Japan: history, culture, and society

¶ … Economic activity in Japan [...] classification, categories, and types of economic activity in Japan. Japan's economy is one of the world's strongest economies, and it can influence other economies around the world. It is an industrial economy based on high technology and manufacturing. This is primarily because of geographical factors that limit the area that can effectively be farmed.

Japan's agricultural industries are not as prevalent as many others in the world, but what they do have they utilize quite effectively. The Japanese import large amounts of wheat, sorghum, and soybeans, but they grow enough rice to feed their people with a small surplus, and they also are beginning to export specialty agricultural items such as Kobe beef. Other agricultural industries in the country include fishing and poultry production. Rice is so important to the Japanese that in ancient times, it was used as money, and it still plays an important part in their culture and everyday lives. Because of this, rice is their biggest agricultural product, but fishing is also important, with significant amounts of salmon, tuna, and various other fish and shellfish harvested and used nationally or exported. They also fish many fresh-water areas throughout the island, making the most of the resources they have and can access.

Agriculture only makes up about 2% of the economy in Japan. However, the Japanese are extremely inventive when it comes to maximizing their small percentage of arable land into productive agricultural land. According to Wikipedia, only 15% of the land in Japan is actually suitable for agriculture, and they are the largest market for agricultural imports from the United States (Wikipedia). However, they utilize their land so efficiently that what they concentrate on, they produce effectively, such as rice, a main staple of their diet. Wikipedia notes, "Japan maintains an overall agricultural self-sufficiency rate of about 50% on fewer than 56,000 km cultivated (14 million acres)" (Wikipedia, 2004). Some of the biggest commercial agriculture operations include rice growing, fishing, and livestock production. There are still many small farms in the country, but they contribute far less to the overall economy than manufacturing and industry.

Japanese resources, like their land itself, are less prevalent than in many larger nations. They are dependent on other nations for many of their non-renewable resources, such as oil. However, they do produce coal, crude oil, and natural gas, and their crude oil production has risen from 509,921 kl in 1980 to 760,329 kl in 2001. However, natural gas production has remained rather static, and coal production has dropped dramatically (Yearbook, 2003). Japan has learned not to rely on non-renewable resources to produce energy. Nearly half of their energy comes from nuclear power plants, and they rely heavily on hydroelectric power, too. Their renewable resources include fish and shellfish, their agricultural production, and geothermal and solar energy resources, which they are developing to reduce their dependence on foreign oil and non-renewable energy resources.

The major manufacturing regions in Japan are mainly congregated along the coast and in the largest cities, such as Tokyo and Yokohama, Osaka, Kobe, and Nagoya. This makes sense economically and geographically, as there is little room for expansion on the islands that make up Japan, and so their manufacturing is centered where there is room, and where the greatest number of people live. Some of the major industries in Japan include machinery production, automobiles, ships, and steel. After the 1980s, high technology took over, including electrical goods and electronic appliances. Technology is still one of the largest industries in Japan, which can be costly in terms of economic diversity. When a country relies so heavily on one type of industry, that is largely exported, it runs the risk of economic peaks and valleys, and Japan's history is full of economic difficulties.

The geographical factors in Japan certainly contribute to the country's economy. Japan is a small island roughly the size of the State of Montana, with nearly half the population of the United States. There is little room for large-scale agricultural and natural resource development, so they must rely on foreign imports for much of their day-to-day needs. However, the Japanese understand how to make the most of the resources they have. For example, the Japanese fishing industry is a major source of economic revenue and trade. Since the country has little land to exploit for economic value, they turn to the vast ocean surrounding them to help bolster their economy. Japan is a mountainous country that limits a variety of activities, including agriculture and industry. They are also a populous country, which gives them a good labor base, and congregates industry in large cities where there is a bigger labor force to fill jobs. Because the country is small, with fewer natural resources to rely on, Japan's economy has gotten a boost from technology and manufacturing, rather than more geographical factors that a large country like the United States can rely on. Japan does not have the economic geography available to them, so they have created other forms of industry to benefit and add to their economy.

Japan is one of the most developed and industrial nations on Earth. The history of their economy is filled with hills and valleys, but the Japanese people have learned to bounce back, and to exploit the positive aspects of their land and their resources. They are certainly underdeveloped in natural resources and agriculture, because so little of their land is arable and habitable. Yet, they have created a thriving economy by utilizing their strengths while playing down their weaknesses. Their development in technology is first rate, and their contribution to the world because of this is outstanding and practically immeasurable. The electronics industry really flourished in Japan since they first developed the transistor in the 1960s, and their technological development is legendary. However, Japan is underdeveloped in many areas of local and national economy, and is quite dependent on the imports of vital materials, and the exports of their production. When other nations' economies falter, so does the economy of Japan, and for this reason, it is still underdeveloped in many areas. Therefore, Japan is a highly developed country in many areas, but their economy is still underdeveloped in several key areas, making Japan vulnerable to the economic quirks of the world. They must develop more ways of diversifying their economy even further, and cut their reliance on importation of some necessary resources. Japan has limited resources and land area to be sure, and this keeps Japan from developing her economy in many ways, but there are other areas that can be harnessed and utilized, and Japan must develop even more to avoid further hills and valleys in their economic health.