JAPAN- AN INTRODUCTION

JAPAN IS A MODERN, thriving democracy, yet it retained a long and esteemed imperial tradition.

It is a rich country, ranking first among major industrial nations in per capita gross national product.

Japan consists of the four main islands of Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, along with a plethora of smaller islands.

Japan has promoted its exports by developing world-class industries and providing incentives for firms to export.

The Japanese have shown widespread interest in their traditional culture:

The tea ritual, Calligraphy, Flower Arranging, Classical works of Art, Kabuki and Bunraku (puppet) theater.

In addition, extensive print and broadcast media provide information and entertainment.

The Japanese are very conscious of their position in society and the various roles that they are expected to play throughout their lives.

The overall crime rate remains low in comparison with other major industrialized nations.

THUS, JAPANESE CITIES ARE AMONG THE SAFEST IN THE WORLD.

HISTORY OVERVIEW

Legend attributes the creation of Japan to the sun goddess, from whom the emperors were descended.

Period Name Description

-300 BC JomonThe early Japanese were gatherers, hunters and fishers.

300 BC-300 Yayoi

The intoduction of rice agriculture evokes the development of a social hierarchy and hundreds of small countries that started to unify into larger countries.

300-538 Kofun

300 Japan is for the first time more or less united. Large tombs (kofun) were built for the deceased leaders.

538-710 Asuka

538/552 Introduction of Buddhism. 645 The Taika reform is introduced. The Fujiwara era starts.

710-784 Nara

710 Nara becomes the first permanent capital. 784 The capital moves to Nagaoka.

794-1185 Heian

794 The capital moves to Heian (Kyoto). 1016 Fujiwara Michinaga becomes regent. 1159 The Taira clan under Taira Kiyomori takes over the power after the Heiji war. 1175 The Buddhist Jodo sect (Pure land sect) is introduced. 1180-85 In the Gempei War, the Minamoto clan puts an end to Taira supremacy.

1192-1333 Kamakura

1191 The Zen sect is intoduced. 1192 Minamoto Yoritomo is appointed shogun and establishes the Kamakura government. . 1232 A legal code, the Joei Shikimoku, is promulgated. 1274 and 1281 The Mongols try to invade Japan twice, but fail mainly because of bad weather conditions. 1333 The Kamakura bakufu falls.

1338-1573 Muromachi

1334 Kemmu restoration: the emperor restores power over Japan. 1336 Ashikaga Takauji captures Kyoto. 1337 The emperor flees and establishes the Southern court in Yoshino. 1467-1477 Onin war. 1542 Portuguese introduce firearms and Christianity to Japan. 1568 Nobunaga enters Kyoto.

1573-1603Azuchi

Momoyama

1575 The Takeda clan is defeated in the battle of Nagashino. 1582 Nobunaga is murdered and succeeded by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. 1588 Hideyoshi confiscates the weapons of farmers and religious institutions in the "Sword Hunt". 1590 Japan is reunited after the fall of Odawara (Hojo). 1592-98 Unsuccessful invasion of Korea. 1598 Death of Hideyoshi. 1600 Tokugawa Ieyasu defeats his rivals in the battle of Sekigahara.

1603 - 1867 Edo

1603 Ieyasu is appointed shogun and establishes the Tokugawa government in Edo (Tokyo). 1614 Ieyasu intensifies persecution of Christianity.

1639 Almost complete isolation of Japan from the rest of the world. 1854 Commodore Matthew Perry forces the Japanese government to open a limited number of ports for trade.

1868-1912 Meiji

1868 Meiji restoration. 1872 First railway line between Tokyo and Yokohama. 1889 The Meiji Constitution is promulgated. 1894-95 Sino-Japanese War. 1904-05 Russo-Japanese War. 1910 Annexion of Korea. 1912 Death of emperor Meiji.

1912-1926 Taisho1914-18 Japan joins allied forces in WW1. 1923 The Great Kanto Earthquake devastates Tokyo and Yokohama.

1926-1989 Showa

1931 Manchurian Incident. 1937 Second Sino-Japanese War starts. 1941 Pacific War starts. 1945 Japan surrenders after two atomic bombs are dropped over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 1946 The new constitution is promulgated. 1952 The Allied Occupation of Japan ends. 1956 Japan becomes member of the UN. 1972 Normalization of relations to China. 1973 Oil crisis.

1989- Heisei

1993 The LDP loses its majority in the diet. 1995 The Great Hanshin Earthquake hits Kobe.Sarin Gas attack in the Tokyo subway by AUM sect.

GEOGRAPHY

Japan, a country of islands, extends along the eastern or Pacific coast of Asia. The main islands, running from north to south, are Hokkaido, Honshu (or the mainland), Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa, which is about 380 miles southwest of Kyushu. About 3,000 smaller islands are included in the archipelago. In total land area, Japan is slightly smaller than California. About 73% of the country is mountainous, with a mountain chain running through each of the main islands. Japan's highest mountain is world-famous Mt. Fuji (12,385 ft.) As Japan is situated in a volcanic zone along the Pacific deeps, frequent low-intensity earth tremors and occasional volcanic activity are felt throughout the islands.

Location: Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the

Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula.

Area:total: 377,835 sq km land: 374,744 sq km water: 3,091 sq km

Coastline: 29,751 km

Climate: varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north.

Land use: permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 2% forests and woodland: 67% other: 19%

Natural resources: negligible mineral resources, fish Natural hazards: many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500 seismic occurrences (mostly tremors) every year and tsunamis.

ECONOMY

The Japanese economy is one of the strongest in the world. Only the USA has a higher GNP. The Japanese currency is the Yen.

Exports: Japan's main export goods are cars, electronic devices and computers. Most important single trade partner is the USA which imports more than one quarter of all Japanese exports. Other major export countries are Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, China and Singapore.

Total exports in 2007 was US$ 700 billion, with an export GDP ratio reaching to 16.3%.

There was a rapid increase in the FDI’s in Japan totaling to US$ 22.2 billion creating a record.

Increasing expectations for ASEAN countries, a growing number of free trade agreements (FTAs) are coming into effect in the Asia Pacific region, in 2007-08.

The trade surplus of Japan in 2008 has reached to 91.1 billion Yen ($830 million).

Imports: Japan has a large surplus in its export/import balance. The most important import goods are raw materials such as oil, foodstuffs, and wood. Major suppliers are the USA, China, Indonesia, South Korea, and Australia.

Industries: Manufacturing, construction, distribution, real estate, services, and communication are Japan's major industries today. Agriculture makes up only about 2% of the GNP. Most important agricultural product is rice. Resources of raw materials are very limited and the mining industry rather small.

The economy is highly advanced and dominated by the services sector, accounting for 73.1% of the economy. The industrial sector, once the engine of Japan’s growth, contributed 25.3% of the GDP. The agricultural sector accounts for only 1.6% of the economy.

For sustained growth rates and stability in the Japanese economy, the government has recently been considering a number of stimulus ideas to manage inflation, increase service sector productivity, and look at fiscal consolidation, and reform the tax system and labor market.

JAPANESE ART

Japan has been subject to sudden invasions of new ideas and cultures followed by long periods of minimal contact with the outside world. Over time the Japanese developed the ability to absorb, imitate, and finally learn those elements of foreign culture that balance their artistic preferences.

The earliest complex art in Japan was produced in the 7th and 8th centuries AD in connection with Buddhism. In the 9th century, as the Japanese began to turn away from China and develop original forms of expression, the worldly arts became increasingly important. Both religious and world arts flourished.

Japanese ceramics are among the finest in the world and include the earliest known artifacts of their culture. In architecture, Japanese preferences for natural materials and an interaction of interior and exterior space are clearly expressed.

Japanese is art valued not only for its simplicity but also for its colorful energy, and has considerably influenced 19th-century Western painting.

JAPANESE GOVERNMENT

Japan is academically considered a constitutional monarchy with a bicameral parliament, the Kokkai or Diet but most of Japanese feel strange to the term monarchy and quite a few scholars argue Japan is a republic. Japan has a royal family led by an Emperor, but under the current constitution he holds no power at all, not even emergency reserve powers. The executive branch is responsible to the Diet, consisting of a cabinet composed of a prime minister and ministers of state, all of whom must be civilians.

The prime minister must be a member of the Diet and is designated by his colleagues. The prime minister has the power to appoint and remove ministers, a majority of whom must be Diet members. Sovereignty, previously embodied in the emperor, is vested by the constitution in the Japanese people, and the Emperor is defined as the symbol of the state.

The legislative branch consists of a House of Representatives (Shugi-in) of 480 seats, elected by popular vote every four years, and a House of Councilors (Sangi-in) of 247 seats, whose popularly elected members serve six-year terms. There is universal adult suffrage with a secret ballot for all elective offices.

The present Prime Minister of Japan is Mr. Yasuo Fukuda.

JAPAN OVERVIEWJapan is a major economic power both in the Regionally and Globally. Japan has diplomatic relations with nearly all independent nations and has been an active member of the United Nations since 1956. Japanese foreign policy has aimed to promote Peace and Prosperity for the Japanese people by working closely with the West and supporting the United Nations. In recent years, the Japanese public has shown a substantially greater awareness of security issues and increasing support for the Self Defense Forces. This is in part due to its success in disaster relief efforts at home and its participation in peace keeping operations in Cambodia in the early 1990s.

However, there are still significant political and psychological constraints on strengthening Japan's defense. Japan strongly supports the U.S. in its efforts to encourage Pyongyang to abide by the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and its agreements with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Despite the August 31, 1998 North Korean missile test which over flew the Home Islands, Japan has maintained its support for the Korean Energy Development Organization (KEDO) and the Agreed Framework, which seek to freeze the North Korean nuclear program. The U.S., Japan, and South Korean closely coordinate and consult trilaterally on policy toward North Korea.

Trade between INDIA & JAPANToday India and Japan share a global vision of peace, stability and shared prosperity, based on sustainable development. Shared democratic values and commitment to human rights, pluralism, open society, and the rule of law underpin the global partnership between the two countries. The global partnership between Japan and India reflects a broad convergence of their long-term political, economic and strategic interests, aspirations, objectives and concerns. Japan and India view each other as partners that have responsibility and are capable of, responding to global and regional challenges in keeping with their global partnership.

Relations have remained warm, since India's independence. Japanese companies, like Sony, Toyota, and Honda, have factories in India, and with the growth of the Indian economy, India, is a big market for Japanese firms. The most prominent Japanese company to have a big investment in India, is automobiles giant,Suzuki is in partnership with Indian automobiles company,Maruti Suzuki, is among the biggest car companies in India. In December 2006, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Japan culminated in the signing of the "Joint Statement Towards Japan-India Strategic and Global Partnership"According to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's arc of freedom, Japan courts India to counter China. Shinzo Abe, also visited India, in August 2007.

To this end, Japan has funded many infrastructure projects in India, most notably in New Delhi's metro subway system. Indian applicants have been welcomed in 2006/07 to the JET Programme, starting with just one slot available in 2006 and 41 in 2007. Also, in the year, 2007, the Japanese Self Defence Forces, conducted military exercises in the Indian Ocean, with the militaries of India, Australia, Singapore and the United States.

 

Ranbaxy entered the Japanese market in the year 2002 through a Strategic Alliance with a mid sized research pharmaceutical company, Nippon Chemiphar Limited (NC) of Japan. In July 2005, the JV introduced its first co-developed product Vogseal 0.2mg and 0.3mg tablets (Generic-Voglibose) for the treatment of diabetes and presently commands a leadership position in Japan. In November 2005 the Company increased its equity stake in its generic subsidiary Nihon Pharmaceutical Industry Limited (NPI) to become a 50:50 joint venture between Ranbaxy and Nippon Chemiphar

The sectors that attract Japanese investment include:

Transportation (28%)

Telecommunications (18%)

Fuel (13.5%)

Chemicals (12.17 percent)

Trading (6%).

ECONOMIC COOPERATION Japan has been the second largest destination of Indian exports (major exports include gems, marine products, iron ore, and cotton yarn).

India is also a major importer of goods from Japan, and its importance has been growing in recent years (major imports include machinery, plant-related products, transport equipment, and electronic machinery).

 

INDIA-JAPAN BI-LATERAL RELATION

It is something unique that India's relations with Japan are free of any kind of dispute - ideological, cultural or territorial. Since diplomatic relations between Japan and India were established in 1952, the two countries have enjoyed cordial relations based on trade and economic and technical cooperation. The cultural agreement between Japan and India was signed in 1956

Problem’s of India

However, there is a lack of clarity in the policy guidelines. Also, most of Japanese investors feel that ground level hassles like labour laws, taxes, legal and regulatory framework are high in India. They consider procedural delays a major discouraging factor for potential investors. The infrastructure forms the backbone of development of any country. According to the majority of the Japanese investors, overall infrastructure facilities are lacking in India. To attract Japanese investment, Indian transport infrastructure needs improvement; power facilities are below average.

ADVANTAGES

Enhance your domestic market.Increase sales and profits.Gain your global market share.Reduce dependence on existing markets.Exploit international trade technology Extend sales potential of existing products. Stabilize seasonal market fluctuations Enhance potential for expansion of your business Sell excess production capacity Maintain cost competitiveness in your domestic market

DISADVANTAGESDISADVANTAGES

You may need to wait for long-term gains Hire staff to launch international trading Modify your product or packaging Develop new promotional material Incur added administrative costs Dedicate personnel for traveling Wait long for payments Apply for additional financing

Deal with special licenses and regulations

Japan's Trade Buddies

Top 15 Japanese Export & Import Partners

The Land of the Rising Sun is famous for top global brands that represent some of today's fastest-growing companies. Among Japan's world-leading brands are Toyota, Honda, Sony and Canon.These brands propel Japan's principal exports, namely transport equipment, motor vehicles, electronics and electrical machinery. Japan is also a force in chemical exports.Below is a list of Japan's top 15 export customers, based on WTO statistics for 2005. Total Japanese exports for 2005 amounted to US$595 billion. The top 5 countries in the list account for some two-thirds of total Japanese exports.

SWOT ANALYSISSTRENGTH:

Fastest economic growth with 8.9% GDP increases.

Highly urbanized and industrialized economic power. Widespread interest in traditional culture and societal

relationship.

High per capita income.

Multi-cultural nation and technological supported nation.

WEAKNESS:

Insular geography

Restrictive distribution process especially in non-tariff barriers.

Dependent on technology as capital intensive countries

Labors cost is high.

Rules and regulation is very much strict.

OPPORTUNITY:

Educational standard are high with 99% literacy

Constitutional monarchy with bicameral parliament.

Direct investment in emerging market economy due to increase in GDP.

Economy is highly advanced in the service sector with 73.1% growth.

Control pollution and helps in the export of various products with a reliability and adaptability.

THREAT:

Heavy import barrier.

Emerging market economy like china.

Competition from the new and old enterants.

Natural hazards like tsunami,hurricanes causes very serious effect for the country.

CONCLUSION

As Japan moves toward the twenty-first century, it is faced with a series of dilemmas. How can it continue to grow as a world economic leader without assuming a greater political role? And how can it be considered a political leader when it can not even provide for the security of its own territory without foreign assistance? Its trading partners complain that Japan enjoys an unfair advantage. Yet when Japanese firms invest in their economies, they raise the specter of Japanese domination.

Each international crisis finds Western powers calling on Japan to "contribute its fair share" to the peacekeeping forces. At the same time, the Japanese people and their Asian neighbors, remembering the terrible lessons of World War II, demand that there be no extension of Japanese military power beyond its borders.

With fewer than five years until the next century, Japan has yet to come to grips with these questions