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5 definitions found
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Japan \Ja*pan"\ (j[.a]*p[a^]n"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Japanned}
(j[.a]*p[a^]nd"); p. pr. & vb. n. {Japanning}.]
[1913 Webster]
1. To cover with a coat of hard, brilliant varnish, in the
manner of the Japanese; to lacquer.
[1913 Webster]
2. To give a glossy black to, as shoes. [R.] --Gay.
[1913 Webster]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Japan \Ja*pan"\ (j[.a]*p[a^]n"), n. [From Japan, the country.]
Work varnished and figured in the Japanese manner; also, the
varnish or lacquer used in japanning.
[1913 Webster]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Japan \Ja*pan"\, a.
Of or pertaining to Japan, or to the lacquered work of that
country; as, Japan ware.
[1913 Webster]
{Japan allspice} (Bot.), a spiny shrub from Japan
({Chimonanthus fragrans}), related to the Carolina
allspice.
{Japan black} (Chem.), a quickly drying black lacquer or
varnish, consisting essentially of asphaltum dissolved in
naphtha or turpentine, and used for coating ironwork; --
called also {Brunswick black}, {Japan lacquer}, or simply
{Japan}.
{Japan camphor}, ordinary camphor brought from China or
Japan, as distinguished from the rare variety called
{borneol} or {Borneo camphor}.
{Japan clover}, or {Japan pea} (Bot.), a cloverlike plant
({Lespedeza striata}) from Eastern Asia, useful for
fodder, first noticed in the Southern United States about
1860, but now become very common. During the Civil War it
was called variously {Yankee clover} and {Rebel clover}.
{Japan earth}. See {Catechu}.
{Japan ink}, a kind of writing ink, of a deep, glossy black
when dry.
{Japan varnish}, a varnish prepared from the milky juice of
the {Rhus vernix}, a small Japanese tree related to the
poison sumac.
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
Japan
n 1: a string of more than 3,000 islands east of Asia extending
1,300 miles between the Sea of Japan and the western
Pacific Ocean [syn: {Japanese Islands}, {Japanese
Archipelago}]
2: a constitutional monarchy occupying the Japanese
Archipelago; a world leader in electronics and automobile
manufacture and ship building [syn: {Nippon}, {Nihon}]
3: lacquerware decorated and varnished in the Japanese manner
with a glossy durable black lacquer
4: lacquer with a durable glossy black finish, originally from
the orient
v : coat with a lacquer, as done in Japan
From CIA World Factbook 2002 [world02]:
Japan
Introduction Japan
------------------
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.
Geography Japan
---------------
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
note: includes Bonin Islands
(Ogasawara-gunto), Daito-shoto,
Minami-jima, Okino-tori-shima,
Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto), and
Volcano Islands (Kazan-retto)
water: 3,091 sq km
land: 374,744 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than California
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 29,751 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 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
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
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: 12.13%
permanent crops: 1.01%
other: 86.86% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 26,790 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: many dormant and some active
volcanoes; about 1,500 seismic
occurrences (mostly tremors) every
year; tsunamis; typhoons
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 party to: Antarctic-Environmental
agreements: Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living
Resources, Antarctic Seals,
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
People Japan
------------
Population: 126,974,628 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 14.5% (male 9,465,282;
female 8,999,888)
15-64 years: 67.5% (male 43,027,320;
female 42,586,112)
65 years and over: 18% (male
9,664,112; female 13,231,914) (2002
est.)
Population growth rate: 0.15% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 10.03 births/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Death rate: 8.53 deaths/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002
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: 0.73 male(s)/
female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/
female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 3.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2002
est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 80.91 years
female: 84.25 years (2002 est.)
male: 77.73 years
Total fertility rate: 1.42 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.02% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ 10,000 (1999 est.)
AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 150 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Japanese (singular and plural)
adjective: Japanese
Ethnic groups: Japanese 99%, others 1% (Korean
511,262, Chinese 244,241, Brazilian
182,232, Filipino 89,851, other
237,914) (2000)
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%
Government Japan
----------------
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Japan
Government type: constitutional monarchy with a
parliamentary government
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 Emperor AKIHITO, 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)
note: following the resignation of
Prime Minister Yoshiro MORI,
Junichiro KOIZUMI was elected as the
new president of the majority
Liberal Democratic Party, and soon
thereafter designated by the Diet to
become the next 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
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the
prime minister
head of government: Prime Minister
Junichiro KOIZUMI (since 24 April
2001)
Legislative branch: bicameral Diet or Kokkai consists of
the House of Councillors or Sangi-in
(247 seats - formerly 252; one-half
of the members elected every three
years - 73 seats of which are
elected from the 47 multi-seat
prefectural districts and 48 of
which are elected from a single
nationwide list; members elected by
popular vote to serve six-year
terms) and the House of
Representatives or Shugi-in (480
seats - 180 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)
election results: House of
Councillors - percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party - LDP
110, DPJ 59, Komeito 23, JCP 20, SDP
8, Liberal Party 8, Conservative
Party 5, independents 14; note - the
distribution of seats as of January
2002 is: LDP 115, DPJ 60, Komeito
24, JCP 20, SDP 8, Liberal Party 8,
independents 6, others 6; House of
Representatives - percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party - LDP
233, DPJ 127, Komeito 31, Liberal
Party 22, JCP 20, SDP 19, other 28;
note - the distribution of seats as
of January 2002 is: LDP 242, DPJ
126, Komeito 31, Liberal Party 22,
JCP 20, SDP 19, NCP 7, other 13
elections: House of Councillors -
last held 29 July 2001 (next to be
held NA July 2004); House of
Representatives - last held 25 June
2000 (next must be held by June
2004, but may occur sooner)
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, Naoto KAN,
secretary general]; Japan Communist
Party or JCP [Tetsuzo FUWA,
chairman, Tadayeshi ICHIDA,
secretary general]; Komeito
[Takenori KANZAKI, president,
Tetsuzo FUYUSHIBA, secretary
general]; Liberal Democratic Party
or LDP [Junichiro KOIZUMI,
president, Taku YAMASAKI, secretary
general]; Liberal Party [Ichiro
OZAWA, president, Hirohisa FUJII,
secretary general]; New Conservative
Party or NCP [Takeshi NODA,
president, Toshihiro NIKAI,
secretary general]; Social
Democratic Party or SDP [Takako DOI,
chairperson, Mizuho FUKUSHIMA,
secretary general]
Political pressure groups and NA
leaders:
International organization AfDB, APEC, ARF (dialogue partner),
participation: AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner),
Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE
(observer), CERN (observer), CP,
EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, G- 5, G- 7, G- 8,
G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (guest),
NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD,
OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN,
UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UNITAR, UNMOVIC, UNRWA, UNU, UPU,
WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,
WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Ryozo
KATO
FAX: [1] (202) 328-2187
consulate(s): Saipan (Northern
Mariana Islands)
consulate(s) general: Anchorage,
Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver,
Detroit, Hagatna (Guam), Honolulu,
Houston, Kansas City (Missouri), Los
Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New
York, Portland (Oregon), San
Francisco, and Seattle
chancery: 2520 Massachusetts Avenue
NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 238-6700
Diplomatic representation from the chief of mission: Ambassador Howard
US: H. BAKER, Jr.
embassy: 1-10-5 Akasaka, Minato-ku,
Tokyo 107-8420
mailing address: Unit 45004, Box
205, APO AP 96337-5004
telephone: [81] (03) 3224-5000
FAX: [81] (03) 3505-1862
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
Economy Japan
-------------
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 the 1990s
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. Government
efforts to revive economic growth
have met with little success and
were further hampered in 2000-01 by
the slowing of the US and Asian
economies. 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 - $3.45
trillion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: -0.3% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $27,200
(2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 2%
industry: 36%
services: 62% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: 4.8%
percentage share: highest 10%: 21.7% (1993)
Distribution of family income - Gini 24.9 (1993)
index:
Inflation rate (consumer prices): -0.6% (2001 est.)
Labor force: 67.7 million (December 2000)
Labor force - by occupation: services 65%, industry 30%,
agriculture 5%
Unemployment rate: 4.9% (2001)
Budget: revenues: $441 billion
expenditures: $718 billion,
including capital expenditures
(public works only) of about $84
billion (FY01/02 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: -8.3% (2001 est.)
Electricity - production: 1.015 trillion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 60.69%
hydro: 8.54%
other: 1.82% (2000)
nuclear: 28.95%
Electricity - consumption: 943.71 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: rice, sugar beets, vegetables,
fruit; pork, poultry, dairy
products, eggs; fish
Exports: $404.6 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Exports - commodities: motor vehicles, semiconductors,
office machinery, chemicals
Exports - partners: US 29.7%, Taiwan 7.5%, South Korea
6.4%, China 6.3%, Hong Kong 5.7%
(2000 est.)
Imports: $331.6 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Imports - commodities: fuels, foodstuffs, chemicals,
textiles, office machinery
Imports - partners: US 19%, China 14.5%, South Korea
5.4%, Taiwan 4.7%, Indonesia 4.3%,
Australia 3.9% (2000 est.)
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid - donor: ODA, $9.1 billion (1999)
Currency: yen (JPY)
Currency code: JPY
Exchange rates: yen per US dollar - 132.66 (January
2002), 121.53 (2001), 107.77 (2000),
113.91 (1999), 130.91 (1998), 120.99
(1997)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Communications Japan
--------------------
Telephones - main lines in use: 60.381 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 63.88 million (2000)
Telephone system: general assessment: excellent
domestic and international service
domestic: high level of modern
technology and excellent service of
every kind
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) (1999)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 215 plus 370 repeaters, FM 89
plus 485 repeaters, shortwave 21
(2001)
Radios: 120.5 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 211 plus 7,341 repeaters
note: in addition, US Forces are
served by 3 TV stations and 2 TV
cable services (1999)
Televisions: 86.5 million (1997)
Internet country code: .jp
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 73 (2000)
Internet users: 47.08 million (2001)
Transportation Japan
--------------------
Railways: total: 23,654 km (15,895 km
electrified)
standard gauge: 3,059 km 1.435-
m gauge (entirely electrified)
narrow gauge: 77 km 1.372-m gauge
(entirely electrified); 20,491 km
1.067-m gauge (12,732 km
electrified); 27 km 0.762-m gauge
(entirely electrified) (2000)
Highways: total: 1,152,207 km
paved: 863,003 km (including 6,114
km of expressways)
unpaved: 289,204 km (1997 est.)
Waterways: 1,770 km approximately
note: 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: 615 ships (1,000 GRT or over)
totaling 10,995,839 GRT/14,405,159
DWT
note: includes some foreign-owned
ships registered here as a flag of
convenience: China 1, Panama 1,
Singapore 1 (2002 est.)
ships by type: bulk 133, cargo 48,
chemical tanker 17, combination bulk
24, combination ore/oil 3, container
19, liquefied gas 50, passenger 9,
passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker
189, refrigerated cargo 13, roll on/
roll off 48, short-sea passenger 6,
vehicle carrier 54
Airports: 173 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 142
over 3,047 m: 7
2,438 to 3,047 m: 37
914 to 1,523 m: 30
under 914 m: 31 (2001)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 37
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 31
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 27 (2001)
Heliports: 16 (2001)
Military Japan
--------------
Military branches: Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
(Army), Japan Maritime Self-Defense
Force (Navy), Japan Air Self-Defense
Force (Air Force), Japanese Coast
Guard
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 29,644,498 (2002
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military males age 15-49: 25,637,387 (2002
service: est.)
Military manpower - reaching males: 765,817 (2002 est.)
military age annually:
Military expenditures - dollar $40,774.3 million (FY01)
figure:
Military expenditures - percent of 1% (FY01)
GDP:
Transnational Issues Japan
--------------------------
Disputes - international: islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, and
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 Islands (Diaoyu
Tai) claimed by China and Taiwan
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