America to North America and Europe; illicit cultivation of cannabis;
government has an active manual cannabis eradication program
______________________________________________________________________
JAN MAYEN
@Jan Mayen:Geography
Location: Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the
Norwegian Sea, northeast of Iceland
Geographic coordinates: 71 00 N, 8 00 W
Map references: Arctic Region
Area:
total: 373 sq km
land: 373 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Washington,
DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 124.1 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 10 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 4 nm
Climate: arctic maritime with frequent storms and persistent fog
Terrain: volcanic island, partly covered by glaciers
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Norwegian Sea 0 m
highest point: Haakon VII Toppen/Beerenberg 2,277 m
Natural resources: none
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100%
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)
Natural hazards: dominated by the volcano Haakon VII
Toppen/Beerenberg; volcanic activity resumed in 1970
Environment - current issues: NA
Geography - note: barren volcanic island with some moss and grass
@Jan Mayen:People
Population: no indigenous inhabitants
note: there are personnel who operate the Long Range Navigation
(Loran-C) base and the weather and coastal services radio station
(July 2000 est.)
@Jan Mayen:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Jan Mayen
Data code: JN
Dependency status: territory of Norway; administered from Oslo through
a governor (sysselmann) resident in Longyearbyen (Svalbard); however,
authority has been delegated to a station commander of the Norwegian
Defense Communication Service
Flag description: the flag of Norway is used
@Jan Mayen:Economy
Economy - overview: Jan Mayen is a volcanic island with no exploitable
natural resources. Economic activity is limited to providing services
for employees of Norway's radio and meteorological stations located on
the island.
@Jan Mayen:Communications
Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA
note: there is one radio and meteorological station (1998)
@Jan Mayen:Transportation
Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only
Airports: 1 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1999 est.)
@Jan Mayen:Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of Norway
@Jan Mayen:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
______________________________________________________________________
JAPAN
@Japan:Introduction
Background: While retaining its time-honored culture, Japan rapidly
absorbed Western technology during the late 19th and early 20th
centuries. After its devastating defeat in World War II, Japan
recovered to become the second most powerful economy in the world and
a staunch ally of the US. While the emperor retains his throne as a
symbol of national unity, actual power rests in networks of powerful
politicians, bureaucrats, and business executives. The economy
experienced a major slowdown in the 1990s following three decades of
unprecedented growth.
@Japan:Geography
Location: Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean
and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula
Geographic coordinates: 36 00 N, 138 00 E
Map references: Asia
Area:
total: 377,835 sq km
land: 374,744 sq km
water: 3,091 sq km
note: includes Bonin Islands (Ogasawara-gunto), Daito-shoto,
Minami-jima, Okino-tori-shima, Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto), and
Volcano Islands (Kazan-retto)
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than California
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 29,751 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm; between 3 nm and 12 nm in the international
straits - La Perouse or Soya, Tsugaru, Osumi, and Eastern and Western
Channels of the Korea or Tsushima Strait
Climate: varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north
Terrain: mostly rugged and mountainous
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Hachiro-gata -4 m
highest point: Fujiyama 3,776 m
Natural resources: negligible mineral resources, fish
Land use:
arable land: 11%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 2%
forests and woodland: 67%
other: 19% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 27,820 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500
seismic occurrences (mostly tremors) every year; tsunamis
Environment - current issues: air pollution from power plant emissions
results in acid rain; acidification of lakes and reservoirs degrading
water quality and threatening aquatic life; Japan is one of the
largest consumers of fish and tropical timber, contributing to the
depletion of these resources in Asia and elsewhere
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: strategic location in northeast Asia
@Japan:People
Population: 126,549,976 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 15% (male 9,575,637; female 9,105,713)
15-64 years: 68% (male 43,363,054; female 42,980,253)
65 years and over: 17% (male 9,024,015; female 12,501,304) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.18% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 9.96 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 8.15 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 3.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 80.7 years
male: 77.51 years
female: 84.05 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.41 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Japanese (singular and plural)
adjective: Japanese
Ethnic groups: Japanese 99.4%, other 0.6% (mostly Korean)
Religions: observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including
Christian 0.7%)
Languages: Japanese
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99% (1970 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%
@Japan:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Japan
Data code: JA
Government type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Tokyo
Administrative divisions: 47 prefectures; Aichi, Akita, Aomori, Chiba,
Ehime, Fukui, Fukuoka, Fukushima, Gifu, Gumma, Hiroshima, Hokkaido,
Hyogo, Ibaraki, Ishikawa, Iwate, Kagawa, Kagoshima, Kanagawa, Kochi,
Kumamoto, Kyoto, Mie, Miyagi, Miyazaki, Nagano, Nagasaki, Nara,
Niigata, Oita, Okayama, Okinawa, Osaka, Saga, Saitama, Shiga, Shimane,
Shizuoka, Tochigi, Tokushima, Tokyo, Tottori, Toyama, Wakayama,
Yamagata, Yamaguchi, Yamanashi
Independence: 660 BC (traditional founding by Emperor Jimmu)
National holiday: Birthday of the Emperor, 23 December (1933)
Constitution: 3 May 1947
Legal system: modeled after European civil law system with
English-American influence; judicial review of legislative acts in the
Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989)
head of government: Prime Minister Yoshiro MORI (since 5 April 2000)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the Diet designates the
prime minister; the constitution requires that the prime minister must
command a parliamentary majority, therefore, following legislative
elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority
coalition in the House of Representatives usually becomes prime
minister
note: on 3 April 2000, Prime Minister Keizo OBUCHI suffered a stroke
and was relieved of his duties; Chief Cabinet Secretary Mikio AOKI
became acting prime minister; on 5 April 2000, Yoshiro MORI was
elected prime minister by a vote in both houses of the Diet, receiving
137 out of 244 votes cast in the House of Councillors ans 335 out of
488 votes cast in the House of Representatives
Legislative branch: bicameral Diet or Kokkai consists of the House of
Councillors or Sangi-in (252 seats; one-half of the members elected
every three years - 76 seats of which are elected from the 47
multi-seat prefectural districts and 50 of which are elected from a
single nationwide list with voters casting ballots by party; members
elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the House of
Representatives or Shugi-in (500 seats - 200 of which are elected from
11 regional blocks on a proportional representation basis and 300 of
which are elected from 300 single-seat districts; members elected by
popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: House of Councillors - last held 12 July 1998 (next to be
held NA July 2001); House of Representatives - last held 20 October
1996 (next to be held by October 2000)
election results: House of Councillors - percent of vote by party -
NA; seats by party - LDP 102, DPJ 47, JCP 23, Komeito 22, SDP 13,
Liberal Party 12, independents 26, others 7; note - the distribution
of seats as of December 1999 is as follows - LDP 105, DPJ 57, Komeito
24, JCP 23, SDP 13, Liberal Party 12, independents 6, others 12; House
of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
LDP 240, NFP 142, DPJ 52, JCP 26, SDP 15, Sun Party 10, others 15;
note - the distribution of seats as of December 1999 is as follows -
LDP 267, DPJ 93, Komeito/Reform Club 48, Liberal Party 39, JCP 26, SDP
14, independents 9, others 4
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, chief justice is appointed by the
monarch after designation by the cabinet, all other justices are
appointed by the cabinet
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party of Japan or DPJ [Yukio
HATOYAMA, leader, Tsutomu HATA, secretary general]; Japan Communist
Party or JCP ;
Komeito [Takenori KANZAKI, president, Tetsuzo FUYUSHIBA, secretary
general]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Yoshiro MORI, president,
Hiromu NONAKA, secretary general]; Liberal Party [Ichiro OZAWA,
president, Hirohisa FUJII, secretary general]; Reform Club [Tatsuo
OZAWA, leader, Katsuyuki ISHIDA, secretary general]; Social Democratic
Party or SDP [Takako DOI, chairperson, Sadao FUCHIGAMI, secretary
general]
note: subsequent to the last legislative elections, the New Frontier
Party or NFP and the Sun Party disbanded; in late 1997, the LP was
formed by former NFP members; the DPJ was formed by former members of
the SDP and Sakigake and, in April 1998, was joined by three
additional parties which had formed after the NFP disbanded; New Peace
Party and Komei merged to form Komeito in November 1998
International organization participation: AfDB, APEC, AsDB, Australia
Group, BIS, CCC, CE (observer), CERN (observer), CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO,
G- 5, G- 7, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol,
IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW,
OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR,
UNRWA, UNU, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Shunji YANAI
chancery: 2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: (202) 238-6700
FAX: (202) 328-2187
consulate(s) general: Hagatna (Guam), Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston,
Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Honolulu, Houston, Kansas City (Missouri),
Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Portland (Oregon), San
Francisco, and Seattle
consulate(s): Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas S. FOLEY
embassy: 10-5, Akasaka 1-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420
mailing address: Unit 45004, Box 205, APO AP 96337-5004
telephone: (3) 3224-5000
FAX: (3) 3224-5856
consulate(s) general: Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, Sapporo
consulate(s): Fukuoka, Nagoya
Flag description: white with a large red disk (representing the sun
without rays) in the center
@Japan:Economy
Economy - overview: Government-industry cooperation, a strong work
ethic, mastery of high technology, and a comparatively small defense
allocation (1% of GDP) have helped Japan advance with extraordinary
rapidity to the rank of second most technologically powerful economy
in the world after the US and third largest economy in the world after
the US and China. One notable characteristic of the economy is the
working together of manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors in
closely knit groups called keiretsu. A second basic feature has been
the guarantee of lifetime employment for a substantial portion of the
urban labor force. Both features are now eroding. Industry, the most
important sector of the economy, is heavily dependent on imported raw
materials and fuels. The much smaller agricultural sector is highly
subsidized and protected, with crop yields among the highest in the
world. Usually self-sufficient in rice, Japan must import about 50% of
its requirements of other grain and fodder crops. Japan maintains one
of the world's largest fishing fleets and accounts for nearly 15% of
the global catch. For three decades overall real economic growth had
been spectacular: a 10% average in the 1960s, a 5% average in the
1970s, and a 4% average in the 1980s. Growth slowed markedly in
1992-95 largely because of the aftereffects of overinvestment during
the late 1980s and contractionary domestic policies intended to wring
speculative excesses from the stock and real estate markets. Growth
picked up to 3.9% in 1996, largely a reflection of stimulative fiscal
and monetary policies as well as low rates of inflation. But in
1997-98 Japan experienced a wrenching recession, centered about
financial difficulties in the banking system and real estate markets
and exacerbated by rigidities in corporate structures and labor
markets. In 1999 output started to stabilize as emergency government
spending began to take hold and business confidence gradually
improved. The crowding of habitable land area and the aging of the
population are two major long-run problems. Robotics constitutes a key
long-term economic strength, with Japan possessing 410,000 of the
world's 720,000 "working robots".
GDP: purchasing power parity - $2.95 trillion (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 0.3% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $23,400 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 2%
industry: 35%
services: 63% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): -0.8% (1999 est.)
Labor force: 67.76 million (November 1999)
Labor force - by occupation: trade and services 65%, industry 30%,
agriculture, forestry, and fishing 5%
Unemployment rate: 4.7% (1999 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $463 billion
expenditures: $809 billion, including capital expenditures (public
works only) of about $94 billion (FY00/01 est.)
Industries: among world's largest and technologically advanced
producers of motor vehicles, electronic equipment, machine tools,
steel and nonferrous metals, ships, chemicals; textiles, processed
foods
Industrial production growth rate: -0.1% (1999 est.)
Electricity - production: 995.982 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 56.68%
hydro: 8.99%
nuclear: 31.93%
other: 2.4% (1998)
Electricity - consumption: 926.263 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1998)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1998)
Agriculture - products: rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit; pork,
poultry, dairy products, eggs; fish
Exports: $413 billion (f.o.b., 1999 est.)
Exports - commodities: motor vehicles, semiconductors, office
machinery, chemicals
Exports - partners: US 31%, Taiwan 7%, China 5.5%, South Korea 5.4%,
Hong Kong 5.2% (1999)
Imports: $306 billion (c.i.f., 1999 est.)
Imports - commodities: fuels, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, office
machinery
Imports - partners: US 22%, China 14%, South Korea 5.1%, Australia
4.2%, Taiwan 4.1% (1999)
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid - donor: ODA, $9.1 billion (1999)
Currency: yen
Exchange rates: yen per US$1 - 105.16 (January 2000), 113.91 (1999),
130.91 (1998), 120.99 (1997), 108.78 (1996), 94.06 (1995)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
@Japan:Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 60.3 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 36.5 million (1998)
Telephone system: excellent domestic and international service
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4 Pacific Ocean
and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region), and 1
Inmarsat (Pacific and Indian Ocean regions); submarine cables to
China, Philippines, Russia, and US (via Guam)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 190, FM 88, shortwave 24 (1999)
Radios: 120.5 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 7,108 (plus 441 repeaters; note - in
addition, US Forces are served by 3 TV stations and 2 TV cable
services) (1999)
Televisions: 86.5 million (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 357 (1999)
@Japan:Transportation
Railways:
total: 23,670.7 km
standard gauge: 2,893.1 km 1.435-m gauge (entirely electrified)
narrow gauge: 89.8 km 1.372-m gauge (89.8 km electrified); 20,656.8 km
1.067-m gauge (10,383.6 km electrified); 31 km 0.762-m gauge (3.6 km
electrified) (1994)
Highways:
total: 1,152,207 km
paved: 863,003 km (including 6,114 km of expressways)
unpaved: 289,204 km (1997 est.)
Waterways: about 1,770 km; seagoing craft ply all coastal inland seas
Pipelines: crude oil 84 km; petroleum products 322 km; natural gas
1,800 km
Ports and harbors: Akita, Amagasaki, Chiba, Hachinohe, Hakodate,
Higashi-Harima, Himeji, Hiroshima, Kawasaki, Kinuura, Kobe, Kushiro,
Mizushima, Moji, Nagoya, Osaka, Sakai, Sakaide, Shimizu, Tokyo,
Tomakomai
Merchant marine:
total: 662 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 13,039,488
GRT/18,024,969 DWT
ships by type: bulk 146, cargo 49, chemical tanker 13, combination
bulk 16, combination ore/oil 4, container 25, liquified gas 45,
passenger 9, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 214, refrigerated
cargo 22, roll-on/roll-off 48, short-sea passenger 9, vehicle carrier
60 (1999 est.)
Airports: 171 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 140
over 3,047 m: 6
2,438 to 3,047 m: 34
1,524 to 2,437 m: 41
914 to 1,523 m: 28
under 914 m: 31 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 31
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 28 (1999 est.)
Heliports: 14 (1999 est.)
@Japan:Military
Military branches: Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (Army), Japan
Maritime Self-Defense Force (Navy), Japan Air Self-Defense Force (Air
Force)
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 30,259,247 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 26,139,516 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 771,452 (2000 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $42.9 billion (FY98/99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.9% (FY98/99)
@Japan:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan, and
the Habomai group occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, now
administered by Russia, claimed by Japan; Liancourt Rocks
(Takeshima/Tokdo) disputed with South Korea; Senkaku-shoto (Senkaku
Islands) claimed by China and Taiwan
______________________________________________________________________
JARVIS ISLAND
@Jarvis Island:Geography
Location: Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half
of the way from Hawaii to the Cook Islands
Geographic coordinates: 0 22 S, 160 03 W
Map references: Oceania
Area:
total: 4.5 sq km
land: 4.5 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: about eight times the size of The Mall in
Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 8 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun
Terrain: sandy, coral island surrounded by a narrow fringing reef
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 7 m
Natural resources: guano (deposits worked until late 1800s)
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100%
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1998)
Natural hazards: the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can
be a maritime hazard
Environment - current issues: no natural fresh water resources
Geography - note: sparse bunch grass, prostrate vines, and low-growing
shrubs; primarily a nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for
seabirds, shorebirds, and marine wildlife
@Jarvis Island:People
Population: uninhabited
note: Millersville settlement on western side of island occasionally
used as a weather station from 1935 until World War II, when it was
abandoned; reoccupied in 1957 during the International Geophysical
Year by scientists who left in 1958; public entry is by special-use
permit from US Fish and Wildlife Service only and generally restricted
to scientists and educators; visited annually by US Fish and Wildlife
Service (July 2000 est.)
@Jarvis Island:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Jarvis Island
Data code: DQ
Dependency status: unincorporated territory of the US; administered
from Washington, DC by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US
Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge
system
Flag description: the flag of the US is used
@Jarvis Island:Economy
Economy - overview: no economic activity
@Jarvis Island:Transportation
Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only; note - there is one
boat landing area in the middle of the west coast and another near the
southwest corner of the island
Transportation - note: there is a day beacon near the middle of the
west coast
@Jarvis Island:Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the US; visited
annually by the US Coast Guard
@Jarvis Island:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
______________________________________________________________________
JERSEY
@Jersey:Introduction
Background: The island of Jersey and the other Channel Islands
represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy that
held sway in both France and England. These islands were the only
British soil occupied by German troops in World War II.
@Jersey:Geography
Location: Western Europe, island in the English Channel, northwest of
France
Geographic coordinates: 49 15 N, 2 10 W
Map references: Europe
Area:
total: 116 sq km
land: 116 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 70 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm
territorial sea: 3 nm
Climate: temperate; mild winters and cool summers
Terrain: gently rolling plain with low, rugged hills along north coast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 143 m
Natural resources: arable land