Official Name

Japan (Nihon or Nippon in Japanese which means ‘Origin of Sun’).

Language

Japanese

Standard Time

GMT + 9 hours

Land Territory

3,77,975 sq. kms.

Geography

Japan, known as the ‘Land of Rising Sun’, is a part of a long chain of mountains running from Southeast Asia to Alaska. It comprises of over six thousand islands. It has long rocky coastline with many small and excellent harbors, numerous valleys, rivers and lakes. Mountainous and hilly areas account for over 75% of total area with 532 mountains over 2,000 meters high. Mt. Fuji is the highest mountain rising to 3776 meters. Being located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, Japan is prone to earthquakes.

Climate

Predominantly temperate, it is marked by four distinct seasons with pronounced differences in the North and the South. Northern Japan has long and harsh winters and relatively cool summers. Central Japan has cold short winters and cool humid summers.

Main Cities

Tokyo (capital), Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo,Fukouka, Kobe, Kawasaki, Kyoto, Sendai

Total Prefectures

(Administrative division)

47

Population and demography

125.05 million (as of May 2022; Source: Statistical Bureau of Japan)

29.1% of the population is over 65 years of age; 15.0% of the population is aged 75 & above

Life Expectancy (years)

Male – 81.47; Female – 87.57 years (August 2022; Source: MHLW, Japan)

Religions

Shintoism (51%), Buddhists (43%), Christians (1%), Others (5%)

Neighboring Countries

Russia, North Korea, South Korea, China, Philippines, Pacific Islands, and the US

Political System

Japan is a constitutional monarchy. The Emperor is the symbol of State and of the unity of people. He performs his constitutional duties on the advice and with the approval of the Cabinet. Japan follows parliamentary democracy with separation of legislative, executive, and judicial branches. The term of the government is four years. It may be terminated earlier if the Cabinet dissolves the House of Representatives. The Cabinet headed by Prime Minister is responsible to the Parliament (Diet) consisting of the House of Representatives (Lower House – 465 seats) and the House of Councillors (Upper House – 248 seats). Voting is by universal adult suffrage (18 years old and above).

Head of State (Emperor)

NARUHITO

Head of Government (Prime Minister)

KISHIDA Fumio

Minister for Foreign Affairs

HAYASHI Yoshimasa

Major Political Parties in Diet (Japanese Parliament)

House of Representatives – 465 (as of March 13, 2023)

Note: Figures in parentheses show the number of women members

Economy

The economy of Japan is the third largest in the world by nominal GDP, the fourth largest by purchasing power parity and is the world’s second largest developed economy. Japan is the world’s third largest automobile manufacturing country, has the largest electronics goods industry, and is often ranked among the world’s most innovative countries leading several measures of global patent filings. Manufacturing in Japan focuses primarily on high-tech and precision goods, such as optical instruments, hybrid vehicles, and robotics. Besides the Kanto region, the Kansai region is one of the leading industrial clusters and manufacturing centers for the Japanese economy. Japan is the world’s largest creditor nation, generally running an annual trade surplus and having a considerable net international investment surplus.

GDP

Real: 546.0 trillion JPY (US$4.1 trillion) (FY 2021-22) 

 (Unofficial Conversion as per rates on February, 2023)

GDP Growth Rate

Real: –1.1%, Nominal : 1.3% (FY 2021-22)

GDP Per capita

US$ 39,803 (FY 2021-22)

Major Sectors (% of GDP)

Agriculture: 1.2

Industry: 27.5

Services: 71.4

Inflation rate

2.5%(CY 2022)

0.8% (CY 2021)

0.0% (CY 2020)

0.5% (CY 2019)

Unemployment rate

2.5% (CY 2022)

2.9% (CY 2021)

2.8% (CY 2020)

2.4% (CY 2019)

Total Trade

USD 1545.11 billion (CY 2022)

USD 1450.65 billion (CY 2021)

USD 1276.34 billion (CY 2020)

USD 1427.19 billion (CY 2019)

Major Trading Partners

China, USA, EU

Rate of Exchange

USD/JPY: 134.25

INR/JPY: 1.64

(As on March 13, 2023)

Major Items of Exports

Transport equipment (Motor vehicles, parts of motor vehicles, ships, etc.), Electrical machinery & Semiconductors, Machinery (iron & steel products, electronic integrated circuits, power generating machinery), Manufactured goods (Iron & steel products, nonferrous metals, etc.), Chemicals (organic, medical, plastic materials), Food stuffs, Others.

Major Items of Imports

Mineral fuels (Petroleum & petroleum products, LNG, coal, LPG), Manufactured goods (iron & steel, nonferrous, textile yarn and fabric, clothing & accessories, medical products), Machinery (telecommunications equipment, semiconductors, electronic integrated circuits, computers & parts, scientific & optical equipment), Food stuffs, Transport equipment, Chemicals (Organic & medical products), Raw materials (wood, ore of nonferrous, iron ore, etc).

Japan’s Major Industries

Motor Vehicles, Electronic Goods, Machinery & Machine Tools, Steel & Non-Ferrous Metals, Ships, Chemicals, Textiles, Processed Food

Indian Origin/Permanent Resident

Total: 547

Indian Expatriates

Total: approx 40,202

Indian Organizations

Banks

2

PSUs

2

Government Organizations

2

Indian Associations registered with EOI & CGI

49 with EOI Tokyo

09 with CGI Osaka