Japan

Form of government: Constitutional monarchy

Population: 126,804,433 (2010 estimate) Million

Capital: Tokyo

Area: 377,837 km², 145,884 sq mi

Largest cities: Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo

Ethnic groups: Japanese 98.5%, Koreans 0.5%, Chinese 0.4%, other 0.6%
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)

Languages: Japanese (official)

Religious affiliations: Shintoism 83.9%, Buddhism 71.4%, Christianity 2%, other 7.8%
note: total adherents exceeds 100% because many people belong to both Shintoism and Buddhism (2005)

Education expenditure as a share of gross national product (GDP): 3.5% (2005)

Number of years of compulsory schooling: 10 years (2007)

Monetary unit: 1 yen (¥), consisting of 100 sen

Economy: Agriculture (Rice, sugar beets, potatoes, cabbages, citrus fruits, sugarcane, sweet potatoes, onions), Mining (Limestone, coal, copper, lead, and zinc), Manufacturing (General and electrical machinery, food and beverages, transportation equipment, chemicals, fabricated metal products, iron and steel, and publishing and printing)

Major trade partners for exports: United States, China, South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong SAR

Major trade partners for imports: United States, China, South Korea, Indonesia, and Australia