevated Emperor Kemiyo to the throne in Kyoto, and in 1338 received the title of shogun from him.
There were two emperors and two shoguns in Japan, who fought fiercely until 1392.
.
The Ashikaga Shogunate could not control the major daimyo feudal lords, so in 1467 a civil war broke out, which became the beginning of a long period of time of troubles — the Sengoku period[22].
In 1543, Portuguese navigators reached the shores of Japan, and later — Jesuit missionaries and Dutch merchants, marking the beginning of commercial and cultural interaction between Japan and Western countries.
With the help of European technologies and firearms, Oda Nobunaga defeated most of the other daimyo and almost managed to unite the country, but was killed in 1582.
His heir was Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who completed the unification of the country in 1590.
Hideyoshi captured Korea twice, but after a series of defeats inflicted on the Japanese by Korean and Chinese troops, and his death, Japanese troops retreated from Korea in 1598[23].
After Hideyoshi's death, Tokugawa Ieyasu used his position as regent under Toyotomi Hideyoshi to gain political influence and military support.
In the Battle of Sekigahara, he defeated a number of rivals and was appointed shogun in 1603.
Ieyasu founded the Tokugawa Shogunate and moved the capital to Edo (modern Tokyo)[24].
In 1639, the Shogunate began a foreign policy of self isolation of Japan, which lasted for two and a half centuries, later called the Edo period.
Nevertheless, the study of the body of European scientific knowledge — rangaku continued, mainly through the Dutch trading post on the bulk island of Dejima in the harbor of Nagasaki.
During the same period, the national cultural movement kokugaku appeared, the study of Japan by the Japanese themselves[25].
In 1854, the American Commodore Matthew Perry, who arrived on Black Ships, forced Japan to stop the policy of isolation[26].
With these events, Japan enters the era of modernization
Also, the policy of isolation was interrupted on August 12, 1853 by the expedition of Admiral E. V. Putyatin, who arrived a month after M. K. Perry, and offered technologies and gifts from the government of the Russian Empire.
On February 7, 1855, the first treaty on trade and friendship between Japan and Russia was signed.
The Treaty of Shimoda gave the right to trade in the ports of Shimoda, Hakodate, Nagasaki, a Russian consul was appointed, the borders and spheres of influence of states were designated.
During the Bakumatsu period, Japan signed several unequal treaties with Western powers, which led it to an economic and political crisis.
In 1868, the Boshin Civil War began, which resulted in the abolition of the Shogunate and the creation of a centralized state under the rule of the emperor — the Meiji Restoration in 1869.
Taking the Western political, judicial and military systems as a basis, the Cabinet of Ministers of Japan created the Privy Council, prepared the Meiji Constitution for adoption and assembled the parliament.
The Meiji Restoration turned the Japanese Empire into an industrial world power.
After winning the Sino Japanese (1894-1895) and Russian Japanese (1904-1905) wars, Japan secured dominance on the Japanese and Yellow Seas and annexed Korea, Taiwan and Karafuto.
At the beginning of the XX century, the short democratic period of Taisho was replaced by the growth of militarism and expansionism.
Japan took part in the First World War on the side of the Entente, expanding its political influence and territory.
In 1931, continuing its policy of expansionism, Japan occupied Manchuria and created the puppet state of Manchukuo.
After the Lytton report in 1933, the League of Nations condemned her actions and Japan defiantly left the League[27].
In 1936, Japan signed the Anti Comintern Pact with Nazi Germany, and in 1941 joined the Axis countries[28].
At the same time, Japan signed a Neutrality Pact between the USSR and Japan, pledging to respect the territorial integrity and inviolability of the Mongolian People's Republic and Manchukuo.
In 1937, Japan invaded other parts of China, starting the Second Sino Japanese War (1937-1945), after which the United States imposed an oil embargo on it[29].
On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and declared war on the United States and Great Britain.
This leads to the participation of the United States in World War II.
The Japanese Empire conquered Hong Kong, the Philippines and Mallacca, but in 1942 the defeat in the Coral Sea deprived it of its advantage at sea[30].
After the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945 by US aircraft, as well as after the USSR joined military operations against Japan, Japan signed an Act of Unconditional Surrender on September 2, 1945[31].
In 1947, Japan adopted a new pacifist constitution, which emphasizes liberal democracy.
The occupation of Japan by the Allied forces ended with the adoption of the San Francisco Peace Treaty, which entered into force in 1952[32], and in 1956 Japan joined the UN.
Later, Japan achieved record economic growth, which lasted for four decades and averaged 10 % annually.
Long term growth gave rise to an overly optimistic attitude of investors to the Japanese economy in the late 80s, which led to the emergence of economic bubbles in the stock market and the real estate market.
In 1991, economic growth was replaced by a crisis, from which the country managed to get out only in 2000 [33].
On November 21, 2014, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced the dissolution of the parliament[34].
State and political structure[edit / edit wiki text]
Main article: The State system of Japan
Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko
Japan is a constitutional parliamentary monarchy.
According to the Constitution, which entered into force on May 3, 1947, the Emperor of Japan is "a symbol of the state and the unity of the people", he makes all state appointments and decisions on the proposal of the Cabinet of Ministers, which is responsible for them.
At diplomatic meetings, he plays the role of the head of state.
Since 1989, the Emperor of Japan has been Akihito[35], he is succeeded by Prince Naruhito.
Legislative power[edit / edit wiki text]
The highest body of state power and the only legislative body in Japan is the Parliament.
It consists of two chambers: the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors.
The House of Representatives consists of 480 deputies elected for 4 years, and the House of Councillors consists of 242 deputies elected for 6 years.
The Chamber of Councillors is renewed by half every three years.
According to the Constitution, the Parliament has full legislative power and has the exclusive right to dispose of finances.
Japan has universal suffrage for all citizens over the age of 20[36].
Elections to both chambers are held by secret ballot.
There are two main parties in Japan.
In 2009, the Social Liberal Democratic Party of Japan won a majority in the parliament[37], replacing the conservative Liberal Democratic Party, which ruled for 54 years.
In 2012, the Liberal Democratic Party, following the results of early parliamentary elections, regained the majority of seats in parliament.
Executive power[edit / edit wiki text]
The Government — the highest executive authority is headed by the Prime Minister of Japan.
One of its members is appointed to this position by the Emperor on the proposal of the Parliament.
The Prime Minister is the head of the Cabinet of Ministers who forms the composition of the government[36].
Since December 26, 2012, this position has been held by Shinzo Abe.
Judicial power[edit / edit wiki text]
Main article: The Judicial system of Japan
The judicial system of Japan consists of four levels: the Supreme Court, Appeal, Main and Disciplinary Courts.
The Supreme Court, like constitutional courts in other countries, has the power to annul legal norms on the basis of their unconstitutionality.
The members of the Supreme Court are appointed by the Emperor on the recommendation of the government, and the remaining judges are appointed by the Cabinet of Ministers on the recommendation of the Supreme Court[36].
Courts of appeal - higher courts, courts of first instance district courts, the lowest level of the judicial system disciplinary courts.
The bodies of prosecutor's supervision are the Supreme Prosecutor's Office, the higher Prosecutor's offices, the district prosecutor's offices, and the district prosecutor's offices.
Legal system[edit / edit wiki text]
Main article: The legal system of Japan
Historically influenced by Chinese law, Japan's legal system developed independently during the Edo period through the creation of works such as Kudzikata Osadamegaki.
But since the end of the XIX century, the judicial system of Japan was mainly based on Romano Germanic law, in particular, on the legal systems of France and Germany.
For example, in 1896, the Japanese government created a civil code based on the German model[38].
Statutory law is formed by the legislative body of Japan — the Parliament.
The main part of the statutory law is a collection called "Six Codes".
According to the current constitution, the new law comes into force only after its promulgation by the emperor.
Armed forces[edit / edit wiki text]
Main article: Japanese Armed Forces
Hyuga is one of two types of helicopter carriers of the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Forces
The ninth article of the Constitution of Japan prohibits the country from having its own army and participating in wars.
The modern armed forces of Japan are called the self defense forces and their military activities, which are not directly related to the defense of the country, are very limited.
Since 2007, they have been managed by the Ministry of Defense of Japan[39].
In the event of a State of emergency at the State level, the Prime Minister is authorized to dispose of various units of the Japan Self Defense Forces, subject to the consent of the Parliament.
In extreme conditions, such permission can be obtained after the fact.
The Self Defense Forces consist of land, sea and air forces.
The Japanese Self Defense Forces are recruited on a voluntary basis[36].
As of 2013, 247,450 people served in the Japan Self Defense Forces.
Of these, 151,350 people are in the land forces, 4 are in the maritime self defense forces 5,500 people.
The air force numbered 47,100 people[40].
Since 1992, the Self Defense Forces have been participating in peacekeeping operations, including in Iraq in 2004.
Power structures[edit / edit wiki text]
Main article: Special Services of Japan
Foreign policy[edit / edit wiki text]
Main article: Japan's Foreign Policy
The leaders of the Group of Eight at the 34th summit in Toyako, Hokkaido.
Japan maintains close economic and military relations with the United States of America.
They are based on the treaty on cooperation and security between the United States and Japan.
Japan has been a member of the UN since 1956[41], and is also a non permanent member of the UN Security Council (in total, as of 2010, it was a member of the Security Council for 19 years).
In addition, it is a member of the G4 group with the goal of becoming a permanent member of the Security Council[42][43].
As a member of the G8[44], the Group of Ten, APEC[45], a participant of the ASEAN Plus 3 summit[46] and the East Asia Summit[47], Japan actively participates in international relations and improves ties with important partners around the world.
In March 2007, it signed a joint declaration on security cooperation with Australia[48], and in October 2008 with India[49].
Japan is involved in territorial disputes with several neighboring States.
According to the official Japanese position, the southern Kuril Islands, which are de facto part of Russia, are part of the territory of Japan.
Japan also disputes the ownership of the Liancourt Islands controlled by South Korea.
China and Taiwan dispute the ownership of the Senkaku Islands, which are under the control of Japan.
Geography[edit / edit wiki text]
Main article: Geography of Japan
Satellite view of Japan
Japan is located on a large stratovolcanic archipelago located off the Pacific coast of Asia and is part of the Pacific volcanic Ring of Fire system.
According to the geographical coordinate system, Japan lies 36° north of the equator and 138° east of the Greenwich meridian.
The country is located to the northeast of China and Taiwan (separated from them by the East China Sea) and strictly to the east of Korea (separated by the Sea of Japan).
North of Japan is the Far East, a geographical area of Russia.
The largest islands of the archipelago (from north to south) are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu.
The country also includes 6,848 smaller islands, including Okinawa, some of them are inhabited, and some are not.
Japan occupies about 377.9 thousand km2 (2006), of which 364.4 thousand km2 is land, and 13.5 thousand km2 is water.
Japan is larger in size than Germany, Malaysia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, it is 1.7 times larger than Korea and 10 times larger than Taiwan.
The total length of the coastline is 19,240 km (2008), the largest peninsulas are Kii and Oshima.
The southern Ryukyu Islands are bordered by coral reefs[36].
There are 108 active volcanoes in Japan.
During the XX century, several new ones appeared, including the Seva Shinzan volcanic dome and the Medzin crater.
Relief[edit / edit wiki text]
Physical map of Japan
Japan is covered with hills and low and medium high mountains, they make up over 75 % of the country's territory.
The lowlands are located in separate areas along the coasts of the country.
The largest lowland is Kanto, which occupies about 17,000 km2[36].
The main ridges of Hokkaido are a continuation of the chains of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.
They stretch from north to south and from northeast to southwest.
The highest point of the island is Mount Asahi (2290 m), located in the area of their intersection[36].
In the northern part of Honshu Island there are three longitudinal chains of medium high mountains, separated by valleys and basins.
The axial position is occupied by the Ou ridge, to the east of it are the Kitakami and Abukuma ridges, and to the west are the Deva and Echigo ridges; the central and western chains are crowned with volcanoes.
In the middle part, the island is crossed by a fault zone called Fossa Magna (about 250 km long), over which a number of volcanoes rise, including the highest in Japan — Fujiyama (3776 m).
In the central part of Honshu, there are the Japanese Alps the Hida, Kiso and Akaishi ranges, the peaks of which are covered with snow most of the year.
In the southwest, within the tectonic depression, there is the Kinki Plain and Lake Biwa.
Two bands of mountains — the northern (inner), stretching along the axis of the western part of Honshu, and the southern (outer) — on the Kii Peninsula, the islands of Shikoku and Kyushu, are separated by this tectonic depression, on the western extension of which the Inner Sea of Japan is located[36].
The highest altitude of Shikoku Island is Mount Ishizuchi (1981 m), Kyushu Islands Kuju volcano (1788 m).
The Ryukyu Islands are dominated by plateaus and low mountains[36].
Minerals[edit / edit wiki text]
There are practically no minerals in Japan, their reserves according to data for 1976 were: coal 8630 million tons; iron ores 228 million tons; sulfur 67.6 million tons; manganese ores — 5.4 million tons; lead zinc 4.7 million tons; oil 3.8 million tons; copper ores 2.0 million tons; chromites 1.0 million tons, as well as gold, silver and mercury[36].
Water resources[edit / edit wiki text]
Japan is covered with a dense network of short, full flowing rivers, mostly mountainous.
Among them, the largest are Shinano, Tone, Kitakami and Ishikari.
On the rivers of the Sea of Japan basin, there is a winter spring flood, on the rivers of the Pacific Ocean basin — summer; there are periodic floods, especially as a result of the passage of typhoons.
The waters of many rivers are used for irrigation.
The lakes are numerous and diverse in origin: the largest lake in Japan, Biwa (an area of 670 km2), is located in a tectonic depression, there are also volcanic (Inawashiro, Towada, Kuttyaro) and lagoon (Kasumigaura, Saroma) lakes[36].
Climate[edit / edit wiki text]
Japan belongs to a temperature zone with four different seasons, but its climate ranges from low temperatures in the north to subtropical temperatures in the south.
The climate also depends on seasonal winds blowing from the continent in winter and in the opposite direction in summer.
Japan can be divided into six climatic zones:
Hokkaido belongs to the zone of low temperatures, it is characterized by a long frosty winter and cool summer.
In the Sea of Japan, the north easterly seasonal wind brings heavy snowfalls in winter.
In summer, it is less warm than in the Pacific Ocean, but sometimes extremely high temperatures are observed due to the phenomenon of the hair dryer.
The climate of the Central Upland is a typical island climate with a large temperature variation in winter and summer, at night and during the day.
In the zone of the Inland Sea of Japan, the climate is temperate due to the fact that the mountains in the Chugoku and Shikoku regions block seasonal winds.
The Pacific Ocean zone is characterized by cold winters with rare snowfalls, as well as usually hot and humid summers during the south easterly seasonal wind.
The southwestern islands are a zone with a subtropical climate.
Winter is warm, summer is hot.
The level of precipitation is very high, which is reflected in the existence of the rainy season and the occurrence of typhoons.
Natural hazards[edit / edit wiki text]
Sakurajima
The Japanese islands are part of the Pacific Volcanic Ring of Fire system.
Ten percent of the world's volcanic activity in the early 1990s was recorded in Japan.
Up to 1,500 earthquakes each year with a magnitude of 4 to 6 are not unusual.
Small earthquakes occur daily in different parts of the country, causing buildings to shake.
Japan has experienced several major earthquakes:
On September 1, 1923, the great Kanto earthquake (magnitude 8.3) occurred, the most affected cities of Tokyo and Yokohama — hundreds of thousands were killed (542 thousand people are still missing, 143 thousand people were killed), about a million were left homeless as a result of the resulting fires.
On January 17, 1995, an earthquake occurred in Kobe (magnitude 7.3), killing 6,434 people.
On March 11, 2011, one of the largest earthquakes in the history of Japan with a magnitude of 9 occurred off the northeast coast.
The earthquake caused a devastating tsunami.
Miyagi Prefecture and the city of Sendai suffered the most, where the height of the wave crest reached 10 m[50].
From 200 to 300 bodies of the dead were found on the coast of the city of Sendai[51].
From March 11 to March 25, 2011, a wave of earthquakes of magnitude from 1 to 9 occurred in Japan.
According to eyewitnesses, in many cities it was shaking almost constantly.
All these earthquakes caused several powerful waves that hit Japan, ranging in height from 3 to a record 10 meters.
The Fukushima 1 nuclear power plant was hit by the waves, as a result of which an accident occurred on it, which became the most serious radiation accident after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
These events are called the biggest crisis in Japan since the Second World War.
Due to frequent earthquakes, Japan has become a world leader in the study and prediction of earthquakes.
Discoveries in modern technologies make it possible to build skyscrapers even in seismically active zones.
Another natural danger is typhoons (Japanese:?), which come to Japan from the Pacific Ocean.
Flora[edit / edit wiki text]
Japanese Cryptomeria
Forests cover over 66 % of the country.
The flora of Japan includes more than 700 species of trees and shrubs and about 3000 species of herbs.
Hokkaido is dominated by coniferous forests of spruce and fir with dense thickets of bamboo in the undergrowth.
With the height, the forest is gradually replaced by thickets of cedar elfin and birch forests, grassy shrub formations and shrub heaths.
In the north of the island, the upper limit of coniferous forests is 500 m, in the southern regions they are replaced by deciduous broad leaved forests.
In the south west of Hokkaido, broad leaved forests rise from the coast to an altitude of 500 m.
Deciduous broad leaved forests are also common in Honshu, where oak, beech, maple, chestnut, ash, linden, etc. grow.
They rise to a height of 1800 m, and coniferous forests end at an altitude of 1800-2000 m.
The lower parts of the slopes of the Honshu mountains south of 38° north latitude and the slopes of the mountains on the islands of Shikoku and Kyushu up to an altitude of 800 m are covered with evergreen subtropical forests (with the participation of evergreen oak, magnolias, camphor tree, cryptomeria, Japanese cypress, etc.) with a rich undergrowth and an abundance of lianas.
In the extreme south of Kyushu and the Ryukyu Islands, monsoon forests are common up to a height of 300 m, in which palm trees, ficus trees, tree ferns, bamboo, orchids are found.
Fauna[edit / edit wiki text]
Japanese crane
Due to the island isolation of Japan, the animal world is somewhat impoverished compared to the mainland (and the forms are crushed), but many endemic and relict species have been preserved in the country.
Its fauna includes 270 species of mammals, about 800 species of birds and 110 species of reptiles.
The seas surrounding the country are home to over 600 species of fish and more than 1000 species of shellfish.
Due to the mountainous terrain, species adapted to life in mountain forests mainly predominate.
On the island of Hokkaido there are brown bear, sable, ermine, weasel.
In addition, wolves, foxes, Asian badgers, raccoon dogs, otters and hares live there and on the island of Honshu.
White breasted bears, Japanese macaques, antelopes, giant salamanders live south of the Sangar Strait.
To the south of the Togara Strait in Japan, there is a tropical fauna.
Among the birds there are woodpecker, thrush, tit, swallow, starling, black grouse, cranes, stork, hawk, eagle, owls, there are many seabirds near the coast.
A typical synanthrope is a large billed crow.
Also from the vranovs there are magpies, blue magpies, jay, cuckoo, black crow, cedar.
Freshwater fish — carp, catfish, eel, lampreys; artificially bred eels and salmon, including trout.
Commercial fish of coastal waters — Pacific herring, ivasi, tuna, cod, flounder.
There are also crabs, shrimp, oysters.
Soils[edit / edit wiki text]
The soils of Japan are poorly suitable for agriculture without their pre treatment.
In the north of the country, podzolic and meadow marsh soils are common, in the southern part of the temperate zone — brown forest soils, in the subtropics and tropics — yellow soils and red soils.
In the mountains, the soils are mainly gravelly, often with inclusions of volcanic ash, on the plains — cultivated alluvial soils[36].
Ecology[edit / edit wiki text]
Main article: Ecology in Japan
Ikata Nuclear Power Plant
The ecological history of Japan and the country's modern policy reflect the balance between economic development and environmental protection.
During the period of rapid economic growth after the Second World War, the attention to environmental policy on the part of the government and industrial corporations is decreasing.
As an inevitable consequence of this the strongest environmental pollution in the 1950s and 1960s.
Due to the growing concern about this issue, the Government adopted environmental legislation in 1970, and the Environmental Protection Department was established in 1971[52].
The 1973 oil crisis also encouraged the efficient use of energy due to the lack of natural resources in Japan.
The current priority environmental problems include
