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Japan
is located in the North Pacific off the coast of Russia
and the Korean peninsula. The area of Japan is 377,873km2,
which makes it slightly smaller in land mass than California.
Japan consists of four main larger islands and more
than 4000 smaller islands. The main islands are Hokkaido,
Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. Honshu is the largest with
an area of 231,000km2. A modern railroad system connects
the major islands. Japan's high-speed Shinkansen (bullet
train), connects major urban areas.
Japan
is over 70% mountainous with approximately 18% of the
land mass being suitable for settlement. As a result
Japan's cities are sprawling and densely populated.
Tokyo, the capital mega-city of Japan, is located on
Honshu island. Central Tokyo has a population of 12
million people, with the population of the Greater Tokyo
Area estimated at over 35 million people.
A
major economic power, Japan has the world's second-largest
economy by nominal GDP and the third largest in purchasing
power parity. It is also the world's fourth largest
exporter and fifth largest importer. It is also the
only Asian country in the G8 and is currently serving
as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.
Although Japan has officially renounced its right to
declare war, it maintains a modern and extensive military
force which is employed in self-defense and peacekeeping
roles. It is a developed country with very high living
standards (10th highest HDI). Japan has the highest
life expectancy of any country in the world (according
to both the UN and WHO estimates) and the third lowest
infant mortality rate.
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