Introduction
According to the CIA fact book (1), Japan is a country in the Eastern Asia. It is an island located between the Sea of Japan and the North Pacific Ocean, and East of the Korean Peninsula. The total area of the country is 377,915 sq km, of which 364,485 sq km are dry land while the remaining 13,430 sq km is made up of water bodies. Given that the country itself is an island, it has other minor islands which combine to make up the Japanese country. These are Ogasawara-gunto, also called the Bonin Islands, Okinotori-shima, Volcano islands or the Kazan-retto, Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto), Daito-shoto and the Minami-jima islands. Tokyo sums up as the capital city as well as the largest town in the country. The national language of the country is the Japanese. The form of government in the country is a unitary parliamentary democracy combined with a constitutional monarchy. These two ensure that democracy is pursued in the country and the institutions of power are kept under check. Currently, the country has an Emperor named Akihito and a Prime Minister called Naoto Kan. The Japanese legislature is made up of the upper house which is the House of Councilors and the Lower House which is also called the House of Representatives of Japan (Indexmundi, 1). The country has been undergoing reconstruction since the Nagasaki nuclear bomb of the World War II whose effects are still felt to date. However, the country has battled its negative effects to emerge as one of the leading economies in the world besides being a pioneer in technological advancements. Due to its location and climatic conditions, the country experiences quakes of high magnitude which lead to massive infrastructural damages. Nevertheless, the country continues flourishing in different fields such as sports, science and technology as well as industrialization.
Scientific Development
As earlier indicated, Japan is a force to reckon with when it comes to scientific developments. Through its innovative technologies, it has become heavily industrialized such that the developments cannot be equaled with any other country in the world. It exports cars such as Honda and Toyota to various countries in the world, which is a major boost to its economy (U.S Department of State, 5). Furthermore, Web Japan (10 indicates that the country has made groundbreaking discoveries when it comes to scientific and IT developments. For instance, scientists in the country have come up with an umbrella that can be used to download images from the web as one walks along. This comes along with other advancements in technology where the country, in 2007, launched a humanoid robot famed as the smallest robot in the world. In agricultural research, scientists in Japan discovered the hormone that makes the rice plants flower, and therefore could induce flowering in the plants when they wanted to. Given that rice is among the staple foods in Asia, such a discovery would go a long way in ensuring food security in the area. In IT, the country is not left behind. Researchers in the country have developed a system that can facilitate the user to input text simply by looking at the onscreen keyboard. In environmental conservation, technological advancements have seen to it that Japan is seeking to bury carbon dioxide produced by its companies under the sea-bed so as to avoid excessive emissions. These are just but some of the developments made in the field of science. There are many more discoveries and on-going projects that make Japan a giant in science. It also exports its knowledge by collaborating with learning and research institutions from other countries, especially the developing countries.
HIV/AIDS
Surprisingly, Japan is one of the countries in Asia that are known to have few cases of HIV/AIDS infection. According to statistics borrowed from the CIA fact Book and indicated by Index Mundi (1), the rate of HIV prevalent in the country is less than 0.1% in adults. The total number of HIV cases reported is 13,373 while the total number for AIDS cases stands at 6,160. The total number of deaths due to the disease stands at 1,439 (Kakuchi, 1). The reason for such low statistics is that the culture of the Japanese considers sex as a taboo subject. The society does not tolerate the trend in other parts of the world where school children as young as 12 can be involved in sexual activities. Rather, the subject is taken as a no-go zone. In fact, HIV testing is not common in the country and most cases are discovered when individuals are tested for other serious illnesses. However, the health professionals in the country realize that it is important to have HICV/AIDS awareness campaigns in the country, as this is the only way through which the spread of the virus can be curtailed, especially among the youths. Even though the infection rates are low, the few cases that arise are due to the negligence of the concerned authorities in sensitizing the people about the HIV/AIDS matters. The best way to deal with the problem is to confront it rather than to avoid it. Though the Japanese societal virtues already go a long way in protecting the nation from the jaws of the disease, being informed about it could take the prevention campaigns to an even greater height.
Cultural Practices
The Japanese are quite keen on the family matters. The family unit is highly valued and respected as it is taken as the seed of the society. As discussed in earlier paragraphs, there are various sports that the country participates in, at the local levels and even at international levels. Athletics is one of the major sports in the country. Martial arts are another main field of the Japanese as well as fencing. The Japanese find it easy to participate in sports and events which call for flexibility and intellect.
In terms of religion, Shintoism takes the lion’s share with 83.3 % of the people ascribing to it. Buddhism takes 71.4% while Christianity follows with 2%. Other religions in the country account for only 7.8%. Interestingly, the percentages of the religion exceed 100% since many people belong to Shintoism as well as Buddhism (Index Mundo, 2). The Japanese art and literature are not so well developed since the people are more involved in practical works. However, a few Japanese nationals are involved in music and dances. Ballet dancing is quite popular as it calls for light and flexible dancers. The Japanese dancers fit perfectly well into this category. There are also painters who produce paintings that tell something about the nature, values and beliefs of the Japanese people. For instance, paintings from long ago depict the Japanese old age culture of the samurai, which called for bravery and decisiveness. Through such pieces, the Japanese culture can be easily traced to its past.
Economy
As earlier indicated, Japan had risen from the spoils of the World War II to become one of the world’s major economies. In fact, as of 2009, it was the second largest economy in the world though it was later overtaken by China. As of 2010, the GDP of the country stood at $ 5.391 trillion with a growth rate of 3 percent. The per capita GDP stood at $ 34,200 (U.S Department of State, 3; Index Mundo, 1). The high economic prospects in the country are associated with the various resources available. The natural resources include an abundance of fish as well as traces of mineral wealth. It also has good agricultural productivity, which focuses mainly on rice, vegetables, milk, meat, fish and milk. By far, industrial productivity is the number one contributor t the Japanese economy. Most of its export trade with other countries is in form of industrial goods such as cars (Honda and Toyota), other machinery and equipment, chemicals, ships, processed foods, electrical and electronic wares, textiles, steel and non-ferrous metals.
The major reason as to why Japanese products are popular throughout the world is that they are of high quality. They are expertly produced and are quite durable. In the current world ratings, Japan is rated as the third economy. It has a highly efficient and competitive economy especially in areas to do with international trade, distribution, agriculture and the service industry. Though the country has few natural resources, it utilizes its trade ties to acquire what it does not have. As it clearly comes out, economic development is not so much focused on what a country has but on how it seizes and utilizes the opportunities that come along the way.
Environmental Issues
Being a giant in industrial development does not come easy. There are environmental considerations that come up. Japan is not spared by this either. Given that it is a signatory of the Kyoto protocol, it has to observe the regulations concerning carbon and other green house gases emission while pursuing its development agendas. It is for this reason that the scientific organization of Japan went into a study to determine how the excess carbon can be buried under the sea-bed rather than releasing it into the atmosphere (Japan web, 1).
There are other environmental challenges as well, as recorded by Index Mundi (1). The major issue facing Japan is air pollution emanating from its industries. The main agents of pollution that have to be dealt with include power plant emissions. These emissions lead to disastrous effects such as acid rain, acidification of lakes and other water bodies, thereby degrading the quality of the waters. This poses a threat to aquatic life, which is one of the strongholds of the Japanese economy.
It is recorded that Japan is a major consumer of tropical timber as well as fish. For this reason, it has to be quite vigilant in preserving these resources; otherwise they might be depleted leaving its citizens in a compromised situation.
Environmental conservation has therefore received major attention from Japanese government and the corporate world alike. They are keen on ensuring that for the sake of the current as well as the future generations, measures have to be taken to ensure that the environment is utilized optimally but not to exhaustion. Japanese companies are also keen on fulfilling their corporate responsibility.
Population
According to Index Mundo (1), the Japanese population is made up of various ethnic groups. Japanese make up 98.5% of the population while Koreans constitute a mere 0.5%. Chinese nationalities follow at 0.4 percent while other ethnic groups combined constitute 0.6% of the population. The main language spoken in the country is the Japanese.
As of July 2011, the population stood at 126,475,994. Of these, 13.1 percent are aged 0 to 14 years accounting for 8, 521,571 male and 8,076,173 women. The middle age (15-64 years) constitute a whooping 64% of the population with 40,815,840 male and 40,128,235 female. The elderly make up only 22.9 percent of the population which comprises of 12,275,829 male and 16,658,016 female. While the birth rate in the country stands at 7.31 births per 1,000 populations, the death rate is 10.09 deaths for every 1000 of the population while the migration rate is 0. This explains why the population growth rate stands at -0.278%. There is a deficit in between the death rate and the birth rate which is quite worrying for any economy. Unless the birth rate in the country goes up, then the population will continue dwindling and the labor force will be significantly reduced. Therefore, the government has to find a way of maintaining the balance between the death rates and the birth rates. Alternatively the country can impose measures which would make it easy for immigrants to enter the country so as to refurbish the dwindling labor force. In a nutshell, the country may soon be going for outsourcing.
Conflict
According to the Geneva Academy of Humanitarian Law and Human Rights (1), Japan is currently not involved in any form of military row with any of its neighbors or any other nation in the world. This is probably due to the provision of the Japanese Constitution which does not advocate for war at all. Similarly, the Japanese people are quite peaceful and would not be quick to show their anger or retaliate through violence.
However, on a larger scale, there are conflicts of interest that do arise between the country and its neighbors. For instance, there are tensions between the country and its Korean neighbors due to Korea’s ambitions which might pose a threat to the Japanese people. Perhaps the most pronounced tension is the one that existed between Japan and China. The tension came along due to the desire of the two countries to control a cluster of Islands located in the Sea of China (Landler, 1).
The relationship between the two countries had become so sour that during the Hanoi summit, Chinese aggressive maritime and territorial claims raised eye-brows among may members. Diplomats from the two countries were keen on finding a solution to the problem before it erupted into a full blown animosity. The U.S intervened and helped the two countries to come to an amicable solution. As of now, the country enjoys a peaceful season and even participates in pacifying other areas faced by chaos, such as Iraq, by providing financial as well as material and personnel aid.
Conclusion
Japan, an Asian country and a major economy in the world has prospects of developing into an even bigger economic power. This can be attributed to its drive for innovations and scientific developments. The country also has a very sober society which is built on virtuous principles. As such, vices that deter other nations from realizing their full potential are not faced by the Japanese people. There are plenty of resources available to the country which can be utilized in furthering economic success. Furthermore, the country is endowed with sharp and innovative minds which can easily devise means of exploiting the available resources.
However, there are two major challenges facing the country and could hamper its development efforts. First of all, there is the issue of environmental pollution. Due to rapid development, more emissions are produced from the Japanese firms. Measures to control environmental pollution therefore have to be devised as a matter of urgency. Secondly, the population of the country has a negative growth rate. If the trend continues, the country will sooner or later have no labor force to carry on its development ambitions. This issue can be addressed in two ways: first, the government can sensitize its people on the need for reproduction. Incentives and other benefits can be extended to those who deliver so as to make the upbringing much easier. This could safeguard the labor force. Alternatively, immigration rules can be made more lenient so that immigrants are allowed into the country. This would help a great deal. On an overall assessment, Japan is on the right track as far as development is concerned. If the trend continues, the country could well be on its way to being a leading economy in the world.
Works Cited
Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights. Japan – Current Conflicts. 2012. Web, 23rd Feb 2012, http://www.adh-geneva.ch/RULAC/current_conflict.php?id_state=116
Index Mundi. Japan Environment – Current Issues. 2011. Web, 23rd Feb 2012, http://www.indexmundi.com/japan/environment_current_issues.html
Index Mundi. Japan: Introduction. 2011. Web, 23rd Feb 2012, http://www.indexmundi.com/japan/
Japan Web. Science and Technology. 2007. Web, http://web-japan.org/trends/science/index.html
U.S Department of State. Background Note: Japan. 2011. Web, 23rd Feb 2012, http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/4142.htm
Kakuchi, Suvendrini. Japan HIV Cases Rise as Awareness Wanes. 2011. Web, 23rd Feb 2012, http://www.japanetwork.org/
Landler, Mark. U.S Works to Ease China-Japan Conflict. 2010. Web, 23rd Feb 2012, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/31/world/asia/31diplo.html
