GENERAL INTRODUCTION:

Japan, lying off the eastern coast of the Asian Continent, consists of four main islands - Hokkaido Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu - as well as thousands of adjacent smaller islands. The archipelago runs in and is from north to south covering 3,800 kilometers in length. Its total land area is 377,737 square kilometers, which is about 4% that of the United States and one and a half times as large as that of Britain. Japan occupies about 0.3% of the earth's total land area.

A chain of mountains extends along the middle of the long , narrow archipelago, dividing it into two sides, one facing the Pacific and the other facing the East Sea/Sea of Japan. The capital city of Tokyo is located at 35 degree 4l feet north latitude. The general climate, except for the part of Hokkaido in the North and some of the Southern most of the islands, is temperate with seasonal winds. Japan’s total population stood at 124.0 million as October, 1991, making Japan the sixth most populous nation in the world excluding the former Soviet Union)

ECONOMY:

The scope of Japan's economy is second only to that of the United States. Japan's 1991 gross national product stood at Japanese Yen 456 trillion (US $ 3.4 trillion), while that of the United States was US $ 5.7 trillion. Japan's continued rapid economic growth since the nation's modernisation began in the latter half of the 19th century has gained the world's attention.

IMPORTING ENVIRONMENT:

Japan is the world's third largest trading country in both exports and imports, following the United States and Germany. Poor in natural resources, Japan maintains a traditional industrial and trading pattern of importing raw materials and energy resources for use in the manufacture of export products. As a consequence, the share of manufactured products in Japan's total imports is low, giving rise to much foreign criticism.

Japan is the world's largest net importer of agricultural goods, including forest and marine products, and the United States largest market for agricultural expo. Japan imported US 10.9 billion worth of agricultural products from the US in 1991.

The following organisations can offer advice on Commercial information :

1. Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO)
Information Service Department,
2-5, Toranomon 2 Chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105
Tel : (813) 35925173
Fax : (813) 35825027
Telex : 24378 Jetroj

2. Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry,
2-2, Marunouchi 3-Chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100
Tel : (813) 2837854
Fax : (813) 2166497
Telex : 2224920 jpncci j