Japan is an archipelago country located in the center of the Asia-Pacific region, spread over the four large islands of Honshu, Hokaido, Kyushu and Shikoku. In addition to them, the territory of the state also includes about 4 thousand small islands, which stretch for three and a half thousand kilometers from the northeast to the southwest. The shores form bays and a large number of bays. All the seas and oceans that wash the archipelago play a huge role for Japan, as they are the main sources of its resources.
Population
By population Country Rising Sun is in the top ten in the world. The Japanese boast the world's longest life expectancy (76 years for men and 82 for women).
For national composition characterized by relative homogeneity. The Japanese form almost ninety-nine percent of the country's total population. Among other peoples living in Japan there are quite a lot of Koreans, as well as Chinese. The vast majority profess Shintoism or Buddhism. The most densely populated are the shores Pacific Ocean. Almost eighty percent of Japanese live in major cities, eleven of which are cities with over a million people.
Industry of Japan
(On the assembly line, robots have practically replaced humans)
Japanese industry is almost entirely dependent on imported resources. IN Lately the country is forced to reduce the growth of energy-intensive and metal-intensive production, which depends on imported raw materials, focusing on the knowledge-intensive industry. However, both ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, mechanical engineering, automobile and shipbuilding, construction industry, energy, chemical and petrochemical, food and pulp and paper industries are well developed in Japan.
And, of course, Japan is one of the few countries where almost everywhere they are trying to replace people on assembly lines with industrial robots.
(Industrial plant in Japan)
The largest metallurgical centers, operating almost entirely on imported raw materials, are plants located in Osaka, Tokyo and Fuji. The scale of primary smelting of non-ferrous metals in Japan is gradually declining, but most of the plants located in the largest industrial centers still operate today.
Lightweight and food industry. The electric power industry predominantly uses imported raw materials. The predominant components in the Japanese raw material base are oil and natural gas, while the share of coal is decreasing, the role of hydro and nuclear energy. In the field of energy, sixty percent of its capacity comes from thermal power plants, and twenty-eight percent comes from atomic energy. Hydroelectric power stations are located in cascades on mountain rivers.
(Robots are busy assembling at a car factory)
Mechanical engineering is well developed in Japan. The leading sub-sectors are electrical engineering and electronics, the radio industry is very well developed, and transport engineering is growing rapidly. The country is a leader in the volume of construction of tankers and dry cargo ships. The main shipyards are located in the ports of Yokohama, Nagasaki, Kobe. Japan is also a consistent leader in automotive construction. Thirteen million cars roll off the assembly lines of Japanese factories every year.
(The city of Tokyo is partially powered by solar panels)
IN last years the country has begun to actively implement the so-called program “ Solar Light", which consists in the development of non-traditional energy sources. Among economically developed countries, Japan also ranks first in terms of the share of expenditures on the development of science and biotechnology.
Agriculture in Japan
(Unusual drawings in rice fields in Japan)
Agriculture contributes approximately two percent of the country's gross national product and remains one of the most important sectors of its economy. Six and a half percent of the population works in this area. Japanese agricultural production is mainly concentrated on food products. Japan provides seventy percent of its own food needs. Thirteen percent of the territory is allocated for agriculture. The leading role belongs to crop production, in particular the cultivation of rice and vegetables; gardening is widespread. Livestock farming is also developing at an intensive pace. Thus, in Japan, cattle and poultry are raised, and pig farming is developed.
(Fishing boat near the port of the Sea of Japan)
The exceptionally favorable location determines the abundance of fish and seafood dishes in the diet of every Japanese. Fishing is carried out in almost all areas of the World Ocean. Japan has an extensive fishing fleet of more than four hundred thousand vessels. In addition, the country owns over three thousand fishing ports.
"Agriculture in Japan"
Asia is the largest agricultural continent on Earth. Near the eastern coast of this huge continent stretches the ridge of the Japanese Islands - a tiny part of the Asian agricultural space with miniature plains along the coastline indented by capes and between high mountain ranges. Geographically small, agriculturally dwarfed, Japan faces a vast continent of peasants. In recent decades, Japan has been trying to learn from this confrontation and has made determined efforts to shift to industrial development. It seems that this country has become disillusioned with the possibilities for further development of its agriculture and is doing everything in order to achieve high industrialization and greater exports of manufactured goods as soon as possible.
It is believed that the history of Japanese agriculture goes back more than 2 thousand years. Residents of Japan remember the motto inherited from their ancestors: “Agriculture is the basis of the state.” The emperor himself is considered the first plowman who, to this day, personally plants rice seedlings in a tiny field near his palace. The technique of cultivating rice and other grains, as well as a number of vegetable crops, was imported into the country from China through Korea. Since those ancient times, rice, wheat, barley, millet, soya beans, radishes, cucumbers.
The land, rice fields, peasants, weather and the vicissitudes of the harvest play such a role in the consciousness and subconscious of a person, in traditions and worldview, as in Japan. Even today, agriculture, or more precisely the rice culture, forms the strong foundation of this growing empire in the Pacific region.
In terms of agricultural specialization, Japan differs markedly from others developed countries: the share of crop production is twice as large as the share of livestock production. But, despite this, the country does not have enough of its own grain; Japan is forced to import grain crops from its closest neighbors: China, Korea.
Pasture lands make up only 1.6% of the total area, although the reason for such a small size of pastures is not the poor climate of the country. The existing small pasture plots are gradually going out of use as imports of cheap meat and dairy products increase. In cities, abandoned arable lands are overgrown with forest.
The structure of agriculture has changed over the past decades and, although preference is given to the cultivation of rice - “Japanese bread,” to which about 50% of cultivated land is given, cattle breeding, vegetable gardening, and horticulture have also developed. Most of the non-arable land is forested - about 68%. So, forestry is an important part of the Japanese economy. Japan is an island country and must carefully use its natural resources: 41% of its forests are new forests.
Japanese agriculture also includes marine fishing and forestry. Fishing is developed in Japan; this is the traditional Japanese occupation of catching fish. Japan ranks first in the world in fishing (12 million tons). The main part of it is provided by sea and ocean fishing, but aquaculture plays a very significant role - over 1 million tons. Before the Second World War, the Japanese practically did not eat meat, so the only source animal proteins served as fish, and carbohydrates as rice.
In the modern world, the problem of a country's self-sufficiency in agricultural products is especially interesting, since it is directly related to dependence on other states.
The largest reorganization of agrarian relations began in 1946. According to the new laws on land reform, the state bought from the “absent landowners” all the lands they owned, and from the “cultivating landowners” - lands exceeding the area of 3 cho 1 chu = 0.992 hectares (in Hokkaido - more than 12 chu). From this land fund, plots of land were sold at fixed prices to peasant tenants. The maximum size of the plot that a peasant household could acquire as property was established: on average in the country no more than 3 te per household, in Hokkaido - up to 12 te. The institution of land lease was preserved, but maximum standards were established rent certainly in cash and not in kind. For the practical implementation of the reform at the local level, elected land committees were created. All transformations were allotted 2 years (according to the “first reform” plan - 5 years).
State encouragement of cooperation in agriculture has also become an integral element of agrarian reforms. Land reform radically changed the situation in the country's agriculture. Its main result was the formation of a large layer of peasant owners. They had to manage small-sized land areas. But although the bulk of farms (4630 thousand, which was about? total number households) owned plots of up to 1 hectare, the abolition of landowner exploitation increased the interest of peasants in the results of their labor, led to an increase in their income and created the opportunity to accumulate for production needs, opened the way to expanding production, improving its methods, increasing productivity, etc.
Radical changes in agriculture helped reduce the severity of the post-war problem of food shortages and contributed to accelerating the recovery of the devastated economy. Agrarian reform transformed the countryside from a constant source of social conflicts shaking the country into a factor of political stability.
In the period 1945 - 1960, positive changes occurred in the country's agriculture. After the land reform, life in the village began to improve quite quickly. High food prices in the first post-war years, depreciation of peasant debts due to inflation, and from the early 50s, increasing opportunities to earn additional income in the city led to rapid growth income of peasant families. This, in turn, allowed farmers to purchase more fertilizers, pesticides, mechanical aids, and also to diversify production.
Rice, of course, remained the main crop, but the production of vegetables and fruits, animal meat and poultry increased from year to year. In general, the Japanese diet has become more varied and nutritious.
Between 1960 and 1970, important changes took place in the Japanese countryside. a fairly rapid outflow began rural population to the cities. the rural population decreased to 24.7 million people. (23% of the total population).
The total number of peasant farms also decreased by approximately 900 thousand people. and amounted to about 5,160 thousand by 1973. Although the reduction in the number of farms occurred mainly due to the categories of small and tiny ones (with plots of up to 1 hectare), the latter still formed the basis of Japanese agriculture: in 1973 there were more than 3.5 million or 2/3 of the total number of yards.
The most striking consequences of the agrarian reform were manifested in a significant reduction in the scale of land rental. By the beginning of the 70s, there were almost no landless peasant tenants left in the village, and the number of farms resorting to rent had decreased to approximately 1 million (in 1950 there were more than 2 million).
The total volume of agricultural production increased by 1.5 times during the period under review. In the early 70s, more than 20% of its value came from livestock products, although the predominant position was still occupied by crop production (3/4 of production volume). Less than half of the sown area was now allocated to rice, and other grains, vegetables, fruit trees, industrial crops, etc. were grown on the remaining lands.
In the 60s, agricultural machinery (mini-tractors, combines) became relatively widespread in the village, but most agricultural operations were still carried out manually or using traction force. In general, Japan was far behind Western countries in terms of the level of mechanization of agricultural production.
At the same time, by the end of the 60s, it took one of the first places in the world in terms of consumption of chemical fertilizers. Thanks to the intensive use of fertilizers, pesticides, as well as improved agricultural production methods, Japanese peasants managed to significantly increase their productivity and in the late 60s the average yield of rice, sweet potatoes, onions, etc. Japan occupied one of the first places in the world. The financial situation of the peasants also improved. Stormy economic development allowed Japan to solve the problems it faced in the first post-war decades, eliminating the gap with the leading capitalist countries. From a moderately developed country with a predominance of light industry and agriculture, it has become one of the leading industrial powers in the world. The share of agriculture in GDP for 1957 -1973 decreased from 18.7% to 5.9%, and the share of industry increased noticeably. At the same time, the rapid economic growth of the economy has given rise to a number of major problems: lack of land and water, labor shortage, etc.
In 1970 - 1980, the situation in Japanese agriculture developed somewhat contradictorily. In the 80s, the level of technical equipment in agricultural production significantly increased. By the end of the decade, large livestock and poultry farms were almost completely mechanized, and the comprehensive mechanization of rice farming (from plowing the land and planting seedlings to harvesting and drying grain) was basically completed. Since the late 70s, equipment equipped with microprocessors began to appear in agriculture. Computers began to be used to regulate the atmosphere in greenhouse farms, to develop an optimal feeding regime for livestock, to analyze soils and determine rational rates for applying fertilizers.
However, in terms of labor productivity in agriculture, Japan lags significantly behind the United States and developed European countries. The reason for this is the predominance of small and tiny farms, which has remained since the post-war agrarian reform. Although by the beginning of the 90s the number of people employed in the agricultural sector had decreased to 4 million people. (in the mid-70s it was approximately 8 million people), the structure of peasant farms has undergone almost no changes: as before, 2/3 of farms had no more than 1 hectare of land, and on relatively large farms by Japanese standards, i.e. . having more than 3 hectares of land accounted for less than 4% of their total number. At the same time, the share of income from agriculture in the total income of peasant families has noticeably decreased: in the late 80s it was already less than 20%. Only about 15% of peasant households were engaged only in agriculture, the rest combined it with other types of activity. For a certain part of families, farming has become not so much a source of income, but rather a kind of hobby that brings pleasure from communicating with nature.
State assistance to agriculture played a major role in the development of the industry, both in conducting scientific research and in financing the transition of agriculture to an industrial basis. Protective government measures and restrictions on the import of cheap food created opportunities for introducing small-scale production to scientific and technological progress. At the same time, in the context of the internationalization of the Japanese economy and the transition to predominantly economic control levers in other sectors of the national economy, the protectionist agrarian policy of state support for small farms in the direction in which it was carried out became, to a certain extent, a brake on the further development of the industry, making it difficult the process of concentration of production and capital flow.
By 1990, the industry entered a period of transition. A certain stage of its development, which was characterized by greenhouse conditions of existence, capital- and material-intensive production, has ended.
There has already been some improvement in a number of production efficiency indicators. The tightening of reproduction conditions in connection with changes in the food control system and the deepening of the process of internationalization of the economy should have helped speed up these processes.
The situation with the young workforce in the industry also looked more encouraging than before, although young people continued to leave agriculture, but at the same time they came from other sectors of the economy. Often these were people from rural areas, and sometimes urban youth.
Due to high production costs on small farms, their products are uncompetitive in the domestic and world markets. Therefore, despite protective measures, Japan is the world's largest importer of food - in the early 90s it accounted for about 14% of the total volume of such imports in the capitalist world. Japan is especially dependent on the import of wheat, barley, soybeans, corn and sugar. In general, between 1975 and 1992 the country's level of food self-sufficiency decreased from 77% to 65%.
At the same time, through its own production, Japan meets its needs for rice by 100%, milk and dairy products by more than 80%, meat by 65%, and fruits by approximately 60%.
The rural population in 1997 decreased to 3.2 million people (4.7% of the total working population). In addition, by this time the aging of the rural population had become a serious social problem: the average age of almost 65% of all those living in rural areas had reached 60 years.
The presence of small-scale farming has become one of the main characteristics of modern Japanese agriculture. In 1998, the average size of cultivated agricultural area per farm was about 1.6 hectares. As a result, agricultural production in Japan is labor-intensive and productivity high. However, recently there has been a noticeable tendency towards the active introduction into agriculture of technologies characteristic of industrial business.
etc.................
Japan is one of the most developed economies in the world. In terms of GDP and industrial production, Japan ranks third among countries in the world, second only to the United States and China.
High technologies (electronics and robotics) are developed. Transport engineering is also developed, including automotive and shipbuilding, and machine tool manufacturing. The fishing fleet makes up 15% of the world's. Agriculture is subsidized by the state, but 55% of food (calorie equivalent) is imported. There is a network of expressways railways Shinkansen and expressways.
Banking, insurance, real estate, retail, transportation and telecommunications are the main sectors of the Japanese economy. Japan has great manufacturing potential and is home to some of the world's largest and most technologically advanced manufacturers of automobiles, electronic equipment, machine tools, steel and non-ferrous metals, ships, chemicals, textiles and food. Construction for a long time was one of the largest Japanese industries, thanks to multibillion-dollar government contracts in the private sector. japan industrial economy
Japan has high economic freedom, close government cooperation with manufacturers for economic growth, an emphasis on science and technology, and a strong work ethic. All this contributes to the development of the Japanese economy. The Japanese economy is characterized by the clustering of manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and banks into tight groups called "keiretsu" and relatively weak international competition in domestic markets. There are also many social rather than industrial arrangements, such as guarantees of lifetime employment in large corporations. Not so long ago Japanese politicians approved reforms that allowed companies to deviate from some regulations in an attempt to increase profits.
Japan is a country with a predominance of private enterprise and low taxes. The total amount of taxes is lower than in other large Western countries, in 2007 it was 26.4% of GDP. Only some Japanese employers pay income taxes, VAT is very low at 5%, while corporate taxes are high.
The largest Japanese companies include Toyota Motor, NTT DoCoMo, Canon, Honda, Takeda Pharmaceutical, Sony. Sony), Nippon Steel, Tepco, Mitsubishi Estate, and Seven & I Holding. It is home to the largest bank in the world by assets, Japan Post Bank ($3.2 trillion), as well as other banks such as Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (1 .2 trillion US dollars), Mizuho Financial Group ($1.4 trillion) and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group ($1.3 trillion). As of December 2006, the Tokyo Stock Exchange, with a market capitalization of over ¥549.7 trillion, is the second largest in the world.
The tiny agricultural sector is heavily subsidized and protected, so Japan's yields are the highest in the world. Japan is self-sufficient in rice, but imports approximately 60% of its food (measured by calorie intake). Japan's agricultural land makes up about 13% of its territory. More than half of these lands are flooded fields used for rice growing.
Japan has one of the world's largest fishing fleets, accounting for almost 15% of the world's catch.
Government spending boosted the economy and helped Japan recover from the crisis in late 2009 and into 2010. The government proposed opening up the agricultural and service sectors to more foreign competition and encouraged exports through free trade agreements. At the same time, discussions continue in Japanese society on the issue of restructuring the economy and financing new programs to stimulate the economy in the face of difficult times. financial situation countries. Japan's huge public debt, which exceeds 200% of GDP, persistent deflation, instability of exports to stimulate economic growth, and an aging and declining population are the main long-term problems for the Japanese economy.
Agriculture of Japan According to its structure, Japanese agriculture should be classified as diversified. It is based on agriculture, mainly the cultivation of rice and other grain crops, industrial crops and tea. Significant role Horticulture, market gardening, sericulture and animal husbandry play a role. In Japan, agriculture also includes forestry, fishing and marine activities. The country's cultivated area is 5.4 million hectares, and the sown area exceeds it due to the fact that in a number of areas 2-3 crops are harvested per year. More than half of the sown area is occupied by grains, about 25% by vegetables, the rest is occupied by forage grasses, industrial crops and mulberry trees. Rice occupies a dominant position in agriculture. At the same time, there is a decrease in wheat and barley harvests (low profitability and import competition). Vegetable growing mainly develops in the suburbs. As a rule, year-round in greenhouse soil. Sugar beets are cultivated in Hokkaido, and sugar cane in the south. Tea, citrus fruits, apples, pears, plums, peaches, persimmons (endemic to Japan), grapes, chestnuts, watermelons, melons, and pineapples in greenhouses are also grown. In southwest Honshu, large areas are devoted to strawberries. Livestock farming began to actively develop only after World War II. Herd of large cattle reaches 5 million heads (half are dairy cows). Pig farming is developing in the southern regions (about 7 million heads). The center of livestock farming is the north of the country - the island of Hokkaido, where special farms and cooperatives are created. A peculiarity of Japanese livestock farming is that it is based on imported feed (a lot of corn is imported). Own production provides no more than 1/3 of feed. The country's forest area is about 25 million hectares. Historically, more than half of the forests are privately owned (including bamboo plantations). Most forest owners are small peasants with up to 1 hectare. forests. Large forest owners include members of the imperial family, monasteries, and temples that own the highest quality forests. Fishing is characterized by the dominance of large monopolistic companies. The main fishing objects include herring, cod, salmon, flounder, tuna, halibut, shark, saury, sardine, etc. Sea kale and shellfish are also caught. Japan's fishing fleet numbers several hundred thousand vessels (mostly small ones). About 1/3 of the catch comes from waters in the Hokkaido region. An important fishing area is the northeastern coast of Honshu. Aquaculture has become widespread: artificial breeding fish in lagoons, mountain lakes and rice fields and breeding pearl mussels.
Climate Features
The determining influence on the way of life of the population is exerted by geographical location countries. Japan is an island state. Nature has decreed that three climatic zones are arranged in a very limited area: the sea coast, lowland areas and mountainous areas. Japanese agriculture was formed and developed under these conditions. The country is located in a temperate climate zone, which is characterized by high humidity, which is explained by the proximity of the ocean. Due to this, intensive growth of vegetation takes place here. Or - as biologists put it - biomass.
Landscape specifics
The country lacks natural pastures, which are typical for many continental regions. All areas suitable for these purposes in as soon as possible overgrown with bushes and then trees. It is very difficult to artificially maintain pastures and pastures in working condition. Such activities require significant labor costs. This explains the fact that Japanese agriculture does not have developed livestock farming. Over a long historical period, the people living here have developed a special diet. The need for proteins is satisfied through seafood.
Japanese agriculture is based on small-scale production farming. It has long been estimated that total area The country's agricultural land is very modest when compared with Argentina or China. So, in 2000 it was six million hectares. Typical peasant farm cultivates (approximately) 1 ha. The main focus is on rice cultivation. Almost three quarters of farms are engaged in the production of this product. It is grown in irrigated fields. It should be noted that its yield is very high and reaches fifty centners per hectare.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, the country finally entered the world community of developed countries. And Japanese agriculture began to intensively absorb the experience of developed countries. A variety of plants began to be imported here - from fruit trees to vegetables. All effective techniques and technologies were applied strictly according to instructions. New professions have appeared in agriculture. However, the vast majority of innovations did not take root in local conditions. Fruit trees either began to rot or were completely destroyed by insects. At the same time, significant changes have occurred in methods of land cultivation and seed selection.
Integration into the global market
For many centuries, the selection of the most productive varieties of rice took place here. Modern information Technology in agriculture they put this process on a systematic basis. Today, every peasant has the opportunity to use the seeds most suitable for his plot. The level of mechanization of soil cultivation is very high. Experts note that the widespread use of mechanisms significantly increases the cost of agricultural products. At the same time, the country provides itself with food only 75%. The missing volumes are supplied from abroad.
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