Their geography dictates that they do not have alot of land use, particularly in terms of population per (mile,

kilometer, foot, etc) which is extremely large, for anything butmanufacturing plants. To complement their land availability, their natural resources are not as sufficient as they could like. Fishing is big, and used in trade, but they do not hold any natural resources of suitable quantity and that could be produced efficiently (by all this I meanComparative Advantage) that is far better than other countries. They could sell rice crop, but it wouldn't be of a large enough scale (bulk shipping) to be worth buying like China has. So they had to think, and think hard. With their large population on such a small landmass, and their low quantity of natural resources, they can utilise what little land they have to build big hulking manufacturing plants that sell cars and toys and other merchandise that is wanted all over the world. And because that is really their only effective means of production of their resources, they can invest millions and billions into that resource thereby giving them a great comparative advantage over other countries of whom have to invest money into their wide range of resources. Climate really is of no concern in my explanation. It merely is another leverage that says they have to manufacture to withstain an economy. In terms of their Economy itself, well I can't say how their labor force is, if its like China's or not. But with so many factories, I take it there are alot of businessmen in the crowds. But their Economy is nearly entirely manufacturing sufficient so unless another country comes by with a greater means of production, the Japanese Economy won't collapse and burn.

Japan isn't very rich in many natural resources like energy (eg, petroleum, uranium, et) and metalic ores. As a result, it needs to import these things. This is one of the reasons why it needs to trade and develop a strong export market so it has something to sell in exchange for its imports. Since Japan is relatively resource poor and can't export raw goods like iron, it had to develop value add strategies like importing iron, and converting them to cars and selling the cars. This is one of the reasons Japan has become so dominant in high tech manufactured goods. Japan's climate and land limit the kinds of agricultural goods it can produce, so it must import those other foods. Its global partnership, especially with the US, is important because of its relative proximity to China and North Korea. Japan is under military protection under the US, which is one of the reasons why the two countries have close relationships. Japan's close proximity to South Korea, China, and Taiwan also creates opportunities for close trade relationships with these countries.

Which statement is true about the influence of geography on Japan?

Scarce natural resources. They're not flat, they're mountainous. They're volcanic islands, and have no petroleum of their own. They're thousands of miles from India. Not to dredge up the past or anything, but research the causes of World War II -- one of them was to expand their empire to encompass the resources of Indonesia, New Guinea, and Southeast Asia. Rubber plantations, oil, fertile croplands... same goes for their invasion of mainland China. The purpose of their attack on Pear Harbor, in particular, was to prevent the rest of the world from allowing them to seize what they wanted, then fortify it before anyone could do anything about it. It didn't work out so well for them

Natural Resources of Japan If asked to name a small Asian country, with few natural resources and a high population density, one may be more likely to name Bangladesh than Japan. Considering Japan's limited natural resource base, its rise to a world economic leader is all the more remarkable. A review of Japan's resource base could include its (1) access to the ocean (2) agricultural resources (3) mineral resources (4) human resources.
Access to Oceans

Japan's economic development has often been compared to that of Great Britain. The most obvious similiarity is that they are both island states [Japan] that have achieved tremendous economic development by taking advantage of their maritime location and resources. Historically, since overland travel in the mountainous interior of Japan is difficult, the surrounding seas, including the many natural harbors and bays, provided the Japanese

with a means of internal communications as well as access to the rest of the world. It is not surprising then that most Japanese live close to the sea [ecumene], especially along the well protected and economically important Inland Sea. The Japanese, like the British in the 19th century, have used this maritime location to become a leader in world trade. Fishing and shipbuilding are also large Japanese industries. Japanese fishing vessels travel all over the world. [TOP]
Agricultural and Forestry Resources

Japan's agriculture [agric-large map] is characterized by small farms (farms tend to be larger in Hokkaido [jafb]), labor intensive technologies, great use of fertilizers, and the dominance of rice. Only about 25% of the land area is suitable for agriculture [wdarable]. The remainder consists of forest covered mountains. As a result, farmland is fragmented and limited to narrow coastal plains [plains] which widen in three areas: (1) the Kanto Plain around Tokyo, (2) the Nobi Plain, and (3) the Kansai District surrounding Osaka. These larger agricultural areas are also Japan's major industrial cities. The competition for usable land is fierce between these two sectors. Japan was largely self-sufficient in rice up to World War I, but rising population pressure and poor soils combined to increase the need for food imports. Such imports came initially from the Japanese colonies of Korea and Taiwan, and elsewhere since World War II. Despite its poor soils, Japanese agriculture is highly productive. Climatic conditions [climate] [precipitation] allow for double cropping in most areas south of the 37th parallel which include the southern half of Honshu [jafb], and the islands of Shikuko and Kyushu. Other major crops include: wheat, barley, and oats, especially in the island of Hokkaido[jafb]; apples in the north [agriculture]; and tea and citrus fruit in the south. Since forests occupy 65% of the land area, forestry is an important industry. Yet, the Japanese demand for wood and wood products greatly exceed supply and forest products rank high on the list of imports. [TOP]
Mineral Resources

Generally, Japan is resource poor. Therefore, Japan's economic successes depended on imported raw materials [dependence]. Energy resources alone account for 14% of its total imports. With virtually no domestic oil supplies Japan imports much crude oil from the Persian Gulf area . Oil is used to meet nearly 60% of Japan's total energy needs [energy]. [TOP]
Human Resources

Much of Japan's economic success could be accredited to its well-educated and welltrained labor force. Japan has a population of approximately 127 million. It's literacy rate is 99 %. It's population is culturally homogenous [jppeo]. The largest minority group is the 800,000 Koreans which make up only 0.6 % of the total population. All social and ethnic minorities account for about 4 % of the population or about 5 million people. Other minority groups include the Chinese, Okinawans, Ainu, and foreign residents. [TOP]

Japan's Geography

(1)

A country's geography influences the development of its society and culture in many ways. Its location in relation to other nations has an effect on intercultural influences; its size affects demography, the development of social structures, and its position in the international community. Its topography dictates to a large extent where and how its people earn their livings, and its climate influences its agriculture and styles of living. The following maps will demonstrate these and other aspects of the influence of geography on national development. Composition, Position, and Relative Size Japan is a shimaguni (island country): The Japanese archipelago (island chain) consists of four main islands--Honsh, Shikoku, Kysh and Hokkaid--and thousands of smaller surrounding ones (see map 1). It lies off the Pacific coast of the Asian mainland; at the closest point, the main Japanese islands are 120 miles away

from the mainland. (See map 2). Compare this with another shimaguni, Great Britain, which is, at the narrowest point of the English Channel, only 21 miles from Europe. The total land space of the Japanese islands is about 142,000 square miles. As you can see from map 2 and map 3, it is a very small country when compared with the vast Asian mainland, or with the United States, where it is smaller than the single, although large, state of California. It seems even smaller when you realize how little of its land is useful for agriculture or housing, as we will discuss below. China, the United States, and a few other giants of the world are the unusual ones, however. Japan does not seem so small when compared with some of the nations of Western Europe. It is, for example, larger than Italy. (See map 4). Topography The Japanese islands are covered by mountains, most of them heavily forested, and crisscrossed by short, swift rivers. Only a few of the rivers are navigable. Relatively little of Japan's land mass is suitable for agriculture -- only about 15 percent, the same land that is also most suitable for living (see map 5). The population and areas of agriculture are therefore concentrated together, as you will see if you superimpose map 5 on map 6. Japan's islands are very beautiful and varied, but they can be treacherous. Earthquakes are common and result from a fault that circles the Pacific Ocean, causing earthquakes on the west coast of North and South America as well. They are frequent in Japan, occurring more often than they are felt. Even so, one big enough to be noticed by scientists occurs every three days in Tky. Occasionally they do serious damage. The mountains of Japan contain 10 per-cent of the world's most active volcanoes. Mt. Fuji, Japan's most famous mountain and one of its most beautiful and revered, is a dormant volcano, which last erupted in 1707. Tidal waves occasionally result from undersea earthquakes, and typhoons sometimes hit Japan as they move north from the South Pacific. The Japanese are more impressed, however, by the beauty and richness of their land than by its dangers. Although its topography creates difficulties, its climate is more benevolent. Climate The Japanese islands are for the most part in the temperate zone; as you can see from map 7, they stretch from north to south in latitudes similar to those of the eastern United States, from about 45 degrees in the north to about 20 in the south. The capital,

Tky, is in a similar position to Los Angeles or Washington in the United States (see map 7). But latitude and longitude are not the only things that influence climate. Ocean currents, such as the Kuroshio and Tsushima currents from the south, warm the Pacific side of the islands and those near the Korean straits, especially toward the south, while the cold Kurile current, coming southward toward Hokkaid, brings plentiful nourishment to the coastal waters and improves the fishing (see map 8). On the other hand, cold winds from the northern Asian continent blow east over the Sea of Japan, dumping deep, heavy snow on the northwestern coasts of Japan. There is a marked contrast between winters on the coast facing the Sea of Japan, called Japan's "snow country," where people often have to tunnel under the snow to move from house to house, and the clear, crisp winters on the eastern shore, with little snow at all, leaving dry winters on the more heavily populated side of the main islands. Even on the eastern shores, however, Japan has abundant rainfall, since seasonal winds carry moisture into the country from its surrounding waters. In fact, in addition to the four seasons similar to those of our U.S. temperate zone climate, there is a rainy season, lasting about a month in June, followed by a hot summer. This is important for the cultivation of rice, Japan's traditional staple food.

Area: 377,708 square kilometers (145,834 square miles) Coastline: 33,986 kilometers (18,487 miles)

From Japan Today, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan 1983