By Mr. Chuck Gastel

Continent: Asia Location: N, E Area: 377,915 sq km 62nd largest country of the world Climate: Varies (Temperate in the north to tropical in the south) Terrain: Mostly rugged and mountainous

Five largest cities of Japan and their population: 1. Tokyo, population 8.95 million 2. Yokohama, population 3.69 million 3. Osaka, population 2.67 million 4. Nagoya, population 2.26 million 5. Sapporo, population 1.91 million

Ethnic Groups Japanese:98.5% Korean: 0.5% Chinese: 0.4% Other: 0.6% Population: 127,368,088 (July 2012 est.) Language(s) spoken: Japanese

Religion(s): Shintoism:83.9% Buddhism:71.4% Christianity: 02.0% Other: 7.8% Note: total adherents exceeds 100% because many people belong to both Shintoism and Buddhism (2005)

Style of Government: Parliamentary government with a constitutional monarchy Head of State: Emperor (Akihito) Head of Government: Prime Minister (Yoshihiko Noda) Legislature: Diet consists of House of Councilors and House of Representatives Suffrage: Universal at 20 years of age

Economic System: Capitalism (free trade) Basic unit of money: yen Exchange rate: yen/dollar Leading Export: motor vehicles Leading Import: petroleum

To determine how successful Japan is, I will compare Japan against the United States on several different social, economic, and political criteria, and then present a summary along with my personal conclusion on the question of “Is Japan Successful?”

Literacy Rate is a measure of the percentage of a nation’s population above the age of 15 who can read and write proficiently. I chose to use literacy rate as a criteria because the ability to communicate via reading and writing is of incredible importance. It is the building block which all knowledge is built.

Japan Male: 99% Female:99% School life expectancy Total:15 years Male:15 years Female15 years America Male:99% Female 99% School life expectancy Total:16 years Male:15 years Female:17 years

Life Expectancy at Birth is a measure of the average lifespan of someone born in that country. It differs for men and women, and is influenced by factors such as healthcare and crime rates. I used Life Expectancy at Birth as a comparison criterion to illustrate that successful nations have longer living citizens.

Japan Total Population: (3 rd ) Male:80.57 years Female: years United States Total Population: years (50 th ) Male:76.05 years Female:81.05 years

Unemployment is a measure of the number of citizens in a population who are currently looking for a job, but have been unsuccessful. I chose to use unemployment as a criteria because I think it is an important way to tell how successful a country is. The most successful countries will have lower unemployment rates.

Japan Total:4.8% (46) Youth (15-24) Male:10.1% Female:8% Total:9.1% United States Total:9.1% (105) Youth (15-24) Male:20.1% Female:14.9% Total:17.6% (66)

GDP is a measure of all goods and services produced or provided by a nation’s citizens. I chose to use GDP because I wanted to determine the average per capita income for Japan and compare that to the average income for America. I also looked at the percentage of the population living below what is considered poverty level.

Japan Per capita: $34,300 (37) Population below Poverty level:16% United States Per capita: $48,100 (12) Population below poverty level:15.1%

Population growth is a measure of the overall growth or decline of a nation’s population. It is a compilation of birth rate, (number of births per 1,000 citizens) mortality rate, (number of deaths per 1,000 citizens) and the fertility rate. (average number of births per woman of child bearing age) I chose population growth as a criteria do determine whether Japan’s society is growing or declining. I assumed that successful societies would be expanding, but the data doesn’t support my assumption.

Japan Birth rate: 8.39 births/1000 (216) Death rate: 9.15 deaths/1000 (63) Total fertility rate: 1.39 children born/woman (202) United States Birth rate: births/1000 (146) Death rate: 8.39 deaths/1000 (87) Total fertility rate: 2.o6 children born/woman (122)

In learning about how to measure the success of a nation I discovered that Japan is ahead of the United States in several categories aside from the ones I selected for my presentation such as: crime rates, inflation, and infant mortality. When considered with the data I present concerning life expectancy, literacy rates, and unemployment it is hard not to consider Japan as a successful country. Japanese citizens can look to live longer, fuller lives with gainful employment and less worry about violent crimes.

unknown. (2012). Japan. unknown: WikiMedia. Retrieved from unknown. (2012). The world factbook: Japan. Washington D.C.: Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved from world-factbook/geos/us.htmlhttps:// world-factbook/geos/us.html unknown. (2012). The world factbook: United States. Washington D.C.: Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved from world-factbook/geos/us.htmlhttps:// world-factbook/geos/us.html