The Weekly Journal

Current State of Affairs in Japanese Science

Geography:

• land=377,835km sq.
• Archipelago with 6,852 islands
• Natural resources: negligible coal, oil, iron, fish and minerals (has to import most resources)
• ¼ of land is mountainous (highest is Mt. Fuji (12,388 ft)
• Four principal islands: Hokkaido, Hoshnu, Shikoku, and Kyushu
• Japanese Alps (marked by Hida, Kiso and Akaishi are in central Japan
• Rivers provide a great source of hydroelectric power

• Cool in the north, subtropical in the south
• Rainy with high humidity
• June=rainy season
• August-early September=typhoon season
• 10% of world’s active volcanoes are in Japan, rarely are eruptions serious

• World’s leading importer of fossil fuels (exhaustible and renewable)
• Acid rain comes from pollution of the air from power plants
• Water pollution affects the use of renewable water resources

• Belief in teaching hard work and moral values
• Aim to develop students who properly fit into Japanese culure
• Entrance exams throughout system, rigorous
• Students rank near the top in math internationally
• Mandatory free schooling from grades 1-9 (most are public)
• 94% of students go onto complete grades 10-12 (private school is popular)
• Educational system highly centralized, organized by Ministry of Education
• Teaching is a highly esteemed profession, and are well paid
• Junior high school (grades 7-9) has up to 38 students per class
• Modern schools considered to fulfill these roles “
  1. Transmitting cognitive knowledge;
  2. Socializing and acculturating;
  3. Selecting and differentiating young people;
  4. Legitimating what they teach.”

• Consumer electronics industry is world’s largest electronics manufacturers with companies such : sony, pentax(optics), casio, mitsubitshi, Panasonic, canon, Epson(computer printers), Toshiba, Nikon, Nintendo
• Electronics industry is leading contributor to GDP
• Japanese electronics are being challenged by other countries in “productivity, financial performance, and brand value”
• Automotive industry: Honda, Toyota (largest automobile manufacturer based on sales), Nissan, mazda, Mitsubishi, Subaru, isuzu, Yamaha
• Considered world’s third largest auto market
• Biggest car producer in 2008 (9.916 million vehicles)
• 95% of motor vehicles made by domestic companies
• Leads the world in robotics
• Shinkansen train lines is a network of high-speed railway lines (1,528mi long network (2,459km))
• World’s busiest high-speed line
• Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) runs the Hayabusa, which has the ability to fly to and retrieve meteorite samples for research
• Annual research funding is over $1mil
• Japanese technology regulated by the Ministry of International Technology and Industry (MITI)
• Technology is more focused on improving individual lives than improving defense