Japan Country Handbook This handbook provides basic reference information on Japan, including its ge- ography, history, government, military forces, and communications and trans- portation networks. This information is intended to familiarize military personnel with local customs and area knowledge to assist them during their assignment to Japan. The Marine Corps Intelligence Activity is the community coordinator for the Country Handbook Program. This product reflects the coordinated U.S. Defense Intelligence Community position on Japan. Dissemination and use of this publication is restricted to official military and gov- ernment personnel from the United States of America, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, NATO member countries, and other countries as required and desig- nated for support of coalition operations. The photos and text reproduced herein have been extracted solely for research, comment, and information reporting, and are intended for fair use by designated personnel in their official duties, including local reproduction for training. Further dissemination of copyrighted material contained in this document, to include ex- cerpts and graphics, is strictly prohibited under Title 17, U.S. Code. ii CONTENTS KEY FACTS .................................................................... 1 U.S. MISSION ................................................................ 2 U.S. Embassy .............................................................. 2 U.S. Military Facilities ............................................... 3 Travel Advisories ........................................................ 3 Entry Requirements .................................................... 5 Passport/Visa Requirements .................................. 5 Immunization Requirements .................................. 6 Customs Restrictions ............................................. 6 Credit Cards/Banking/Currency .................................. 6 GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE ..................................... 7 Geography ................................................................... 7 Land Statistics ...................................................... 7 Boundaries ............................................................. 7 Border Disputes ..................................................... 8 Bodies of Water ...................................................... 10 Topography ............................................................ 11 Cross-country Movement ...................................... 13 Environment ........................................................... 14 Climate ........................................................................ 15 Precipitation ........................................................... 15 Climatic Patterns .................................................... 16 Phenomena ............................................................. 19 TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATION .......... 20 Transportation ............................................................. 20 Roads ..................................................................... 20 iii Contents (Continued) Rail ......................................................................... 25 Air .......................................................................... 26 Maritime ................................................................ 27 Communication ........................................................... 28 Radio ...................................................................... 28 Television ............................................................... 29 Telecommunication ................................................ 29 Newspapers and Magazines .................................. 30 Postal Service ......................................................... 31 Internet ................................................................... 32 Satellites ................................................................. 33 CULTURE ....................................................................... 33 Statistics ...................................................................... 33 Population Patterns ................................................ 34 Major Metropolitan Areas in Japan ....................... 34 Ethnic Density ....................................................... 35 Society ........................................................................ 36 Ethnic Groups ........................................................ 36 Family .................................................................... 37 Roles of Men and Women ...................................... 38 Customs and Courtesies .............................................. 38 Introduction and Social Interaction ....................... 39 Gestures ................................................................. 42 Education and Literacy ............................................... 43 Religion ...................................................................... 45 Shinto ..................................................................... 46 Buddhism ............................................................... 47 Confucianism ......................................................... 48 Christianity ............................................................ 49 iv Contents (Continued) Religion and Government ...................................... 49 Recreation ................................................................... 50 Cultural Considerations .............................................. 51 MEDICAL ASSESSMENT ............................................. 54 Infectious Disease Risks to Deployed Personnel ........ 54 Food- and Water-borne Diseases ........................... 54 Vector-borne Diseases ............................................ 55 Water-contact Diseases .......................................... 55 Sexually Transmitted and/or Blood-borne Diseases 55 Respiratory Diseases .............................................. 56 Animal-associated Diseases ................................... 57 Civilian Health Care ................................................... 57 Military Health Care ................................................... 59 Disaster and Emergency Response Capabilities ......... 59 Key Medical Treatment Facilities .......................... 59 HISTORY ......................................................................... 64 Recent History ............................................................ 67 Chronology of Key Events .......................................... 69 GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS .................................. 71 Government ................................................................. 71 National Level ........................................................ 71 Local Level ............................................................ 75 Politics ........................................................................ 77 Political Parties ...................................................... 77 Foreign Relations ................................................... 78 United States ..................................................... 78 China ................................................................. 79 South Korea ...................................................... 80 North Korea ...................................................... 80 v Contents (Continued) Russia ................................................................ 81 Taiwan ............................................................... 81 Association of Southeast Asian Nations .......... 81 International Organizations .................................... 82 ECONOMY ..................................................................... 82 Statistics ...................................................................... 82 Resources .................................................................... 84 Agriculture ............................................................. 85 Industry .................................................................. 86 Utilities ........................................................................ 88 Electricity ............................................................... 88 Water ...................................................................... 89 Foreign Investment ...................................................... 89 Economic Outlook ................................................. 90 THREAT .......................................................................... 91 Crime .......................................................................... 91 Travel Security ............................................................ 91 Terrorism ..................................................................... 92 Drug Trafficking ......................................................... 93 Major Security and Intelligence Services ................... 94 Public Security Intelligence Agency ...................... 94 The Security Council ............................................. 95 Defense Intelligence Office ................................... 95 Defense Intelligence Headquarters ........................ 96 Intelligence and Analysis Bureau .......................... 97 ARMED FORCES ........................................................... 99 Japan Self-Defense Force ........................................... 99 Army – Japan Ground Self Defense Force ................. 101 Mission .................................................................