National Overview

Full country name: Japan (Nihon, Nippon)
Area: 377,835 sq km (147,356 sq mi)
Population: 127,214,499 (July 2003 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 14.4% (male 9,368,132; female 8,906,024)
15-64 years: 67% (male 42,852,204; female 42,368,109)
65 years and over: 18.6% (male 9,945,638; female 13,774,392) (2003 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: 80.93 years
Ethnic groups: Japanese (including indigenous Ainu & Okinawan) 99%, others 1% (Korean 511,262, Chinese 244,241, Brazilian 182,232, Filipino 89,851, other 237,914) (2000)
Religions: observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including Christian 0.7%)
Language: Japanese
Government: Constitutional monarchy
Head of State: Emperor Akihito
Prime Minister: Junichiro Koizumi
GDP: US$3.15 trillion
GDP per head: US$24,900
Annual growth: 1.3%
Inflation: -0.7%
Major industries: High-tech electronic products, motor vehicles, office machinery, chemicals, steel, textiles, processed foods
Major trading partners: USA, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Germany, China