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Background:
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While
retaining its time-honored culture, Japan rapidly
absorbed Western technology during the late 19th and
early 20th centuries. After its devastating defeat
in World War II, Japan recovered to become the
second most powerful economy in the world and a
staunch ally of the US. While the emperor retains
his throne as a symbol of national unity, actual
power rests in networks of powerful politicians,
bureaucrats, and business executives. The economy
experienced a major slowdown in the 1990s following
three decades of unprecedented growth. |
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Location:
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Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific
Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean
Peninsula |
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Nationality:
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noun: Japanese (singular and plural)
adjective: Japanese |
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Ethnic groups:
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Japanese 99%, others 1% (Korean 511,262, Chinese
244,241, Brazilian 182,232, Filipino 89,851, other
237,914) (2000) |
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Religions:
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observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16%
(including Christian 0.7%) |
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Languages:
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Japanese |
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Currency:
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yen (JPY)
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Currency code:
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JPY
|
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Exchange rates:
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yen
per US dollar - 132.66 (January 2002), 121.53
(2001), 107.77 (2000), 113.91 (1999), 130.91 (1998),
120.99 (1997) |
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