Download Human Geography of Japan

Historical Background
Meiji Restoration of 1868 “Enlightened Rule”
A Cultural Geography of Japan
– Modernization movement with heavy European
influence on economic and political reform.
– Infrastructure (rail, hwy);
Human Geography
Dr. Paul Burger
Historical Background
Japanese Imperial Extent (1933(1933-1941)
– North: Manchuria, China; Kurile Islands, Korea.
– Southwest: Taiwan, French Indochina (Vietnam),
Thailand, Burma
– South: Malaysia, Thailand, New Guinea
(Guadalcanal)
– East: Marshall Islands
– Urban Planning
– Industrial Location
Shape / Size of Territory: Fragmented
Many small islands but four (4) major
Hokkaido
only area of nonnon-Japanese settlement; indigenous Ainu people
Honshu
– “Mainland”: largest island with current capital
o Tokyo (“eastern capital”; formerly Edo)
o Kyoto (historic
(historic capital)
Shikoku
Kyushu
Physical Landscape
146,000 Sq Miles (Montana)
– 18 Percent Inhabitable
– 125 million people
– 77 percent urban
Kanto Plain
– Largest in areal extent and population – Tokyo
– 1/3rd of Japanese population
– 40,000 acres
Nobi Plain (Chuba
(Chuba District)
– Nagoya (3.2 million)
– Leading textile producer (Nagoya); center of auto
production
– Larger in area / Agriculturally than Kansai, but not
Economically
Kansai District
– Osaka / Kobe / Kyoto (10.6 million metro area)
Economic Geography (cont’d)
Kansai District
– Osaka – Kobe – Kyoto “Triangle”
– Seto Inland Sea: Access to sea; forward area for
Manchurian exploitation / conquest.
– Kobe: major port city
– 10.6 million inhabitants
– Nara and Kyoto core of Japanese civilization 2000
years ago; historic capitals prior to Tokyo
Economic Geography of Japan
Output is greater than China,
China, Koreas, Taiwan, Hong
Kong combined.
– All economic regions are coastal with exception of Kyoto
Kanto Plain
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TokyoTokyo-YokohamaYokohama-Kawasaki
26.2 million (worlds largest conurbation)
Largest Agricultural area in Japan
Economic Center of Japan (20 Percent of total output of
Japan; equivalent to entire GDP of UK)
Yokohama: Largest Port and home of Shipbuilding
Central location of Japan and Access to Sea for trade
Steel Production (Australian .Philippine, Malaysian, coal)
Petroleum: SW Asia, Indonesia, Middle East
» (interesting factoid: 1 supertanker every hundred miles between
Japan and Persian Gulf, either coming or going!)
– Not self Sufficient in Food production.
Political Geography of Japan
Although Japan is a Unitary system it has
subdivisions or FOCD’s called ‘Prefectures’
– There are 47 of these in all.
Capital and National government is in Tokyo
– Japan has several political parties – at least 5
major
– They must form coalition governments in order to
get a majority to rule their legislature, known as
the Diet, who then elect their leader.