Post on 03-Jan-2016
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Country Notebook
JAPAN
Overview
Japan is a constitutional democracy with a Symbol Emperor System. The total area of the country is 377,873 square kilometers and the capital, also the city with the largest population, is Tokyo. The Japan island arc belongs to the Ring of Fire—the geographic term for a row of volcanoes located in the Pacific Basin
Cultural Analysis
Location Japan consists of several thousands of islands, of which Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku are the four largest.
Climate Due to the large North South extension of the country, the climate varies strongly in different regions. The climate in most of the major cities, including Tokyo, is temperate to sub tropic and consists of four seasons.
Topography
The Japanese islands are covered by mountains, most of them heavily forested, and crisscrossed by short, swift rivers.
Geographical Setting
Cultural Analysis
Social Institutions
Modern Family Most families in Japan today are nuclear families, such as we have here in the United States and in North American generally. That is to say that a married couple lives together with their children, perhaps with one grandparent.
Traditional Family The traditional Japanese family, known in Japanese as i.e., is a very complex kinship unit, a very complex kind of a family system. It's multigenerational; it's an extended family
Cultural Analysis•Education•Education•Education•Education
Education
Cultural Analysis•Political System
Political System
Unquestionably Japan is a democratic country, but it is a very different kind of democracy to that prevailing in most of Europe in countries like France and Germany
THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH Japan is a constitutional monarchy (like Britain) where the power of the Emperor is very limited
THE JUDICIAL BRANCH The Supreme Court is the highest court in the land. The Chief Justice is appointed by the Emperor following selection by the Cabinet. Fourteen other judges are selected and appointed by the Cabinet
Cultural Analysis
Legal System
Federal court operates in every state (some states have several federal districts) to hear:
Disputes between citizens of different states
Matters of federal law or U.S. constitution
Bankruptcy, copyright, or admiralty cases
11 circuit courts oversee district courts
Supreme court over all circuits
Cultural Analysis
Federal courts continuedtax cases and claims against the government are handled by a special district court
Administrative agencies have their own U.S. circuit court for appeals of rulings and decisions
Legal System
Cultural Analysis
Religion
Buddhism
6th Century
Migrated from the Korean peninsula
Six sects of Nara Buddhism
Both Buddhism and Shinto formed
one religion
Cultural Analysis
Shinto
Religion
Means way of God
Originated in prehistoric times
Largest and Native Religion
During 18th and 19th century
independent sects formed
Merged with Buddhism
Cultural Analysis
Aesthetics
The modern study of Japanese aesthetics in the
Western sense only started a little over two
hundred years ago. The Japanese aesthetic is a
set of ancient ideals that include wabi , sabi and
yogun
Cultural Analysis
Aesthetics
Wabi-sabi
Wabi and sabi refers to a mindful approach to everyday life. Over
time their meanings overlapped and converged until they are
unified into Wabi-sabi, the aesthetic defined as the beauty of
things "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete".
Shibui
Shibui means simple, subtle or unobtrusive. It means
that things are more beautiful when they speak for
themselves when they aren't loud and in your face.
Cultural Analysis
Aesthetics
Yugen
Yugen states that life is boring when all the facts are
known. Something should be held back — the mystery.
Ensou
Ensou is a zen concept. It is often represented by a
circle. It can mean infinity or nothingness. It's a little
hard to explain. You need to spend a lot of time
meditating to really get it.
Kawaii
Kawaii is cute. Some argue it's a new Japanese aesthetic.
Others say kawaii has always been part of Japanese
culture.
Cultural Analysis
Language
Official Language
Japanese is believed to be linked to the Altaic
language family, which includes Turkish,
Mongolian and other languages, but also shows
similarities to Austronesian languages like
Polynesian.
Cultural Analysis
Language
Writing
The Japanese writing system consists of three
different character sets: Kanji (several
thousands of Chinese characters) and Hiragana
and Katakana (two syllabifies of 46 characters
each; together called Kana).
Economic Analysis
Population