Central & SE Asia / Australasia
Country profile: Japan
Location: | Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula. |
Climate: | varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north |
Terrain: | mostly rugged and mountainous |
Size: | 377835 sq. km total (Land area: 374744 sq. km Water area: 3091 sq.km) |
Population: | 127,288,419 (July 2008 est.) |
Languages: | Japanese |
Government: | constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government |
Capital city: | Tokyo |
Legal system: | modeled after German civil law system with English-American influence; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations |
Currency: | yen (JPY) |
Licensing: |
Country profile
Japan boasts one of the largest economies in the world. The country continues to experience a moderate economic recovery that began in 2003, following a decade of economic stagnation. Japan’s real gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 2.5 percent in 2005 and 2.3 percent in 2004. The modest upturn over the last few years reflects higher business confidence in Japan, a surge in export demand led by exports to China, and robust consumer spending. Unemployment in Japan fell to 4.4 percent in 2005, down from an early 2003 peak of 5.5 percent. Japan has virtually no domestic oil or natural gas reserves, and in 2005 was the second largest net importer of crude oil in the world.
Despite the country’s dearth of hydrocarbon resources, Japanese companies have actively pursued upstream oil and natural gas projects overseas. Japan remains one of the major exporters of energy-sector capital equipment, and Japanese companies provide engineering, construction, and project management services for energy projects.
Japan’s National Diet (parliament) elected Shinzo Abe as the country’s new prime minister on September 26, 2006, succeeding Junichiro Koizumi, who held the position for more than five years. Both Abe and Koizumi come from the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has been in power since 1955. Before coming into office, Abe held the post of Chief Cabinet Secretary under Koizumi. Many political analysts expect Abe to adopt similar economic and foreign policies to his predecessor, although this remains to be seen.
Energy production and consumption
Oil | Gas | |
Production: | 125,000 bbl/day (2006) | 4 billion cu m (2005 est.) |
Consumption: | 5 million bbl/day (2006) | 83 billion cu m (2005 est.) |
Exports: | 94,830 bbl/day (2006) | billion cu m (2005 est.) |
Imports: | 5 million bbl/day (2006) | 77 billion cu m (2005 est.) |
Reserves: | 58 million bbl (1 January 2006 est.) | 38 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.) |
Major fields: |
Japan - recent news
13 Jun 24 |
Japan: SSE Pacifico and partners secure public funding for Japanese floating offshore wind demonstrator A development consortium in which SSE Pacifico is a member has been awarded public funding for a circa 30MW floating offshore wind demonstration project in Japan. The consortium features SSE Pacifico, alongside Marubeni and other partners. |
12 Jun 24 |
Japan: INPEX to commence exploratory drilling for geothermal energy development in Hokkaido, Japan INPEX announced it will commence exploratory drilling for geothermal energy development in Shibetsu Town, Hokkaido, Japan, where it has carried out surveys on the potential of geothermal resources. |
04 Jun 24 |
Japan: OEG Renewables and SOMAC sign MoU to offer renewable service solutions in Japan OEG Energy Group, a leading offshore solutions business, has announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding ('MoU') between OEG Renewables ('OEGR') and Sojitz Machinery Corporation ('SOMAC') in relation to the provision of pre-construction, construction support, operations and maintenance ('O&M') and vessel services to offshore wind projects in Japan. |
28 May 24 |
Japan: Santos signs long-term LNG supply contract with Hokkaido Gas Santos has announced the signing of a binding long-term LNG Supply and Purchase Agreement (SPA) with Hokkaido Gas Co. to provide LNG from Santos’ portfolio of world-class LNG assets. |
23 Apr 24 |
Japan: Fugro relocates Amberjack self-elevating platform to Japan to support country’s growing offshore wind market Fugro has transferred their self-elevating platform (SEP) Amberjack to Japan to meet the country’s growing demand for offshore wind geotechnical services. The Amberjack was reflagged in December 2023 and is now based in Tokyo, from where it will be deployed to wind farm projects in Japan. |
Japan - more news
Other countries in this region
- Australia,
- Bangladesh,
- Brunei,
- Cambodia,
- China,
- Fiji,
- Hong Kong,
- India,
- Indonesia,
- Laos,
- Malaysia,
- Maldives,
- Mongolia,
- Myanmar,
- Nepal,
- New Zealand,
- North Korea,
- Pakistan,
- Palau,
- Papua New Guinea,
- Philippines,
- Singapore,
- South Korea,
- Sri Lanka,
- Taiwan,
- Thailand,
- Timor Leste,
- Vietnam