Japan is a modern, thriving democracy, yet it retained a long and esteemed imperial tradition. Japan is a rich country, ranking first among major industrial nations in per capita gross national product, but many of its people are crowded into inadequate housing lacking such basic facilities such as indoor plumbing. .

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             Japan consists of the four main islands of Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, along with a division of smaller islands, and is separated from the Asian mainland by the Sea of Japan and bordered on the east by the Pacific Ocean. Nearly mountains cover 75 percent of the country"s land surface. .

             Located in eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan and east of the Korean Peninsula. The geographic coordinates of Japan are 36 00 N, 138 00 E. The Physical size of Japan in total sq. km is 377,835 sq. km and the land taken up by Japan is 374,744 sq. km. With a coastline of 29,751 km. The area comparative of Japan is slightly smaller than California.

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             The total population of Japan is 125,931,533 people as of July 1998 EST., yielding an overall population density of about 333 per sq. km (about 863 per sq. mi.). About 78 percent of the people live in urban areas. The majority of adults living in Japan over the total population is 69% being from 15-64 years in age. With 43,486,840 in males and 43,135,979 in females. .

             The climate in Japan, although generally humid, ranges from cool in the north to subtropical in the south. Compared to Canada it is quite similar being that the northern front of Canada is cold with tundra. But the central division of Canada where the prairies are located is warm and is used for agriculture. The crops grown in Japan are rice, wheat, and barley in the autumn with sweet potatoes and vegetables. Inter cropping is also common being that some such crops are alternated with beans and peas. The main crops grown in Japan are rice, where farmers have become mass producers of rice producing 14 million tons of rice in 1980.