| Population |
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| The population is approximately 120
million people, who are concentrated in 3 per cent of the total area of
the country. The major cities have a high population density and 11 cities
have populations of over one million. The three neighboring cities of
Tokyo, Kawasaki and Yokohama alone account for approximately 20 million
people.
First Settlers
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| Stone tools have been found in Japan
that date from 10,000 to 30,000 years ago. Beginning in the 5th millennium
BC (and perhaps much earlier), a proto-Japanese
race called the Jōmon developed polished tools and fine pottery,
living in settlements from which they hunted, fished, and gathered food.
The Yayoi culture arose in the south of Japan in about the 3rd century BC
and lasted about 600 years. It was characterized by metal tools and
weapons, improved pottery methods, and an advanced rice-growing
technology. The Yayoi spread northeast and overwhelmed the Jōmon
culture.
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| The population of Japan is now 99 per cent ethnic
Japanese, with a small number of Koreans (about 680,000) and Chinese. The
Ainu, an indigenous people, live mostly on Hokkaido.
Ainu of unmixed ancestry now comprise only a small fraction of the
population.
Roughly 15.5 per cent
(1997) of the population is over the age of 65. The economic burden of
providing for the increasing proportion of older people is a cause for
concern. Overall population density is
a high 333 persons per square kilometre (1997) (862 persons per square
mile), and when uninhabitable areas are excluded the figure is about 1,500
persons per square kilometre (3,885 per square mile), which makes Japan
one of the most crowded countries in the world. Most of the population
lives on the heavily developed southwest coastal
plain of the island
of Honshu, between
Tokyo and Hiroshima.
About 45 per cent of the people are concentrated in three major
metropolitan areas: Tokyo, Osaka,
and Nagoya.
Overall, almost 78 per cent (1996) of the population is classified as urban.
Language |
| Japanese is the official
language. Although spoken Japanese is not closely related to spoken
Chinese, the written language is derived from Chinese characters, which
the Japanese adopted in the early centuries AD.
The Japanese also use two phonetic syllabaries, hiragana
and katakana, which are simplified from
these characters. English is taught in all secondary schools and is often
used in business.
Religion |
| Shinto and Buddhism
have together shaped many of the religious beliefs and practices of the
Japanese. Religions are generally not mutually exclusive in Japan–most
people do not adhere to one particular religion, but adopt a combination
of beliefs and traditions.
Shinto is a polytheistic religion. It has no
recognized founder or central scripture. Shinto gods personify natural
elements and forces, such as the sky, the sun, and the earth. Unlike
Shinto, which is indigenous to Japan, Buddhism was introduced to Japan by
Koreans in the 6th century. The code of ethics associated with Confucianism
has also influenced Japanese culture.
European missionaries brought Christianity
to Japan in the 16th century, but it was banned for more than two
centuries and returned in the mid-19th century. Today elements of
Christianity are incorporated into some Japanese people's beliefs and
practices, but only a small percentage of the people officially identify
themselves as Christian. Others adhere to what are identified as the
"new religions," which have emerged since the 19th century. |
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