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Japan presentation — Document Transcript
* 1. GENERAL INFORMATION • Full name: Japan • Flag: • Population: 126.9 million (UN, 2010) • Capital: Tokyo • Major language: Japanese. Some English is spoken in Tokyo and other large cities but is less usual in rural areas. • Major religions: Shintoism and Buddhism (most Japanese follow both religions, although religion does not play a major everydayrole in most Japanese lives, with frequent temple visits being more usually attributed to tourism). There is a Christian minority. (it is known as Hinomaru, 日の丸, • Time: GMT + 9 (if it’s midnight here, it’s "sun disc")the white part stands for 8am in Japan: when you go to sleep, they peace and honesty, the red one for are going to work!). hardiness, bravery, strength and valour) • Monetary unit:yen • Economy: Japan has the worlds third-largest economy (main exports: vehicles, computer parts, chemicals, scientific instruments and watches) • International dialling code: +81 (if you want to call to Japan) • Government: constitutional monarchy. Yukio Hatoyama • Head of state: Emperor Akihito (he succeeded his father, Hirohito, in 1989. Under the 1947 constitution, Japans emperors have apurely ceremonial role). • Prime minister: Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama since 2009.Emperor Akihito and his wife
* 2. GEOGRAPHY AND WEATHER Japan is situated in the PACIFIC OCEAN. Japans "mainland" consists of four primary islands: Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. HOKKAIDO is in the northeast and the home of the islands capital city of Sapporo.SHIKOKU and KYUSHU are in the south HONSHU isthe largest island and is(Kyushu is in the extreme southwest economically and culturally the mostand Shikoku is to its east). Besides important of the four major islands, thethese four islands, Japan includes Japanese core area which includes Tokyo and2,000 additional smaller islands. Osaka-Kyoto. Honshu is the worlds seventh largest island. Except for the Hokkaido area and the subtropical Okinawaregion, the weather in Japan is mostly TEMPERATE, with FOUR SEASONS. Winters are cool and sunny in the south, cold and sunny around Tokyo (which occasionally has snow), and very cold around Hokkaido, which is covered in SNOW for up to four months a year. Summer, between June and September, ranges from warm to very hot, while spring and autumn are generally mild throughout the country. RAIN fallsthroughout the year but June and early July is the main rainy season. Hokkaido, however, is much drierMuch of the archipelago is MOUNTAINOUS and than the Tokyo area. Rainfall isonly a small percentage of land is available for intermittent with sunshine.agriculture and development. Thus large areas TYPHOONS are only likely to occurremain forested while TOWNS AND CITIES tend in September or Octoberbut rarelyto be densely populated. last more than a day.The climate varies from one island to another.
* 3. HISTORYIn the FEUDAL ERA (12th-19th century), a new ruling class ofwarriors emerged: the SAMURAI (not to be confused with theNINJAS who did not have rules of honour as strict as thesamurai). One of the most famous and successful samurai, ODANOBUNAGA, conquered numerous other warlords andhadALMOST UNIFIED JAPAN when he was assassinated in 1582.TOYOTOMI HIDEYOSHI succeeded him and UNITED THE LAND in1590 but OPEN WAR broke out following his death. Toyotomi Hideyoshi TOKUGAWA IEYASU defeated all rival clans in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 and was appointed SHOGUN (= ruler of Japan). The Tokugawa shogunate began the ISOLATIONIST SAKOKU (= locked country) POLICY that spanned thetwo and a half centuries of tenuous political unity known as the EDO PERIOD. Tokugawa IeyasuIn 1854, the US Navy forced the opening of Japan to the outsideworld. Ensuing economic and political crises led to the BOSHINWAR and the establishment of a CENTRALIZED STATE unifiedunder the name of the EMPEROR (MEIJI RESTORATION). Emperor Kōmei The Meiji Restoration transformed Japan into an INDUSTRIALIZED...