ei is a group formed from what
remains of Komeito in the upper house

International organization participation: AfDB, AG (observer),
APEC, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, G- 2,
G- 5, G- 7, G- 8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM,
IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC,
IOM, ISO, ITU, MTCR, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OSCE (partner),
PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNRWA, UNU, UPU,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Kunihiko SAITO
chancery: 2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 939-6700
FAX: [1] (202) 328-2187
consulate(s) general: Agana (Guam), Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston,
Chicago, Detroit, Honolulu, Houston, Kansas City (Missouri), Los
Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Portland (Oregon), San
Francisco, and Seattle
consulate(s): Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands)

US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Walter F. MONDALE
embassy: 10-5, Akasaka 1-chome, Minato-ku (107), Tokyo
mailing address: Unit 45004, Box 258, APO AP 96337-0001
telephone: [81] (3) 3224-5000
FAX: [81] (3) 3505-1862
consulate(s) general: Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, Sapporo
consulate(s): Fukuoka, Nagoya

Flag: white with a large red disk (representing the sun without
rays) in the center

Economy
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Economic overview: Government-industry cooperation, a strong work
ethic, mastery of high technology, and a comparatively small defense
allocation (roughly 1% of GDP) have helped Japan advance with
extraordinary rapidity to the rank of second most powerful economy
in the world. 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; this guarantee is slowly 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