Ch. 7

1
Ch. 7

• Japan and the Two Koreas

2
Japan

• Section 1

3
Japans Land

• Japan experiences thousands of earthquakes a
  year. Because it is along the Ring of Fire, the
  area around the Pacific Ocean where the earths
  crust often shifts. People in Japan also have to
  deal with tsunamis. These huge sea waves, created
  by undersea earthquakes, cause much destruction
  along Japans Pacific coast.
• Japan is an archipelago, or a group of islands,
  off the coast of eastern Asia between the Sea of
  Japan (between Japan and Korea) and the Pacific
  Ocean. Four main islands and thousands of smaller
  ones make up Japans land area. The four largest
  islands are Hokkaido (northern most
  island)Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu.
• The islands are actually peaks of volcanic
  mountains. Mount Fuji is the highest peak. Japan
  is covered by rugged mountains and steep,
  forested hills.
• Tokyo, the capital, lies on the Kanto Plain on
  Honshu.
• Ocean currents and winds affect Japans climate.
  The climate differs in the north and south.

4
Japans Economy

• Japans industries benefit from a highly skilled
  workforce.
• Japan is an industrial giant. They import raw
  materials and export manufactured goods. Japans
  modern factories use new technology and robots to
  make their products quickly and carefully. These
  products include automobiles and other vehicles.
  Japans factories also produce consumer goods
  like electronic equipment, watches, small
  appliances, and calculators.
• Farmland is limited. Japans farmers use
  fertilizers and modern machinery to produce high
  crop yields. They also practice intensive
  cultivationthey grow crops on every available
  piece of land. The chief crop is rice.
• Japan imports more fish than any other country.

5
Japans History and Government

• The Japanese trace their ancestry to various
  clans, or groups of related families, that lived
  on the islands as early as the late A.D. 400s.
• Japan was ruled by emperors who modeled society
  on the Chinese way of life. In the 790s, the
  power of Japanese emperors began to decline. From
  the late 1100s to the 1860s, Japan was ruled by
  shoguns, or military leaders, and powerful
  land-owning warriors known as the samurai.
• In the late 1800s, Japanese leaders began to use
  western ideas to modernize the country. By the
  1900s, Japan was the leading military power in
  Asia.

6
Japans History and Government

• During World War II, Japan attacked the United
  States. Later, by dropping atomic bombs on two of
  its cities, the United States forced Japan to
  surrender. One being Hiroshima.
• Japans democracy is in the form of a
  constitutional monarchy. The emperor is the
  official head of state, but elected officials run
  the government. Voters elect representatives to
  the national legislature. The political party
  with the most members chooses a prime minister to
  lead the government.

7
Japans People and Culture

• Although about the size of California, Japan has
  nearly one-half the population of the entire
  United States. The four large cities of Tokyo,
  Yokohama, Nagoya, and Osaka form a megalopolis,
  or a huge urban area made up of several large
  cities and communities near them.
• Many Japanese practice two religionsShinto and
  Buddhism.
• Japans religions have influenced the countrys
  arts. Many paintings portray the beauty of
  nature, often with a few simple brush strokes.
  Some even include verses of poetry. Haiku is a
  well-known Japanese form of poetry.
• Historical plays in Japanese are called Kabuki.
• A popular Japanese sport is sumo, an ancient form
  of wrestling.
• Many Japanese are enthusiastic about baseball.

8
The Koreas

• Section 2

9
Divided Country

• The Korean Peninsula juts out from northern
  China, between the Sea of Japan and the Yellow
  Sea. Today the peninsula is divided into two
  nationsCommunist North Korea and non-Communist
  South Korea.
• China ruled Korea until the A.D. 300s. From A.D.
  668 to 935, a single kingdom called Silla united
  much of the peninsula. Other dynasties, or ruling
  families, followed the Silla.
• In 1910 Japan conquered Korea and made it a part
  of the Japanese Empire. The Japanese governed
  Korea until 1945.
• After World War II, troops from the Communist
  Soviet Union took over the northern half of
  Korea. American troops occupied the southern
  half. Korea eventually divided along the 38th
  parallel.
• The government owns and runs the factories and
  farms.
• In 1950 North Korea, hoping to unite the country
  under communism, attacked South Korea. The United
  Nations, led by the United States, rushed to
  support South Korea. The Korean War ended in 1953
  without a peace treaty or a victor.

10
South Korea the capital is Seoul

• Monsoons affect South Koreas climate. A monsoon
  is the seasonal wind that blows over Asia for
  months at a time. During the summer, a monsoon
  from the south brings hot, humid weather. In the
  winter a monsoon blows in from the north,
  bringing cold, dry weather.
• Manufacturing and trade dominate the economy.
  South Korea is a leading exporter of ships, cars,
  textiles, computers, and electronic appliances.
• The major crops are rice, barley, onions,
  potatoes, cabbage, apples, and tangerines.
• The people of the two Koreas belong to the same
  Korean ethnic group.
• Christianity, Buddhism, and Confucianism are
  South Koreas major religions.

11
North Korea

• North Korea is slightly larger than South Korea.
  It is separate from China by the Yalu River.
  Capital is Pyongyang.
• North Korea is economically poor. The North
  Korean government owns and runs factories and
  farms. It spends much money on the military.
• North Korean farms do not grow enough food to
  feed the country.
• A lack of fertilizer recently produced famines,
  or severe food shortages.