JAPAN

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JAPAN
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GEOGRAPHIC DISADVANTAGES OF JAPAN

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•       Lacks important resources minerals and
  fossil fuels
•       Environmental hazards convergence of
  three tectonic plates (earthquakes, volcanoes),
  also tsunamis (large sea waves induced by
  earthquakes)
•       Extremely high physiologic density (the
  number of people per unit of arable land)
  mountainous
•       In the 1800s, located far from other
  industrialized core areas

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Overcoming Disadvantages

•       Colonization (late 1800s early 1900s),
  Trade (mid 20th century present)
•       Research on earthquake proofing
•       Efficient agriculture, terraced
  agriculture, fishing
•       Pursued its own distinctive policy of
  modernization and industrialization (beginning
  with the Meiji restoration) financed
  internally, advice from the West

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CHARACTERISTICS OF TRADITIONAL JAPANESE SOCIETY

•       Migration from mainland Asia, 8,000 years
  ago?
•       A religious practice called Shintoism
  (involving worship of nature spirits evolved),
  later incorporating Buddhism (Zen)
•       Societies ruled by divine emperors and
  shoguns (military advisors)
•       Around 1600, Japan expelled all
  foreigners, prohibited most travel and trade

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Meiji Restoration (1868 1912)

• new government accomplished modernization and
  industrialization of Japanese society in ½
  century
• created centralized government
• moved capital to Tokyo
• universal education
• railroad system
• modernized military

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Meiji Restoration, cont.

• adopted western methods of industrial production
  and textile processing
• sent students abroad
• annexation of Taiwan (1895) and Korea (1910)

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JAPANESE INDUSTRIAL/ECONOMIC SYSTEM AS COMPARED
TO U.S.

• after WWII, export orientation (moved from
  clothing and toys to consumer electronics to
  automobiles to computer equipment)
• more government involvement MITI (Ministry of
  International Trade and Industry) works with
  private companies for economic planning
• large conglomerates (kieretsu)
• employer-employee relations much tighter (job
  for life)
• high rates of savings
• Pioneered JIT (Just-in-time) industrial
  production