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Compare Australia (2002) - Japan (2003)

Compare Australia (2002) z Japan (2003)

 Australia (2002)Japan (2003)
 AustraliaJapan
Administrative divisions 6 states and 2 territories*; Australian Capital Territory*, New South Wales, Northern Territory*, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia 47 prefectures; Aichi, Akita, Aomori, Chiba, Ehime, Fukui, Fukuoka, Fukushima, Gifu, Gumma, Hiroshima, Hokkaido, Hyogo, Ibaraki, Ishikawa, Iwate, Kagawa, Kagoshima, Kanagawa, Kochi, Kumamoto, Kyoto, Mie, Miyagi, Miyazaki, Nagano, Nagasaki, Nara, Niigata, Oita, Okayama, Okinawa, Osaka, Saga, Saitama, Shiga, Shimane, Shizuoka, Tochigi, Tokushima, Tokyo, Tottori, Toyama, Wakayama, Yamagata, Yamaguchi, Yamanashi
Age structure 0-14 years: 20.4% (male 2,046,052; female 1,949,725)


15-64 years: 67% (male 6,610,840; female 6,480,354)


65 years and over: 12.6% (male 1,078,506; female 1,381,315) (2002 est.)
0-14 years: 14.4% (male 9,368,132; female 8,906,024)


15-64 years: 67% (male 42,852,204; female 42,368,109)


65 years and over: 18.6% (male 9,945,638; female 13,774,392) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruits; cattle, sheep, poultry rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit; pork, poultry, dairy products, eggs; fish
Airports 421 (2001) 172 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways total: 294


over 3,047 m: 10


2,438 to 3,047 m: 11


1,524 to 2,437 m: 126


914 to 1,523 m: 134


under 914 m: 13 (2002)
total: 141


over 3,047 m: 7


2,438 to 3,047 m: 37


1,524 to 2,437 m: 38


914 to 1,523 m: 27


under 914 m: 32 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 150


1,524 to 2,437 m: 20


914 to 1,523 m: 116


under 914 m: 14 (2002)
total: 31


over 3047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 26 (2002)
Area total: 7,686,850 sq km


land: 7,617,930 sq km


water: 68,920 sq km


note: includes Lord Howe Island and Macquarie Island
total: 377,835 sq km


land: 374,744 sq km


water: 3,091 sq km


note: includes Bonin Islands (Ogasawara-gunto), Daito-shoto, Minami-jima, Okino-tori-shima, Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto), and Volcano Islands (Kazan-retto)
Area - comparative slightly smaller than the US contiguous 48 states slightly smaller than California
Background Australia became a commonwealth of the British Empire in 1901. It was able to take advantage of its natural resources to rapidly develop its agricultural and manufacturing industries and to make a major contribution to the British effort in World Wars I and II. Long-term concerns include pollution, particularly depletion of the ozone layer, and management and conservation of coastal areas, especially the Great Barrier Reef. A referendum to change Australia's status, from a commonwealth headed by the British monarch to a republic, was defeated in 1999. While retaining its time-honored culture, Japan rapidly absorbed Western technology during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. After its defeat in World War II, Japan recovered to become an economic power 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 starting in the 1990s following three decades of unprecedented growth.
Birth rate 12.71 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) 9.61 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget revenues: $86.8 billion


expenditures: $84.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY00/01 est. )
revenues: $441 billion


expenditures: $718 billion, including capital expenditures (public works only) of about $0 NA (FY 01/02 est.)
Capital Canberra Tokyo
Climate generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north
Coastline 25,760 km 29,751 km
Constitution 9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901 3 May 1947
Country name conventional long form: Commonwealth of Australia


conventional short form: Australia
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Japan
Currency Australian dollar (AUD) yen (JPY)
Death rate 7.25 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) 8.55 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external $176.8 billion (2001 est.) $NA
Dependent areas Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Norfolk Island -
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador J. Thomas SCHIEFFER


embassy: Moonah Place, Yarralumla, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2600


mailing address: APO AP 96549


telephone: [61] (02) 6214-5600


FAX: [61] (02) 6214-5970


consulate(s) general: Melbourne, Perth, Sydney
chief of mission: Ambassador Howard H. BAKER, Jr.


embassy: 10-5 Akasaka 1-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420


mailing address: Unit 45004, Box 258, APO AP 96337-5004


telephone: [81] (03) 3224-5000


FAX: [81] (03) 3505-1862


consulate(s) general: Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, Sapporo


consulate(s): Fukuoka, Nagoya
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Michael J. THAWLEY


chancery: 1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036


telephone: [1] (202) 797-3000


FAX: [1] (202) 797-3168


consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco
chief of mission: Ambassador Ryozo KATO


chancery: 2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 238-6700


FAX: [1] (202) 328-2187


consulate(s) general: Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Hagatna (Guam), Honolulu, Houston, Kansas City (Missouri), Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Portland (Oregon), San Francisco, and Seattle


consulate(s): Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands)
Disputes - international Australia-East Timor-Indonesia are working to resolve maritime boundary and sharing of seabed resources in "Timor Gap"; Australia asserts a territorial claim to Antarctica and to its continental shelf islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, and Shikotan, and the Habomai group occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, now administered by Russia, claimed by Japan; Liancourt Rocks (Take-shima/Tok-do) disputed with South Korea; Senkaku Islands (Diaoyu Tai) claimed by China and Taiwan
Economic aid - donor ODA, $894 million (FY99/00 ) ODA, $9.1 billion (1999)
Economy - overview Australia has a prosperous Western-style capitalist economy, with a per capita GDP on par with the four dominant West European economies. Rising output in the domestic economy has been offsetting the global slump, and business and consumer confidence remains robust. Canberra's emphasis on reforms is another key factor behind the economy's strength. The stagnant economic conditions in major export partners and the impact of the worst drought in 100 years cast a shadow over prospects for 2003. Government-industry cooperation, a strong work ethic, mastery of high technology, and a comparatively small defense allocation (1% of GDP) helped Japan advance with extraordinary rapidity to the rank of second-most-technologically-powerful economy in the world after the US and third-largest economy after the US and China. One notable characteristic of the economy is the working together of manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors in closely-knit groups called keiretsu. A second basic feature has been the guarantee of lifetime employment for a substantial portion of the urban labor force. Both features are now eroding. Industry, the most important sector of the economy, is heavily dependent on imported raw materials and fuels. The much smaller agricultural sector is highly subsidized and protected, with crop yields among the highest in the world. Usually self-sufficient in rice, Japan must import about 50% of its requirements of other grain and fodder crops. Japan maintains one of the world's largest fishing fleets and accounts for nearly 15% of the global catch. For three decades overall real economic growth had been spectacular: a 10% average in the 1960s, a 5% average in the 1970s, and a 4% average in the 1980s. Growth slowed markedly in the 1990s, averaging just 1.7%, largely because of the aftereffects of overinvestment during the late 1980s and contractionary domestic policies intended to wring speculative excesses from the stock and real estate markets. Government efforts to revive economic growth have met with little success and were further hampered in 2000-2003 by the slowing of the US, European, and Asian economies. Japan's huge government debt, which is approaching 150% of GDP, and the ageing of the population are two major long-run problems. Robotics constitutes a key long-term economic strength with Japan possessing 410,000 of the world's 720,000 "working robots." Internal conflict over the proper way to reform the ailing banking system continues.
Electricity - consumption 188.49 billion kWh (2000) 964.2 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2000) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2000) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 202.68 billion kWh (2000) 1.037 trillion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 90%


hydro: 8%


nuclear: 0%


other: 2% (2000)
fossil fuel: 60%


hydro: 8.4%


nuclear: 29.8%


other: 1.8% (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Lake Eyre -15 m


highest point: Mount Kosciuszko 2,229 m
lowest point: Hachiro-gata -4 m


highest point: Mount Fuji 3,776 m
Environment - current issues soil erosion from overgrazing, industrial development, urbanization, and poor farming practices; soil salinity rising due to the use of poor quality water; desertification; clearing for agricultural purposes threatens the natural habitat of many unique animal and plant species; the Great Barrier Reef off the northeast coast, the largest coral reef in the world, is threatened by increased shipping and its popularity as a tourist site; limited natural fresh water resources air pollution from power plant emissions results in acid rain; acidification of lakes and reservoirs degrading water quality and threatening aquatic life; Japan is one of the largest consumers of fish and tropical timber, contributing to the depletion of these resources in Asia and elsewhere
Environment - international agreements party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
Ethnic groups Caucasian 92%, Asian 7%, aboriginal and other 1% Japanese 99%, others 1% (Korean 511,262, Chinese 244,241, Brazilian 182,232, Filipino 89,851, other 237,914) (2000)
Exchange rates Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.9354 (January 2002), 1.9320 (2001), 1.7173 (2000), 1.5497 (1999), 1.5888 (1998), 1.3439 (1997) yen per US dollar - 125.39 (2002), 121.53 (2001), 107.77 (2000), 113.91 (1999), 130.91 (1998)
Executive branch chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Rt. Rev. Dr. Peter HOLLINGWORTH (since 29 June 2001)


head of government: Prime Minister John Winston HOWARD (since 11 March 1996); Deputy Prime Minister John ANDERSON (since 20 July 1999)


cabinet: Cabinet Parliament nominates, from among its members, a list of candidates to serve as government ministers; from this list, the governor general makes the final selections for the Cabinet


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general


note: government coalition - Liberal Party and National Party
chief of state: Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989)


head of government: Prime Minister Junichiro KOIZUMI (since 26 April 2001)


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the Diet designates the prime minister; the constitution requires that the prime minister must command a parliamentary majority; therefore, following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition in the House of Representatives usually becomes prime minister


note: following the resignation of Prime Minister Yoshiro MORI, Junichiro KOIZUMI was elected as the new president of the majority Liberal Democratic Party and soon thereafter designated by the Diet to become the next prime minister
Exports $66.3 billion (2002 est.) 93,360 bbl/day (2001)
Exports - commodities coal, gold, meat, wool, alumina, iron ore, wheat, machinery and transport equipment motor vehicles, semiconductors, office machinery, chemicals
Exports - partners Developing countries 45.6%, Japan 19.7%, ASEAN 13.3%, EU 11.7%, US 9.7% (2001) US 28.8%, China 9.6%, South Korea 6.9%, Taiwan 6.2%, Hong Kong 6.1% (2002)
Fiscal year 1 July - 30 June 1 April - 31 March
Flag description blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and a large seven-pointed star in the lower hoist-side quadrant; the remaining half is a representation of the Southern Cross constellation in white with one small five-pointed star and four, larger, seven-pointed stars white with a large red disk (representing the sun without rays) in the center
GDP purchasing power parity - $528 billion (2002 est.) purchasing power parity - $3.651 trillion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 3%


industry: 26%


services: 71% (2001 est.)
agriculture: 1.4%


industry: 30.9%


services: 67.7% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $27,000 (2002 est.) purchasing power parity - $28,700 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 3.6% (2002 est.) 0.2% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 27 00 S, 133 00 E 36 00 N, 138 00 E
Geography - note world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country; population concentrated along the eastern and southeastern coasts; regular, tropical, invigorating, sea breeze known as "the Doctor" occurs along the west coast in the summer strategic location in northeast Asia
Heliports - 15 (2002)
Highways total: 913,000 km


paved: 353,331 km (including 1,363 km of expressways)


unpaved: 559,669 km (1996)
total: 1,161,894 km


paved: 534,471 km (including 6,455 km of expressways)


unpaved: 627,423 km (1999)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 2%


highest 10%: 25% (1994)
lowest 10%: 4.8%


highest 10%: 21.7% (1993)
Illicit drugs Tasmania is one of the world's major suppliers of licit opiate products; government maintains strict controls over areas of opium poppy cultivation and output of poppy straw concentrate -
Imports $68 billion (2002 est.) 5.449 million bbl/day (2001)
Imports - commodities machinery and transport equipment, computers and office machines, telecommunication equipment and parts; crude oil and petroleum products machinery and equipment, fuels, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, raw materials (2001)
Imports - partners Developing countries 31.7%, EU 21.6%, US 18.9%, ASEAN 14.8%, Japan 13.0% (2001) China 18.3%, US 17.4%, South Korea 4.6%, Indonesia 4.2%, Australia 4.1% (2002)
Independence 1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies) 660 BC (traditional founding by Emperor Jimmu)
Industrial production growth rate 4.3% (2002 est.) -1.4% (2002 est.)
Industries mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food processing, chemicals, steel among world's largest and technologically advanced producers of motor vehicles, electronic equipment, machine tools, steel and nonferrous metals, ships, chemicals; textiles, processed foods
Infant mortality rate 4.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) total: 3.3 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 3.56 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 3.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2.8% (2002 est.) -0.9% (2002 est.)
International organization participation ANZUS, APEC, ARF (dialogue partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C, CCC, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OECD, OPCW, PCA, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNMEE, UNTAET, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC ABEDA, AfDB, APEC, ARF (dialogue partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, CE (observer), CERN (observer), CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMISET, UNMOVIC, UNRWA, UNU, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 571 (2002) 73 (2000)
Irrigated land 24,000 sq km (1998 est.) 26,790 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch High Court (the chief justice and six other justices are appointed by the governor general) Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the monarch after designation by the cabinet; all other justices are appointed by the cabinet)
Labor force 9.2 million (December 2001 ) 67.7 million (December 2001)
Labor force - by occupation services 73%, industry 22%, agriculture 5% (1997 est.) services 70%, industry 25%, agriculture 5% (2002 est.)
Land boundaries 0 km 0 km
Land use arable land: 6.88%


permanent crops: 0.03%


other: 93.09% (1998 est.)
arable land: 12.13%


permanent crops: 1.01%


other: 86.86% (1998 est.)
Languages English, native languages Japanese
Legal system based on English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations modeled after European civil law system with English-American influence; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Legislative branch bicameral Federal Parliament consists of the Senate (76 seats - 12 from each of the six states and two from each of the two mainland territories; one-half of the members elected every three years by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives (150 seats - this is up from 148 seats in 2001 election; members elected by popular vote on the basis of preferential representation to serve three-year terms; no state can have fewer than five representatives)


elections: Senate - last held 10 November 2001 (next to be held by November 2004); House of Representatives - last held 10 November 2001 (next to be held by November 2004)


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Liberal Party-National Party coalition 35, Australian Labor Party 28, Australian Democrats 8, Green Party 2, One Nation Party 1, Country Labor Party 1, independent 1; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Liberal Party-National Party coalition 82, Australian Labor Party 65, independent and other 3
bicameral Diet or Kokkai consists of the House of Councillors or Sangi-in (247 seats - members elected for six-year terms; half reelected every three years; 149 members in multi-seat constituencies and 98 by proportional representation); House of Representatives or Shugi-in (480 seats - members elected for four-year terms; 300 in single-seat constituencies; 180 members by proportional representation in 11 regional blocs)


elections: House of Councillors - last held 29 July 2001 (next to be held in July 2004); House of Representatives - last held 9 November 2003 (next election has not been scheduled)


election results: House of Councillors - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - LDP 110, DPJ 59, Komeito 23, JCP 20, SDP 8, Liberal Party 8, Conservative Party 5, independents 14; distribution of seats as of July 2001 was: LDP 115, DPJ 60, Komeito 24, JCP 20, SDP 8, Liberal Party 8 (merged with DPJ in 2003), independents 6, others 6; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - LDP 49.38%, DPJ 36.88%, Komeito 7.09%, JCP 1.88%, SDP 1.25%, NCP .84%; seats by party - LDP 237, DPJ 177, Komeito 34, JCP 9, SDP 6, NCP 4, others 13; distribution of seats as of 13 November 2003 was: LDP 244, DPJ 177, Komeito 34, JCP 9, SDP 6, others 10
Life expectancy at birth total population: 80 years


male: 77.15 years


female: 83 years (2002 est.)
total population: 80.93 years


male: 77.63 years


female: 84.41 years (2003 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 100%


male: 100%


female: 100% (1980 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 99% (1995 est.)


male: NA%


female: NA%
Location Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula
Map references Oceania Asia
Maritime claims contiguous zone: 24 NM


continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin


exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 NM
contiguous zone: 24 NM


exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 NM; between 3 NM and 12 NM in the international straits - La Perouse or Soya, Tsugaru, Osumi, and Eastern and Western Channels of the Korea or Tsushima Strait
Merchant marine total: 55 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,469,362 GRT/1,869,262 DWT


ships by type: bulk 26, cargo 5, chemical tanker 4, container 1, liquefied gas 4, passenger 2, petroleum tanker 7, roll on/roll off 6, includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: France 2, United Kingdom 2, United States 14 (2002 est.)
total: 594 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 10,467,142 GRT/13,335,833 DWT


ships by type: bulk 120, cargo 45, chemical tanker 18, combination bulk 28, combination ore/oil 1, container 18, liquefied gas 52, passenger 8, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 179, refrigerated cargo 9, roll on/roll off 59, short-sea passenger 6, vehicle carrier 49


note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: China 1, Panama 1, Singapore 1 (2002 est.)
Military branches Royal Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Australian Air Force Ground Self-Defense Force (Army), Maritime Self-Defense Force (Navy), Air Self-Defense Force (Air Force), Coast Guard
Military expenditures - dollar figure $9.3 billion (FY01/02 est.) $39.52 billion (FY02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2% (FY01/02) 1% (FY02)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 5,013,406 (2002 est.) males age 15-49: 29,392,559 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 4,321,387 (2002 est.) males age 15-49: 25,405,779 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - military age 17 years of age (2002 est.) 18 years of age (2003 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 142,686 (2002 est.) males: 725,281 (2003 est.)
National holiday Australia Day, 26 January (1788) Birthday of Emperor AKIHITO, 23 December (1933)
Nationality noun: Australian(s)


adjective: Australian
noun: Japanese (singular and plural)


adjective: Japanese
Natural hazards cyclones along the coast; severe droughts; forest fires many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500 seismic occurrences (mostly tremors) every year; tsunamis; typhoons
Natural resources bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, gold, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, petroleum negligible mineral resources, fish
Net migration rate 4.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Pipelines crude oil 2,500 km; petroleum products 500 km; natural gas 5,600 km gas 2,719 km; oil 170 km; oil/gas/water 60 km (2003)
Political parties and leaders Australian Democrats [Andrew BARTLETT]; Australian Labor Party [Simon CREAN]; Country Labor Party [leader NA]; Australian Greens [Bob BROWN]; Liberal Party [John Winston HOWARD]; National Party [John ANDERSON]; One Nation Party [Pauline HANSON] Democratic Party of Japan or DPJ [Naoto KAN, leader; Katsuya OKADA, secretary general]; Japan Communist Party or JCP [Kazuo SHII, chairman; Tadayoshi ICHIDA, secretary general]; Komeito [Takenori KANZAKI, president; Tetsuzo FUYUSHIBA, secretary general]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Junichiro KOIZUMI, president; Shinzo ABE, secretary general]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Mizuho FUKUSHIMA, chairperson; Seiji MATAICHI, secretary general]
Political pressure groups and leaders Australian Monarchist League [leader NA]; Australian Republican Movement [leader NA] NA
Population 19,546,792 (July 2002 est.) 127,214,499 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% NA%
Population growth rate 0.96% (2002 est.) 0.11% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Devonport (Tasmania), Fremantle, Geelong, Hobart (Tasmania), Launceston (Tasmania), Mackay, Melbourne, Sydney, Townsville Akita, Amagasaki, Chiba, Hachinohe, Hakodate, Higashi-Harima, Himeji, Hiroshima, Kawasaki, Kinuura, Kobe, Kushiro, Mizushima, Moji, Nagoya, Osaka, Sakai, Sakaide, Shimizu, Tokyo, Tomakomai
Radio broadcast stations AM 262, FM 345, shortwave 1 (1998) AM 215 plus 370 repeaters, FM 89 plus 485 repeaters, shortwave 21 (2001)
Radios 25.5 million (1997) -
Railways total: 33,819 km (2,540 km electrified)


broad gauge: 3,719 km 1.600-m gauge


standard gauge: 15,422 km 1.435-m gauge


narrow gauge: 14,506 km 1.067-m gauge


dual gauge: 172 km NA gauges (1999 est.)
total: 23,168 km (15,995 km electrified)


standard gauge: 3,204 km 1.435-m gauge (3,204 km electrified)


narrow gauge: 77 km 1.372-m gauge (77 km electrified); 19,855 km 1.067-m gauge (12,683 km electrified); 31 km 0.762-m gauge (31 km electrified) (2002)
Religions Anglican 26.1%, Roman Catholic 26%, other Christian 24.3%, non-Christian 11%, other 12.6% observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including Christian 0.7%)
Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female


total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female


total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal and compulsory 20 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: excellent domestic and international service


domestic: domestic satellite system; much use of radiotelephone in areas of low population density; rapid growth of mobile cellular telephones


international: submarine cables to New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia; satellite earth stations - 10 Intelsat (4 Indian Ocean and 6 Pacific Ocean), 2 Inmarsat (Indian and Pacific Ocean regions) (1998)
general assessment: excellent domestic and international service


domestic: high level of modern technology and excellent service of every kind


international: satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region), and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific and Indian Ocean regions); submarine cables to China, Philippines, Russia, and US (via Guam) (1999)
Telephones - main lines in use 10.05 million (2000) 60.381 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular 8.6 million (2000) 63.88 million (2000)
Television broadcast stations 104 (1997) 211 plus 7,341 repeaters


note: in addition, US Forces are served by 3 TV stations and 2 TV cable services (1999)
Terrain mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast mostly rugged and mountainous
Total fertility rate 1.77 children born/woman (2002 est.) 1.38 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate 6.3% (2002) 5.4% (2002)
Waterways 8,368 km (mainly used by small, shallow-draft craft) 1,770 km approximately


note: seagoing craft ply all coastal inland seas
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