18-1 Japan—Past and Present

Japan’s Geography Japan is located along the ring of fire, which is located in the Pacific Ocean. This causes the earth’s crust to shift leading to earthquakes. This will in turn lead to tsunamis. Archipelago—a group of islands. Japan is located off the coast of eastern Asia. It is between the Sea of Japan and the Pacific Ocean.

Japan’s Geography Japan is a chain of islands Hokkiado Japan is a chain of islands that stretch from north to south. Japan has more than 3,000 tiny islands although most live on the 4 largest. Most of Japan is covered by mountains. About 188 of Japan’s mountains are volcanoes Because Japan is covered by mountains, only 20 percent of its land can be farmed. Honshu Shikoku Kyushu

Mt. Fuji is Japan’s highest mountain it is also the national symbol. Rugged mountains and steep forested hills dominate most of Japan. The Kanto Plain is in eastern Honshu—Japan’s largest plain and is where most people live Tokyo is the capital Yokohama is a major port city.

Japan’s Economy Japanese people value hard work, cooperation and education. Japan has few mineral resources so it must import them—iron ore, coal and oil. Japan is a highly industrialized nation, creating automobiles, and other products. Electronic products, watches, small appliances and calculators.

Farmland is very limited and farmers have learned to use fertilizers and modern machinery to produce high crop yields. Intensive cultivation means they can grow crops on every available piece of land. Chief crop is rice, others include sugar beets, potatoes, fruits and tea. Seafood is also important.

Japan’s history Reaches back many centuries. They trace their ancestry to clans—groups of related families. They came from the mainland of Asia. They looked to China and modeled their empire after them. They copied their government, adopted their religion (Buddhism) as well as their writing system. In the 790’s the power of the emperor began to decline and shoguns and samurai ruled the country—these were military leaders as well as powerful land-owning warriors.

Japan did not trade with foreign countries until 1853 when the U Japan did not trade with foreign countries until 1853 when the U.S sent in Commodore Matthew Perry to seek trading privileges. By the 1900’s Japan was the leading military power in Asia. In 1941 it bombed Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, which led to the U.S. entering WW II.

His Imperial Majesty Emperor Akihito Japan is a constitutional monarchy—the emperor is the head of the state, but elected officials run the government.

People Japan is only about the size of California, but has about ½ the population that the United States has. Most people belong to the same Japanese ethnic group. The four large cities of Tokyo, Tokohama, Nagoya, and Osaka form a megalopolis: A huge urban area made up of several large cities and communities near them

Religion Most people practice either Shinto or Buddhism. Shinto began centuries ago—it teaches a love of nature, simple things concern for cleanliness and good manners.