1. Japan: The Issues Unseen Sophia Hahn Whitton, Paul. Japan. unknown. National Geographic, Vermilion Gate, Japan. Kasahara, Katsumi. Japan Patriotism. 2005. AP Images, Okinotorishima, Japan.

2. Background  126 million people live in Japan currently  70% of it’s land is mountainous  became a series of states in 300 due to the introduction of rice farming  538 is when Japan is unified into one country  Ethnic Groups: Japanese 98.5%, Koreans 0.5%, Chinese 0.4%, and other 0.6%.  Major Religions: Shintoism and Buddhism Mori/Sebun, Toshitaka. Mount Fuji. N.d. National Geographic, Mount Fuji, Japan.

3. Notable Events  1945: the dropping of the two atomic bombs that were dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki  1923: the Great Kanto Earthquake desolated Tokyo and Yokohama  1956: Japan became part of the UN Kurokawa, Junji. Japan Hiroshima. 2005. AP Images, Hiroshima, Japan. Unknown. Japan Earthquake. 1923. AP Images, Tokyo, Japan.

4. Natural Disasters  active volcanos: Aso, Bandi, Fuji, Iwo-jima,Kikai, Kirishima, Komanga-take, Oshima, Suwanosejima, Tokachi, Yake-date, and Usu (12 total)  decade volcanos: Uzen (elevation: 1500m) and Sakura-jima (elevation: 1117m)  historically active volcanos: Asama and Aso (Honshu’s most active).  Japan has over 1500 seismic activities in a day though most are small tremors

5. Notable Disasters  1995 there was an earthquake titled, “Great Hanshin Earthquake” (more commonly known as the Kobe earthquake)  5,500 people were killed and over 26,000 injured  200 billion US dollars was economically lost  6.9 magnitude  In 2011 there was a 9.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Japan 231 miles off the coast of Tokyo at a 15.2 mile depth  earthquake attacked at 2:46pm causing a 30ft tsunami  caused the death of 15,884 humans  earthquake is the fourth largest recorded in history (since 1900  Costs Japan 25 trillion yen or 300 billion US dollars in damage Inouye, Itsuo. Japan Tsunami Ship. 2011. AP Images, Kesennuma, Japan. Kasahara, Katsumi. Earthquake Kobe 1995. january 18, 1995. AP Images, Kobe, Japan.

6. Solution  Economic aid (send money)  Japanese Government can send it to help reinforce future buildings  current rebuilding efforts and getting displaced citizens back in their homes

7. Nuclear Problems  Fukushima Nuclear Power Plants  power plants were put out of commission by the earthquake/tsunami in 2011  Japan use to contain 54 Nuclear reactors and 17 power plants that provided 30% of Japan’s electricity  6 reactors at Fukushima Daiichi plant which is 65 kilometers or 40 miles from Sendai (a densely populated city)  3 of these reactors melted after the tsunami posing the threat of radiation poisoning to all Japanese citizens. Yamanaka, Toru. Japan Nuclear. may 14, 2014. ASSOCIATED PRESS, Okuma, Japan.

8. Problems with Nuclear Meltdown  Health of Japanese citizens  44 out of 216,809 children under age 18 in Fukushima prefecture were diagnosed with thyroid cancer or suspected of having the disease  Radioactive water being dumped into the sea  dumps 300 million gallons of radioactive water into the ocean  Nuclear Rods  It is possible to move them but if done incorrectly a new nuclear disaster will arise  Molten fuel  raises the radiation level so much that the radiation levels in reactors 1, 2 and 3 are inaccessible to humans  Lack of staff/skilled labor  Once a worker has reached the limit they can no longer work on site and new workers need to be found

9. Solution  Economic Aid  the money used can be funded to help understand nuclear reactors better so we can fix problems like these  It can also go to nuclear education so that there are more workers who can work  funding medical research on how radiation poisoning can be treated

10. High Suicide Rates  Background  medieval times: a ritual act called 'hara-kiri' or 'seppuku' (which means belly-cutting in Japanese).  act was committed by Samurai that did to avoid death in the hands of the enemy  was seen as honorable  dates back to 1192

11. High Suicide Rates  Facts and Figures  30,707 people committed suicide in Japan in 2009, about 24 per 100, 000 people.  The rate in United States, as of 2007, was 11 for every 100,000  highest for both men and women in Japan between the ages of 45 and 64  Japan is ranked eighth for the highest suicide rate in the world  Numbers first spiked above 30,000 annually in 1998 after the Asian financial crisis of 1997  the late 1950s when the rate of suicides by girls aged 15 to 24 suddenly tripled and that by woman aged 25 to 34 doubled, the post-War suicide rate for Japanese women has remained steady, at between 5,000 and 10,000 per year

12. High Suicide Rate  second most popular place for suicide, the Aokigahara forest  metallic metals due to Mount Fuji’s volcanic overflow from the past rendering a compass useless  Very easy to get lost in  Causes  from 1985 to 2009 and found “suicide rates were significantly correlated with unemployment rates  major cause of suicide is depression and/or stress of the ordinary world Unknown. Japan Suicide Forest. 1998. AP Images, Aokigahara Forest, Japan.

13. Solution  put to creating new jobs  making new/better psychiatry programs to help with the depression and stress  to hire staff and make sure everyone who goes into the Aokigahara forest has a guide who will help them with the way out and prevent them from committing suicide United Nations. United Nations Emblem. 1946. UN Website, n.p.

14. Why UN should care  Japan is a country many others depend on  All of their problems can be fatal and lead to economic failure  Economic failure leads to a global economy collapse (like what happened with Greece) United Nations. United Nations Flag. 1946. UN Website, n.p.

15. Problem Web Natural Disasters Nuclear Problem s High Suicide Rate Economic Failure Death Can lead to

16. Conclusion  Japan is in need of help  Has helped many other countries through the United Nations  Time to give back  Japan’s nuclear problems, frequent natural disasters, and high suicide rate are reasons why the United Nations should send economic aid to the country of Japan.

17. Works Cited  Bramwell, Martyn. Southern and Eastern Asia. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications, 2000. Print.  Hancocks, Paula. "Fukushima's Nuclear Power Mess: Five Big Questions." CNN. Cable News Network, 07 Nov. 2013. Web. 13 May 2014.  "Japan." Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency, 11 Apr. 2014. Web. 13 May 2014.  "Japan Earthquake - Tsunami Fast Facts." CNN. Cable News Network, 20 Feb. 2014. Web. 29 May 2014.  "Japan History: Overview." Japan-guide.com - Search Results. N.p., 1996-2014. Web. 29 May 2014.  "JapanToday." Japan Today RSS. Japan Today, 18 Jan. 2011. Web. 14 May 2014.  Miller, Talea. "Report: Japan’s High Suicide Rates Linked to Unemployment." PBS. PBS, 30 Aug. 2011. Web. 14 May 2014.  "Suicide in Japan." JapanVisitor. Japan Tourist Info, 2014. Web. 14 May 2014.  Whitney, Craig R. "Russia Halts Nuclear Waste Dumping in Sea." New York Times. N.p., 22 Oct. 1993. Web. 13 May 2014.