Japan

Japan: the basics Area Population constitutional monarchy Germany < Japan < California Population 127 million (> 3 times California’s) life expectancy: 84 (88 for female) 1/4 are 65 or older constitutional monarchy

Japan in history Oldest continuous monarchy feudal rule under shogun (1192 - 1867) U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry forced Japan to open to trade (1853) Meiji Restoration (1868) centralized government under Emperor industrialization and trade

Japan in World War II Invasion and annexation of Northeast China (Manchuria) (1931-1932) full-scale aggression in China (1937-1940) alliance with Nazi and fascists (1940) Pacific War (1941-1945) every country and colony in East and Southeast Asia was invaded

The Occupation 1945 - 1952 Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers (SCAP) - General Douglas MacArthur Two main tasks: demilitarization democratization

Demilitarization Purged almost all wartime officers and politicians Disbanded almost all militaristic associations and parties Prosecuted almost all war criminals The issue of Yasukuni Shrine Dismantled almost all war industries

War Criminals Yasukuni Shrine was built in Meiji 2 (1869) Japan’s Pacific War criminals have been worshiped in it since 1978 Strong protests from other Asian countries

The "Peace Clause" Article 9 in the 1947 constitution: “the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes “land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained”

Korean War (1950 - 1953) Economic turning point for Japan: war supplies to Korea industrial resurgence foreign currency 1945 - 1950 growth rate: 9.4% 1950 - 1955 growth rate: 10.9% 1952 Japan’s GDP matched prewar high

Korean War (1950 - 1953) Political turning point for Japan U.S. started to regard Japan as a vital link in the “arc of containment” against communism Demilitarization gave way to reconstituting a military force Self-Defense Force

U.S. Strategic Change General peace treaty in San Francisco in September 1951 China and Soviet Union were excluded formally ended the Occupation in 1952 U.S.-Japan Mutual Security Treaty U.S. troops and military base in Japan

“Arc of Containment”

Japan’s Economic Growth

High Growth of 1955-1962 Large investment in heavy industry Imports of energy and raw materials Government’s economic goals: achieve economic self-sufficiency achieve full employment improve export competitiveness keep domestic demand high

High Growth of 1963-1973 Government’s “doubling income” plan Large-scale infrastructure construction Labor-intensive to capital-intensive Technological improvement and facility modernization under government protection Aggressive export strategy Businesses compete with foreign counterparts under government protection

Bubble burst

More shocks in 1990s Large and rising government deficit and public debt (now more than 200% of GDP) Aging population (median age now at 46) Banking crises and non-performing loans Asian financial crisis (1997-1998) “Hollowing out” of industry Natural disasters and terrorist attacks

Japan’s trade partners 2012

Japanese Ties to Mississippi Japanese foreign direct investment creates more jobs in Mississippi than FDI from any other country. Approximately 9,700 Mississippians are employed by Japanese companies. More than 650 Japanese citizens live in Mississippi. Major Japanese corporations across Miss.