Japan: An Island Nation In Asia Pacific 1 | Page 2

Japan: An Island Country in East Asia
With over 127 million people, Japan is the 10th largest country of the world by population. 97
percent of the country is made up of four main islands that are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and
Shikoku. Tokyo is the largest city of Japan which is also Japan’s capital. In this article, we give
you an insight of the country’s different aspects.

Economic Development:
Protracted ages of economic constraints were faced by Japan since the economic bubble in 1986.
The country suffered much due to economic immobility, devaluation and high unemployment
rate. Unyielding labor market and feeble domestic demand also caused prodigious limitations in
Japan’s entrepreneurial and risk taking activities. Despite all this, Japan is the leading
manufacturer in corporate sector.
Japan owns world’s largest corporations which include Toyota Motor, Panasonic, Sony, Hitachi,
Toshiba, Honda and Nissan. Technological development in Japan has augmented in the fields of
robotics, satellite communications, medical devices, space crafts and other tech industries. The
innovation of Nintendo’s Wii bough is virtual revolution in the global markets. In 2010, Japan
lost its ranking of being 2nd largest economy to China. It is currently ranked as the 3rd largest
economy of the world.

Culture, Language and Society:
The society of Japan depicts peace and harmony. Since 95 percent of the population is composed
of ethnic Japanese, it’s strikingly homogenous. However, much discrimination is faced by the
minorities of the country. 40 percent of the labor force is comprised by women still they are
subjected to molestation and harassment. The rate of domestic abuse is high but it is mostly
unreported because of societal concerns. Family culture is very high in the society. Older people
are taken care of by their children at home. Employment system also helps the social stability by
providing greater benefits. The official language, Japanese, is spoken widely in the country.