TOEFL Test Centers in Japan

EDU February 16, 2019

Japan Overview

Japan is an island nation in East Asia, with Tokyo, a metropolis of ten million, as its capital. Mountains shape the four large islands of Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku and divide the state into small, densely populated valley and basin landscapes. Many mountains are volcanically active. The climate is temperate in the north, subtropically warm in the south. Typhoons, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions make the country vulnerable to natural disasters. Few people from other countries live in Japan. The predominant religions are Shinto and Buddhism.

From an absolute monarchy with the emperor, Japanese Tenno, at its head, Japan developed in the 12th century into a feudal state with the shoguns (military commanders in chief) as the actual rulers. From the 1630s onwards, Japan pursued a policy of isolation from Western influences. Europeans had to leave the country and were no longer allowed to enter. In 1941, the country entered World War II alongside Germany and Italy and, after the atomic bombing in 1945, had to hit Hiroshima and Nagasaki capitulate. After the Second World War, Japan abandoned its policy of isolation from Western influences and in 1947 received a democratic constitution that was heavily influenced by the United States. Today the emperor only has ceremonial tasks and symbolizes the unity of the people. Japan is the third largest economy in the world after the USA and China. Characteristic for the economy are export-oriented industrial companies in the high-tech sectors (motor vehicles, electronics) and an important financial sector with many banks and insurance companies as well as a large stock exchange. The most important foreign policy alliance partner is the USA. Japan makes claims to a few smaller islands in the region. This creates conflict with China, Russia and South Korea.

Parties

The Japanese multi-party system is characterized by numerous new foundations, splits and polarizations. The most influential force is the conservative, business-oriented Liberal Democratic Party (LDP; Jiyū Minshutō; founded 1955). In connection with the splitting processes of the liberal Democratic Party (DP; Minshintō; arose in 2016 from the merger of the Democratic Party of Japan [DPJ; Minshutō] with the Renewal Party of Japan [JIP; Ishin no Tō] and the party Vision of Change [Kaikaku Kesshū no Kai]) or a re-formation of conservative-economically liberal forces formed the left-liberal Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (KDP; Rikken Minshutō) and the right-centrist Party of Hope (Kibō no Tō) in 2017. Other important parties are the New Kōmeitō party (NK, formed in 1998 from the merger of the New Peace Party and Kōmei), the Japanese Communist Party (JCP; Nihon kyōsantō; founded 1922) and the Social Democratic Party of Japan (SDPJ; Shakai minshutō; founded in 1945 as the Socialist Party of Japan, renamed in 1991).