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Geography of Japan
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Map of Japan
(File:Regions and Prefectures Japan.png|thumb|upright=1.20|Regions and prefectures of Japan)Japan is informally divided into eight regions, from northeast (HokkaidÅ) to southwest (Ryukyu Islands):Regions of Japan on japan-guide.com- HokkaidÅ
- TÅhoku region
- KantÅ region
- Chūbu region
- Kansai (or Kinki) region
- Chūgoku region
- Shikoku
- Kyūshū
Composition, topography and geography
(File:Japan topo en.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|A topographic map of Japan)About 73% of Japan is mountainous,WEB, Statistics Bureau Home Page/Statistical Handbook of Japan 2022,weblink 2023-04-14, www.stat.go.jp, with a mountain range running through each of the main islands. Japan's highest mountain is Mount Fuji, with an elevation of {{convert|3776|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}. Japan's forest cover rate is 68.55% since the mountains are heavily forested. The only other developed nations with such a high forest cover percentage are Finland and Sweden.WEB, Forest area,weblink The World Bank Group, 2015-10-11, Since there is little level ground, many hills and mountainsides at lower elevations around towns and cities are often cultivated. As Japan is situated in a volcanic zone along the Pacific deeps, frequent low-intensity earth tremors and occasional volcanic activity are felt throughout the islands. Destructive earthquakes occur several times a century. Hot springs are numerous and have been exploited by the leisure industry.The Geospatial Information Authority of Japan measures Japan's territory annually in order to continuously grasp the state of the national land. As of July 1, 2021, Japan's territory is {{convert|377,973.89|km2|sqmi}}. It increases in area due to volcanic eruptions such as Nishinoshima (西之島), the natural expansion of the islands, and land reclamation.WEB, ã€ãŠçŸ¥ã‚‰ã›ã€‘令和3年全国都é“府県市区町æ‘別é¢ç©èª¿ï¼ˆ7月1日時点）, Reiwa 3rd year National area of each prefecture municipality (as of July 1),weblink Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, October 15, 2021, ja, 23 March 2022,weblink April 9, 2022, This table shows land use in 2002.WEB,weblink 土地ç·åˆæƒ…å ±ãƒ©ã‚¤ãƒ–ãƒ©ãƒªãƒ¼ å¹³æˆ16年土地ã®å‹•å‘ã«é–¢ã™ã‚‹å¹´æ¬¡å ±å‘Š 第2ç« åœŸåœ°ã«é–¢ã™ã‚‹å‹•å‘, 国土交通çœ, ja, 2007-02-17, live,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130120195343weblink">weblink 2013-01-20, {| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin:auto; width:50%;"Location
The Japanese archipelago is relatively far away from the Asian continent. Kyushu is closest to the southernmost point of the Korean peninsula, with a distance of {{convert|190|km|mi|abbr=on}}, which is almost six times farther away than from England to France across the English Channel. Thus, historically, Kyushu was the gateway between Asia and Japan. China is separated by {{convert|800|km|mi|abbr=on}} of sea from Japan's big main islands. Hokkaido is near Sakhalin, which was occupied by Japan from 1905 to 1945. Most of the population lives on the Pacific coast of HonshÅ«. The west coast facing the Sea of Japan is less densely populated.The Japanese archipelago has been difficult to reach since ancient history. During the Paleolithic period around 20,000 BCE, at the height of the Last Glacial Maximum, there was a land bridge between Hokkaido and Sakhalin that linked Japan with the Asian continent. The land bridge disappeared when sea levels rose in the JÅmon period around 10,000 BCE.BOOK, Campbell, Allen, Nobel, David S, Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, Kodansha, 1993, 1186, 406205938X, Japan's remote location, surrounded by vast seas, rugged, mountainous terrain, and steep rivers, makes it secure against invaders and uncontrolled migration from the Asian continent. The Japanese can close their civilization with an isolationist foreign policy. During the Edo period, the Tokugawa Shogunate enforced the Sakoku policy, which prohibited most foreign contact and trade from 1641 to 1853.Ronald P. Toby, State and Diplomacy in Early Modern Japan: Asia in the Development of the Tokugawa Bakufu, Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, (1984) 1991. In modern times, the inflow of people is managed via seaports and airports. Thus, Japan is fairly insulated from continental issues.Throughout history, Japan has never been fully invaded or colonized by other countries. The Mongols tried to invade Japan twice and failed in 1274 and 1281. Japan capitulated only once after nuclear attacks in World War II. At the time, Japan did not have nuclear technology. The insular geography is a major factor in the isolationist, semi-open, and expansionist periods of Japanese history.Mountains and volcanoes
The mountainous islands of the Japanese archipelago form a crescent off the eastern coast of Asia.{{citation-attribution|1=BOOK,weblink Japan: a country study, 1992, Federal Research Division, Library of Congress, 0-8444-0731-3, Dolan, Ronald E., 5th, Washington, D.C., 72–84, 24247433, |editor-last2=Worden|editor-first2=Robert L.}} They are separated from the continent by the Sea of Japan, which serves as a protective barrier. Japan has 108 active volcanoes (10% of the world's active volcanoes) because of active plate tectonics in the Ring of Fire.Around 15 million years ago, the volcanic shoreline of the Asian continent was pushed out into a series of volcanic island arcs. This created the "back-arc basins" known as the Sea of Japan and Sea of Okhotsk with the formal shaping of the Japanese archipelago. The archipelago also has summits on mountain ridges that were uplifted near the outer edge of the continental shelf. About 73 percent of Japan's area is mountainous, and scattered plains and intermontane basins (in which the population is concentrated) cover only about 27 percent. A long chain of mountains runs down the middle of the archipelago, dividing it into two halves: the "face", facing the Pacific Ocean, and the "back", toward the Sea of Japan. On the Pacific side are steep mountains 1,500 to 3,000 meters high, with deep valleys and gorges.Central Japan is marked by the convergence of the three mountain chains—the Hida, Kiso, and Akaishi mountains—that form the Japanese Alps (Nihon Arupusu), several of whose peaks are higher than {{convert|3000|m|ft}}. The highest point in the Japanese Alps is Mount Kita at {{convert|3193|m|ft}}. The highest point in the country is Mount Fuji (Fujisan, also erroneously called Fujiyama), a volcano dormant since 1707 that rises to {{convert|3776|m|ft|abbr=on}} above sea level in Shizuoka Prefecture. On the Sea of Japan side are plateaus and low mountain districts, with altitudes of 500 to 1,500 meters.Plains
(File:Kanto plain.png|thumb|220px|Map of the KantÅ Plain)There are three major plains in central HonshÅ«. The largest is the KantÅ Plain, which covers {{convert|17000|km2|mi2|abbr=on}} in the KantÅ region. The capital Tokyo and the largest metropolitan population are located there. The second largest plain in HonshÅ« is the NÅbi Plain ({{convert|1800|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}), with the third-most-populous urban area being Nagoya. The third-largest plain in HonshÅ« is the Osaka Plain, which covers {{convert|1600|km2|mi2|abbr=on}} in the Kinki region. It features the second-largest urban area of Osaka (part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area). Osaka and Nagoya extend inland from their bays until they reach steep mountains. The Osaka Plain is connected with Kyoto and Nara. Kyoto is located in the Yamashiro Basin ({{convert|827.9|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}) and Nara is in the Nara Basin ({{convert|300|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}).The KantÅ Plain, Osaka Plain, and NÅbi Plain are the most important economic, political, and cultural areas of Japan. These plains had the largest agricultural production and large bays with ports for fishing and trade. This made them the largest population centers. Kyoto and Nara are the ancient capitals and cultural heart of Japan. The KantÅ Plain became Japan's center of power because it is the largest plain with a central location, and historically, it had the most agricultural production that could be taxed. The Tokugawa Shogunate established a bakufu in Edo in 1603.Gordon, Andrew. (2003). A Modern History of Japan from Tokugawa Times to the Present, p. 23. This evolved into the capital of Tokyo by 1868.Hokkaido has multiple plains, such as the Ishikari Plain ({{convert|3800|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}), Tokachi Plain ({{convert|3600|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}), the Kushiro Plain, the largest wetland in Japan ({{convert|2510|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}), and the Sarobetsu Plain ({{convert|200|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}). There are many farms that produce a plethora of agricultural products. The average farm size in Hokkaido was 26 hectares per farmer in 2013. That is nearly 11 times larger than the national average of 2.4 hectares. This made Hokkaido the most agriculturally rich prefecture in Japan.NEWS, Trend toward stronger agriculture seen in Hokkaido,weblink The Nikkei, 5 January 2015, 7 April 2019,weblink 7 April 2019, live, dmy, Nearly one-fourth of Japan's arable land and 22% of Japan's forests are in Hokkaido.WEB,weblink Hokkaido's Business Environment, Trade and Economic Exchange Group, Commerce and Economic Exchange Division, Department of Economic Affairs, Hokkaido Government, 2008-12-05,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20100721020826weblink">weblink 2010-07-21, Another important plain is the Sendai Plain around the city of Sendai in northeastern HonshÅ«. Many of these plains are along the coast, and their areas have been increased by land reclamation throughout recorded history.Rivers
File:NiigataCityOpenData machinami004.jpg|thumb|Shinano RiverShinano RiverRivers are generally steep and swift, and few are suitable for navigation except in their lower reaches. Although most rivers are less than {{convert|300|km|mi|abbr=on}} in length, their rapid flow from the mountains is what provides hydroelectric power. Seasonal variations in flow have led to the extensive development of flood control measures. The longest, the Shinano River, which winds through Nagano Prefecture to Niigata Prefecture and flows into the Sea of Japan, is {{convert|367|km|mi|abbr=on}} long.These are the 10 longest rivers of Japan.WEB, Longest Rivers In Japan, website,weblinkweblink November 17, 2018, WorldAtlas.com, 9 February 2020, {| class="wikitable sortable"Lakes and coasts
File:20091015çµç¶æ¹–.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of Lake BiwaLake BiwaThe largest freshwater lake is Lake Biwa ({{convert|670.3|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}), northeast of Kyoto in Shiga Prefecture.JOURNAL, 10.1002/ece3.2070, Phylogeny and historical demography of endemic fishes in Lake Biwa: The ancient lake as a promoter of evolution and diversification of freshwater fishes in western Japan, 2016, Tabata, Ryoichi, Kakioka, Ryo, Tominaga, Koji, Komiya, Takefumi, Watanabe, Katsutoshi, Ecology and Evolution, 6, 8, 2601–2623, 27066244, 4798153, 2016EcoEv...6.2601T, Lake Biwa is an ancient lake and is estimated to be the 13th oldest lake in the world, dating to at least 4 million years ago.WEB, Ancient lakes of the world,weblinkweblink February 9, 2020, 20 January 2020, Christopher M. Free, website, It has consistently carried water for millions of years. Lake Biwa was created by plate tectonics in an active rift zone. This created a very deep lake with a maximum depth of {{convert|104|m|feet|abbr=on}}. Thus, it is not naturally filled with sediment. Over the course of millions of years, a diverse ecosystem evolved in the lake. It has more than 1,000 species and subspecies. There are 46 native fish species and subspecies,Kawanabe, H.; Nishino, M.; and Maehata, M., editors (2012). Lake Biwa: Interactions between Nature and People. pp 119-120. {{ISBN|978-94-007-1783-1}} including 11 species and 5 subspecies that are endemic or near-endemic. Approximately 5,000 water birds visit the lake each year.The following are the 10 largest lakes of Japan.国土地ç†é™¢ å¹³æˆ29年全国都é“府県市区町æ‘別é¢ç©èª¿ 付1 æ¹–æ²¼é¢ç©ï¼ˆå¹³æˆ29å¹´10月1日版） 2018å¹´2月10日閲覧。{| class="wikitable sortable"Land reclamation
File:151229_Kobe_Port_Japan02bs.jpg|thumb|Kobe Airport in Osaka BayOsaka BayThe Japanese archipelago has been transformed by humans into a sort of continuous land, in which the four main islands are entirely reachable and passable by rail and road transportation thanks to the construction of huge bridges and tunnels that connect each other and various islands.BOOK, Il mondo come sistema, E. Fedrizzi and S. Ferri, 2000, Minerva Italica, 88-298-1989-1, Approximately 0.5% of Japan's total area is reclaimed land (umetatechi). It began in the 12th century. Land was reclaimed from the sea and from river deltas by building dikes, drainage, and rice paddies on terraces carved into mountainsides. The majority of land reclamation projects occurred after World War II, during the Japanese economic miracle. Reclamation of 80% to 90% of all the tidal flatland was done. Large land reclamation projects with landfills were done in coastal areas for maritime and industrial factories, such as Higashi Ogishima in Kawasaki, Osaka Bay, and Nagasaki Airport. Port Island, RokkÅ Island, and Kobe Airport were built in Kobe. Late 20th and early 21st century projects include artificial islands such as Chubu Centrair International Airport in Ise Bay, Kansai International Airport in the middle of Osaka Bay, Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise, and Wakayama Marina City.WEB,weblink Reclaimed Land in Japan, 13 November 2011, Japan Property Central, 2018-09-26, live,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180226211747weblink">weblink 2018-02-26, The village of ÅŒgata in Akita was established on land reclaimed from Lake HachirÅgata (Japan's second largest lake at the time) starting in 1957. By 1977, the amount of land reclaimed totaled {{convert|172.03|km2}}.WEB,weblink The History of Ogata-Mura | Ogata-mura, Ogata.or.jp, 2014-04-17, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150924055244weblink">weblink 2015-09-24, Examples of land reclamation in Japan include:- Kyogashima, Kobe – the first human-made island built by Taira no Kiyomori in 1173
- The Hibiya Inlet, Tokyo – the first large-scale reclamation project started in 1592
- Dejima, Nagasaki – built during Japan's national isolation period in 1634. It was the sole trading post in Japan during the Sakoku period and was originally inhabited by Portuguese and then Dutch traders.
- Tokyo Bay, Japan – {{convert|249|km2}}WEB, Japan Fact Sheet, Japan Reference,weblink 2007-03-23, artificial island (2007)
- This includes the entirety of Odaiba, a series of island forts constructed to protect Tokyo from sea attacks (1853).
- Kobe, Japan – {{convert|23|km2}} (1995).
- Isahaya Bay in the Ariake Sea – approximately {{convert|35|km2}} is reclaimed with tide embankment and sluice gates (2018).
- Yumeshima, Osaka – {{convert|390|ha}} artificial island (2025)
- Central Breakwater – {{convert|989|ha}}
Oceanography and seabed of Japan
(File:Japan Relief Map of Land and Seabed.png|thumb|upright=1.3| Relief map of the land and the seabed of Japan. It shows the surface and underwater terrain of the Japanese archipelago.)Japan's sea territory is {{convert|4,470,000|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}. Japan ranks fourth with its exclusive economic zone ocean water volume from 0 to {{convert|2000|m|ft|abbr=on}} depth. Japan ranks fifth with a sea volume of 2,000–3,000 meters, fourth with 3,000–4,000 meters, third with 4,000–5,000 meters, and first with a volume of 5,000 to over 6,000 meters. The relief map of the Japanese archipelago shows that 50% of Japan's sea territory has an ocean volume between 0 and {{convert|4000|m|ft|abbr=on}} deep. The other 50% has a depth of {{convert|4000|m|ft|abbr=on}} to over {{convert|6000|m|ft|abbr=on}}. 19% has a depth of 0 to {{convert|1,000|m|ft|abbr=on}}. Thus, Japan possesses one of the largest ocean territories with a combination of all depths, from shallow to very deep.WEB, September 20, 2005, What is the Volume of Japan's 200-nm Exclusive Economic Zone?,weblinkweblink July 29, 2019, 30 July 2019, The Ocean Policy Research Institute, website, Multiple long undersea mountain ranges stretch from Japan's main islands to the south. They occasionally reach above the sea surface as islands. East of the undersea mountain ranges are three oceanic trenches: the Kuril–Kamchatka Trench (max depth {{convert|10,542|m|ft|abbr=on}}), Japan Trench (max depth {{convert|10,375|m|ft|abbr=on}}), and Izu–Ogasawara Trench (max depth {{convert|9,810|m|ft|abbr=on}}).There are large quantities of marine life and mineral resources in the ocean and seabed of Japan. At a depth of over {{convert|1,000|m|ft|abbr=on}}, there are minerals such as manganese nodules, cobalt in the crust, and hydrothermal deposits.Geology
File:Japan separation.png|thumb|upright=1.3|The islands comprising the Japanese Archipelago were separated from the Asian continent by back-arc spreadingback-arc spreading(File:Tectonic map of Japan-fr.png|thumb|upright=1.3|Tectonic map of Japan (French))Tectonic plates
The Japanese archipelago is the result of subducting tectonic plates over several 100 million years, from the mid-Silurian (443.8 Mya) to the Pleistocene (11,700 years ago). Approximately {{convert|15000|km|mi|abbr=on}} of oceanic floor has passed under the Japanese archipelago in the last 450 million years, with most being fully subducted. It is considered a mature island arc.The islands of Japan were created by tectonic plate movements:- Tohoku (upper half of Honshu), Hokkaido, the Kuril Islands, and Sakhalin are located on the Okhotsk Plate. This is a minor tectonic plate bounded to the north by the North American Plate.Seno et al., 1996 Journal of Geophysical Research;weblink{{Dead link|date=December 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}Apel et al., 2006 Geophysical Research Letters;weblink The Okhotsk Plate is bounded on the east by the Pacific Plate at the Kuril–Kamchatka Trench and the Japan Trench. It is bounded on the south by the Philippine Sea Plate at the Nankai Trough. On the west, it is bound by the Eurasian Plate, and possibly on the southwest, by the Amurian Plate. The northeastern boundary is the Ulakhan Faultweblink {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}
- The southern half of Honshu, Shikoku, and most of Kyushu are located on the Amurian Plate.
- The southern tip of Kyushu and the Ryukyu islands are located on the Okinawa Plate.
- The NanpÅ Islands are on the Philippine Sea Plate.
Median Tectonic Line
missing image!
- Tectonic map of southwest Japan.png -
upright=1.3|The red line represents the Median Tectonic Line. The orange-shaded region is Fossa Magna, bounded by the Itoigawa-Shizuoka Tectonic Line (western blue line).
The Japan Median Tectonic Line (MTL) is Japan's longest fault system.ENCYCLOPEDIA, Dijitaru Daijisen, ä¸å¤®æ§‹é€ ç·š,weblink 2012-09-21, 2012, Shogakukan, Tokyo, ja, Japan Median Tectonic Line (MTL), 56431036, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070825113418weblink">weblink 2007-08-25, ENCYCLOPEDIA, Nihon Daihyakka Zensho (Nipponika), ä¸å¤®æ§‹é€ ç·š,weblink 2012-09-21, 2012, Shogakukan, Tokyo, ja, Japan Median Tectonic Line, 153301537, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070825113418weblink">weblink 2007-08-25, The MTL begins near Ibaraki Prefecture, where it connects with the Itoigawa-Shizuoka Tectonic Line (ISTL) and the Fossa Magna. It runs parallel to Japan's volcanic arc, passing through central HonshÅ« to near Nagoya, through Mikawa Bay, then through the Seto Inland Sea from the Kii Channel and Naruto Strait to Shikoku along the Sadamisaki Peninsula and the Bungo Channel and HÅyo Strait to KyÅ«shÅ«.The MTL moves right-lateral strike-slip at about 5–10 millimeters per year.Okada, A., On the Quaternary faulting along the Median Tectonic Line, in Median Tectonic Line (in Japanese with English abstract), edited by R. Sugiyama, pp. 49–86, Tokai University Press, Tokyo, 1973. The sense of motion is consistent with the direction of the Nankai Trough's oblique convergence. The rate of motion on the MTL is much less than the rate of convergence at the plate boundary. This makes it difficult to distinguish the motion on the MTL from interseismic elastic straining in GPS data.Miyazaki, S. and Heki, K. (2001) Crustal velocity field of southwest Japan: Subduction and arc-arc collision, Journal of Geophysical Research,vo. 106, no. B3.- Tectonic map of southwest Japan.png -
upright=1.3|The red line represents the Median Tectonic Line. The orange-shaded region is Fossa Magna, bounded by the Itoigawa-Shizuoka Tectonic Line (western blue line).
Oceanic trenches
File:Japan_Trench_Map.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|The map depicts the Kuril–Kamchatka Trench, Japan Trench, Izu–Ogasawara Trench, and Mariana TrenchMariana TrenchEast of the Japanese archipelago are three oceanic trenches.- The Kuril–Kamchatka Trench is in the northwest Pacific Ocean. It lies off the southeast coast of Kamchatka and parallels the Kuril Island chain to meet the Japan Trench east of Hokkaido.Rhea, S., et al., 2010, Seismicity of the Earth 1900–2007, Kuril–Kamchatka arc and vicinity, U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2010-1083-C, 1 map sheet, scale 1:5,000,000weblink
- The Japan Trench extends {{convert|8000.|km|mi|abbr=on}} from the Kuril Islands to the northern end of the Izu Islands. Its deepest part is {{convert|8046|m|ft|abbr=on}}.WEB,weblink GMRT Overview, O'Hara, Design by J. Morton, V. Ferrini, and S., www.gmrt.org, 2018-05-27, The Japan Trench is created as the oceanic Pacific Plate subducts beneath the continental Okhotsk Plate. The subduction process causes bending of the down-going plate, creating a deep trench. Continuous movement on the subduction zone associated with the Japan Trench is one of the main causes of tsunamis and earthquakes in northern Japan, including the megathrust 2011 TÅhoku earthquake and tsunami. The rate of subduction associated with the Japan Trench has been recorded at about {{cvt|7.9|–|9.2|cm}}/year.
- The Izu–Ogasawara Trench is south of the Japan Trench in the western Pacific Ocean. It consists of the Izu Trench (at the north) and the Bonin Trench (at the south, west of the Ogasawara Plateau).WEB, Locator map,weblink Expedition to the Mariana forearc, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology at the University of Hawaii, It stretches to the northernmost section of the Mariana Trench.WEB,weblink Deep current structure above the Izu-Ogasawara Trench, 2018-10-01, 2012-03-01,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120301205341weblink">weblink dead, The Izu–Ogasawara Trench is an extension of the Japan Trench. There, the Pacific Plate is being subducted beneath the Philippine Sea Plate, creating the Izu Islands and Bonin Islands on the Izu–Bonin–Mariana Arc system.WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20171029065154weblink">weblink October 29, 2017, Crustal structure of the ocean-island arc transition at the mid Izu–Ogasawara (Bonin) arc margin, Earth, Planets and Space, October 2, 2018,
Composition
The Japanese islands are formed of the mentioned geological units parallel to the subduction front. The parts of islands facing the Pacific Plate are typically younger and display a larger proportion of volcanic products, while island parts facing the Sea of Japan are mostly heavily faulted and folded sedimentary deposits. In northwest Japan, there are thick quaternary deposits. This makes the determination of the geological history and composition difficult, and it is not yet fully understood.WEB,weblink gsj.jp, Geology of Japan｜Geological Survey of Japan, AIST｜産ç·ç ”地質調査ç·åˆã‚»ãƒ³ã‚¿ãƒ¼ / Geological Survey of Japan, AIST, July 16, 2017, The Japanese island arc system has distributed volcanic series where the volcanic rocks change from tholeiite—calc-alkaline—alkaline with increasing distance from the trench.JOURNAL, Gill, J.B., 1982, Andesites: Orogenic andesites and related rocks, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 46, 12, 2688, 10.1016/0016-7037(82)90392-1, 0016-7037, JOURNAL, Pearce, J, Peate, D, 1995, Tectonic Implications of the Composition of Volcanic ARC Magmas, Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, 251–285, 23, 1, 10.1146/annurev.ea.23.050195.001343, 1995AREPS..23..251P, The geologic province of Japan is mostly basin and has a bit of extended crust.WEB, Geologic Province and Thermo-Tectonic Age Maps,weblink Earthquake Hazards Program, United States Geological Survey, 6 June 2014, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140607001305weblink">weblink 7 June 2014,Growing archipelago
The Japanese archipelago grows gradually because of perpetual tectonic plate movements, earthquakes, stratovolcanoes, and land reclamation in the Ring of Fire.For example, during the 20th century, several new volcanoes emerged, including ShÅwa-shinzan on Hokkaido and MyÅjin-shÅ off the Bayonnaise Rocks in the Pacific. The 1914 Sakurajima eruption produced lava flows that connected the former island with the ÅŒsumi Peninsula in Kyushu.JOURNAL, Davison C, The Sakura-Jima Eruption of January, 1914, Nature, 98, 2447, 57–58, 1916-09-21, 10.1038/098057b0, 1916Natur..98...57D, 3964260,weblink It is the most active volcano in Japan.WEB,weblink Sakurajima, Japan's Most Active Volcano, 2018-05-16, nippon.com, Nippon Communications Foundation, 2018-08-02, mdy-all, During the 2013 eruption southeast of Nishinoshima, a new, unnamed volcanic island emerged from the sea.NEWS, ã—ã‚“ã¨ã†,weblink 16 January 2014, HokkaidÅ Shinbun, 12 January 2014, Erosion and shifting sands caused the new island to merge with Nishinoshima.WEB, Nishinoshima,weblink Kotobank, Asahi Shinbun, 18 February 2014, NEWS, Lava flow connects new islet with Nishinoshima island,weblink 27 December 2013, Asahi Shimbun, 26 December 2013, 28 December 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20131228011619weblink">weblink dead, A 1911 survey determined the caldera was {{convert|107|m|ft|abbr=on}} at its deepest.WEB, Nakano, Shun, Kaitei chikei,weblink Nishinoshima Kazan, Geological Survey of Japan, 17 February 2014, ja, The 2011 TÅhoku earthquake and tsunami caused portions of northeastern Japan to shift by {{convert|2.4|m}} closer to North America.NEWS, Quake shifted Japan by over two metres,weblink Deutsche Welle, 14 March 2011, 14 March 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110315181343weblink">weblink 15 March 2011, live, dmy, This made some sections of Japan's landmass wider than before.NEWS, Kenneth, Chang, Quake Moves Japan Closer to U.S. and Alters Earth's Spin,weblink The New York Times, 13 March 2011, 14 March 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110316002603weblink">weblink 16 March 2011, live, The areas of Japan closest to the epicenter experienced the largest shifts. A {{convert|400|km|mi|adj=mid}} stretch of coastline dropped vertically by {{convert|0.6|m}}, allowing the tsunami to travel farther and faster onto land. On 6 April, the Japanese coast guard said that the earthquake shifted the seabed near the epicenter {{convert|24|metres}} and elevated the seabed off the coast of Miyagi Prefecture by {{convert|3|metres}}.Japan seabed shifted 24 metres after March quake | Reuters.com {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110414005051weblink |date=14 April 2011 }} A report by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, published in Science on 2 December 2011, concluded that the seabed in the area between the epicenter and the Japan Trench moved {{convert|50|metres}} east-southeast and rose about {{convert|7|metres}} as a result of the quake. The report also stated that the quake caused several major landslides on the seabed in the affected area.Jiji Press, "March temblor shifted seabed by {{convert|50|metres}}", Japan Times, 3 December 2011, p. 1.Sea of Japan
(File:Sea of Japan Map en.png|thumb|upright=1.3|Sea of Japan)History
During the Pleistocene (2.58 million years BCE) glacial cycles, the Japanese islands may have occasionally been connected to the Eurasian Continent via the Korea Strait and the Korean Peninsula or Sakhalin. The Sea of Japan was considered to be a frozen inner lake because of the lack of the warm Tsushima Current. Various plants and large animals, such as Palaeoloxodon naumanni, migrated into the Japanese archipelago.JOURNAL, Park, S.-C., Yoo, D.-G., Lee, C.-W., Lee, E.-I., Last glacial sea-level changes and paleogeography of the Korea (Tsushima) Strait, Geo-Marine Letters, 26 September 2000, 20, 2, 64–71, 10.1007/s003670000039, 2000GML....20...64P, 128476723, The Sea of Japan was a landlocked sea when the land bridge of East Asia existed circa 18,000 BCE. During the glacial maximum, the marine elevation was 200 meters lower than present. Thus, Tsushima island in the Korea Strait was a land bridge that connected Kyushu and the southern tip of Honshu with the Korean peninsula. There were still several kilometers of sea to the west of the Ryukyu islands, and most of the Sea of Japan was open sea with a mean depth of {{cvt|1,752|m|ft}}. Comparatively, most of the Yellow Sea (Yellow Plane) had a semi-arid climate (dry steppe) because it was relatively shallow, with a mean depth of {{convert|44|m|abbr=on}}. The Korean Peninsula was landlocked on the entire west and south sides of the Yellow Plane.BOOK,weblink Pre-Industrial Korea and Japan in Environmental Perspective, Conrad D., Totman, 2004, BRILL, 2007-02-02, 978-9004136267, The onset of the formation of the Japan Arc was in the Early Miocene (23 million years ago).Kameda Y. & Kato M. (2011). "Terrestrial invasion of pomatiopsid gastropods in the heavy-snow region of the Japanese Archipelago". BMC Evolutionary Biology 11: 118. {{doi|10.1186/1471-2148-11-118}}. The Early Miocene period was when the Sea of Japan started to open and the northern and southern parts of the Japanese archipelago separated from each other. The Sea of Japan expanded during the Miocene.The northern part of the Japanese archipelago was further fragmented until the orogenesis of the northeastern Japanese archipelago began in the Late Miocene. The orogenesis of the high mountain ranges in northeastern Japan started in the Late Miocene and lasted into the Pliocene. The southern part of the Japanese archipelago remained a relatively large landmass. The land area expanded northward during the Miocene.File:Last_Glacial_Maximum_Vegetation_Map.svg|thumb|upright=1.5|Vegetation during the Last Glacial MaximumLast Glacial MaximumDuring the advance of the last Ice Age, the world sea level dropped. This dried up and closed the exit straits of the Sea of Japan one by one. The deepest, and thus the last to close, was the western channel of the Korea Strait. There is controversy as to whether the Sea of Japan became a huge, cold inland lake. The Japanese archipelago had a taiga biome (open boreal woodlands). It was characterized by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces, and larches. Hokkaido, Sakhalin, and the Kuril islands had mammoth steppe biome (steppe-tundra). The vegetation was dominated by palatable high-productivity grasses, herbs, and willow shrubs.Present
The Sea of Japan has a surface area of {{cvt|978000|km2|sqmi}}, a mean depth of {{cvt|1,752|m|ft}}, and a maximum depth of {{cvt|3742|m|ft}}. It has a carrot-like shape, with the major axis extending from southwest to northeast and a wide southern part narrowing toward the north. The coastal length is about {{cvt|7600|km|mi}}, with the largest part ({{cvt|3240|km|mi|disp=or}}) belonging to Russia. The sea extends from north to south for more than {{cvt|2255|km|mi}} and has a maximum width of about {{cvt|1070|km|mi}}.Sea of Japan, Great Soviet Encyclopedia {{in lang|ru}}There are three major basins: the Yamato Basin in the southeast, the Japan Basin in the north, and the Tsushima Basin in the southwest.Sea of Japan, Encyclopædia Britannica on-line The Japan Basin has an oceanic crust and is the deepest part of the sea, whereas the Tsushima Basin is the shallowest, with depths below {{cvt|2300|m|ft}}. The Yamato Basin and Tsushima Basin have thick oceanic crusts. The continental shelves of the sea are wide on the eastern shores of Japan. On the western shores, they are narrow, particularly along the Korean and Russian coasts, averaging about {{cvt|30|km|mi}}.The geographical location of the Japanese archipelago has defined the Sea of Japan for millions of years. Without the Japanese archipelago, it would just be the Pacific Ocean. The term has been the international standard since at least the early 19th century.WEB,weblink Japanese Basic Position on the Naming of the "Japan Sea", Japan Coast Guard, March 1, 2005, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110524092704weblink">weblink May 24, 2011, In 2012, the International Hydrographic Organization, the international governing body for naming bodies of water around the world, recognized the term "Sea of Japan" as the only title for the sea.Kyodo News, "IHO nixes 'East Sea' name bid", Japan Times, 28 April 2012, p. 2; Rabiroff, Jon, and Yoo Kyong Chang, "Agency rejects South Korea's request to rename Sea of Japan {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160920033907weblink |date=2016-09-20 }}", Stars and Stripes, 28 April 2012, p. 5.Ocean currents
File:Japan%27s_ocean_currents.PNG|thumb|upright=1.3|The ocean currents surrounding the Japanese archipelago: 1. Kuroshio 2. Kuroshio extension 3. Kuroshio countercurrent 4. Tsushima Current 5. Tsugaru Current 6. SÅya Current 7. Oyashio 8. Liman Current]]The Japanese archipelago is surrounded by eight ocean currents.- The {{nihongo|Kuroshio|é»’æ½®|"ãã‚ã—ãŠ"|"Black Tide"}} is a warm, north-flowing ocean current on the west side of the Ryukyu Islands and along the east coast of Kyushu, Shikoku, and Honshu. It is a strong western boundary current and part of the North Pacific ocean gyre.
- The Kuroshio Current starts on the east coast of Luzon, Philippines, past Taiwan, and flows northeastward past Japan, where it merges with the easterly drift of the North Pacific Current.EB1911, Kuro Siwo, 15, 953, It transports warm, tropical water northward toward the polar region. The Kuroshio extension is a northward continuation of the Kuroshio Current in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. The Kuroshio countercurrent flows southward to the east of the Kuroshio current in the Pacific Ocean and Philippine Sea.
- The winter-spawning Japanese Flying Squid are associated with the Kuroshio Current. The eggs and larvae develop during winter in the East China Sea, and the adults travel with minimum energy via the Kuroshio Current to the rich northern feeding grounds near northwestern Honshu and Hokkaido.Mann, K.H. and J.R.N. Lazier. (2006). Dynamics of Marine Ecosystems. Blackwell Scientific Publications, 2nd Edition
- The {{nihongo|Tsushima Current|対馬海æµ|Tsushima KairyÅ«}} is a branch of the Kuroshio Current. It flows along the west coast of Kyushu and Honshu into the Sea of Japan.
- The {{nihongo|Oyashio|親潮||"Parental Tide"}} current is a cold subarctic ocean current that flows southward and circulates counterclockwise along the east coast of Hokkaido and northeastern Honshu in the western North Pacific Ocean. The waters of the Oyashio Current originate in the Arctic Ocean and flow southward via the Bering Sea, passing through the Bering Strait and transporting cold water from the Arctic Sea into the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk. It collides with the Kuroshio Current off the eastern shore of Japan to form the North Pacific Current. The nutrient-rich Oyashio is named for its metaphorical role as the {{nihongo|parent|親|oya}} that provides for and nurtures marine organisms.BOOK, Kuroshio and Oyashio Currents, 2001, Qiu, Bo, Encyclopedia of Ocean Sciences, 1413–25, Academic Press,weblink The upwelled, nutrient-rich water feeds the Oyashio from the north and leads to its nomenclature, parent (oya) stream (shio)., BOOK, Glattstein, Judy, Enhance Your Garden with Japanese Plants,weblink 1996, Kodansha International, 978-1-56836-137-6, 16, [...] currents whirl around and ascend, and nourish microscopic plankton. Oyashio is thus the parent of fishes,
- The Liman Current is a southward-flowing cold ocean current that flows from the Strait of Tartary along the Asian continent in the Sea of Japan.WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140308151146weblink">weblink æµ·æµ, 北陸地方整備局 (Hokuriku Regional Development Bureau), 2014-03-08, 2014-03-08, dead, 2018-04-14,
- The {{nihongo|Tsugaru Warm Current|津軽暖æµ|Tsugaru DanryÅ«}} originates when the Tsushima Current is divided in two as it flows through the west entrance of the Tsugaru Strait, and along the La Perouse Strait at the north coast of Hokkaido it becomes the {{nihongo|SÅya Warm Current|å®—è°·æš–æµ|SÅya DanryÅ«}}. The flow rate is 1 to 3 knots. There is a relatively stronger flow in the summer than in the winter.北海é“周辺ã®æµ·æµ 第一管区海上ä¿å®‰æœ¬éƒ¨
Natural resources
Land resources
There are small deposits of coal, oil, iron, and minerals in the Japanese archipelago.WEB, Japan,weblink CIA World Factbook, 11 November 2017, Japan is scarce in critical natural resources and has long been heavily dependent on imported energy and raw materials.WEB, Can nuclear power save Japan from peak oil?,weblink Our World 2.0, March 15, 2011, February 2, 2011, The oil crisis in 1973 encouraged the efficient use of energy.WEB, Sekiyama, Takeshi, Japan's international cooperation for energy efficiency and conservation in Asian region,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20080216005103weblink">weblink February 16, 2008, Energy Conservation Center, January 16, 2011, Japan has therefore aimed to diversify its sources and maintain high levels of energy efficiency.WEB, U.S. Relations with Japan, 11 March 2016,weblink U.S. Department of State, In regards to agricultural products, the self-sufficiency rate of most items is less than 100%, except for rice. Rice has 100% food self-sufficiency. This makes it difficult to meet Japan's food demand without imports.Marine resources
File:Japan Exclusive Economic Zones.png|thumb|right|upright=1.3|(Exclusive economic zone of Japan|Japan's exclusive economic zones]]:{{legend|#dd12c2|Japan's EEZ}}{{legend|#f080e1|Joint regime with Republic of Korea}}{{legend|#f2d1ee|EEZ claimed by Japan, disputed by others}})The exclusive economic zone of Japan has an estimated large quantity of mineral resources such as methane clathrate, natural gas, metallic minerals, and rare-earth mineral reserves. Seabed mineral resources such as manganese nodules, cobalt-rich crust, and submarine hydrothermal deposits are located at depths over {{convert|1000|m|ft|abbr=on}}. Most of these deep-sea resources are unexplored at the seabed. Japan's mining law restricts offshore oil and gas production. There are technological hurdles to mine at such extreme depths and to limit the ecological impact. There are no successful commercial ventures that mine the deep sea yet. So currently, there are few deep sea mining projects to retrieve minerals or deepwater drilling on the ocean floor.It is estimated that there are approximately 40 trillion cubic feet of methane clathrate in the eastern Nankai Trough of Japan.藤田和男ã»ã‹ç›£ä¿® ä½ã€…木詔雄ã»ã‹ç·¨è‘— 『天然ガスã®æœ¬ã€ 日刊工æ¥æ–°èž 2008å¹´3月25æ—¥åˆç‰ˆ1刷発行 {{ISBN|978-4-526-06024-3}} As of 2019, the methane clathrate in the deep sea remains unexploited because the necessary technology has not been established yet. This is why, currently, Japan has very limited proven reserves like crude oil.The KantÅ region alone is estimated to have over 400 billion cubic meters of natural gas reserves. It forms a Minami KantÅ gas field in the area spanning Saitama, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Ibaraki, and Chiba prefectures. However, mining is strictly regulated in many areas because it is directly below Tokyo and is only slightly mined on the BÅsÅ Peninsula. In Tokyo and Chiba Prefecture, there have been frequent accidents with natural gas that was released naturally from the Minami KantÅ gas field.JOURNAL, 10.14863/geosocabst.2008.0.426.0, 2008, 2008, 金å, ä¿¡è¡Œ, é–¢æ±å¹³é‡Žä¸‹ã«è³¦å˜ã™ã‚‹å¯ç‡ƒæ€§å¤©ç„¶ã‚¬ã‚¹ã«ã¤ã„ã¦, 日本地質å¦ä¼šå¦è¡“大会講演è¦æ—¨, ä½è„‡, 貴幸, 棚橋, å¦., In 2018, {{convert|250|km|mi|abbr=on}} south of Minami-Tori-shima at {{convert|5700|m|ft|abbr=on}} deep, approximately 16 million tons of rare-earth minerals were discovered by JAMSTEC in collaboration with Waseda University and the University of Tokyo.NEWS, Centuries worth of rare earth elements found in Japan's EEZ,weblink The Asahi Shimbun, April 17, 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180621021131weblink">weblink June 21, 2018, February 24, 2019,Marine life
Japan maintains one of the world's largest fishing fleets and accounts for nearly 15% of the global catch (2014). In 2005, Japan ranked sixth in the world in the tonnage of fish caught.WEB,weblink World review of fisheries and aquaculture, Food and Agriculture Organization, January 18, 2014, Japan captured 4,074,580 metric tons of fish in 2005, down from 4,987,703 tons in 2000 and 9,864,422 tons in 1980.WEB,weblink Fish capture by country, The Guardian, September 2, 2003, January 18, 2014, Brown, Felicity, In 2003, the total aquaculture production was predicted at 1,301,437 tonnes.WEB,weblink Japan National Aquaculture Sector Overview, Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO Fisheries & Aquaculture, In 2010, Japan's total fishery production was 4,762,469 fish.WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170525161431weblink">weblink dead, 2017-05-25, World fisheries production, by capture and aquaculture, by country (2010), Food and Agriculture Organization, January 18, 2014, mdy-all, Offshore fisheries accounted for an average of 50% of the nation's total fish catches in the late 1980s, although they experienced repeated ups and downs during that period.Energy
{{As of|2011}}, 46.1% of energy in Japan was produced from petroleum, 21.3% from coal, 21.4% from natural gas, 4.0% from nuclear power, and 3.3% from hydropower. Nuclear power is a major domestic source of energy and produced 9.2 percent of Japan's electricity {{As of|2011|lc=y}}, down from 24.9 percent the previous year.WEB, Energy,weblink Statistical Handbook of Japan 2013, Statistics Bureau, February 14, 2014, Following the 2011 TÅhoku earthquake and tsunami disaster, the nuclear reactors were shut down. Thus, Japan's industrial sector became even more dependent than before on imported fossil fuels. By May 2012, all of the country's nuclear power plants were taken offline because of ongoing public opposition following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in March 2011, though government officials continued to try to sway public opinion in favor of returning at least some of Japan's 50 nuclear reactors to service.NEWS, Tsukimori, Osamu, Japan nuclear power-free as last reactor shuts,weblink May 8, 2012, Reuters, May 5, 2012, Shinzo Abe's government seeks to restart the nuclear power plants that meet strict new safety standards and is emphasizing nuclear energy's importance as a base-load electricity source. In 2015, Japan successfully restarted one nuclear reactor at the Sendai Nuclear Power Plant in Kagoshima prefecture, and several other reactors around the country have since resumed operations. Opposition from local governments has delayed several restarts that remain pending.Reforms of the electricity and gas sectors, including the full liberalization of Japan's energy market in April 2016 and the gas market in April 2017, constitute an important part of Prime Minister Abe's economic program.Japan has the third-largest geothermal reserves in the world. Geothermal energy is being heavily focused on as a source of power following the Fukushima disaster. The Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry is exploring over 40 locations for potential geothermal energy plants.WEB,weblink Is Japan the Next Boom Market for the Geothermal Energy Industry?, Cichon, Meg, 29 May 2015, Renewable Energy World, 20 October 2016, 8 August 2019,weblink dead, On 3 July 2018, Japan's government pledged to increase renewable energy sources from 15% to 22–24%, including wind and solar, by 2030. Nuclear energy will provide 20% of the country's energy needs as an emissions-free energy source. This will help Japan meet climate change commitments.WEB, Japan aims for 24% renewable energy but keeps nuclear central,weblink Phys.org, July 3, 2018,weblink July 3, 2018, October 3, 2018,National Parks and Scenic Beauty
National Parks
File:Jrb 2007 LakeToya Showashinzan.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.3|Lake TÅya and ShÅwa-shinzan in Shikotsu-TÅya National ParkShikotsu-TÅya National ParkJapan has 34 {{nihongo|National Parks|国立公園|Kokuritsu KÅen}} and 56 {{nihongo|Quasi-National Parks|国定公園|Kokutei KÅen}} in 2019. These are designated and managed for protection and sustainable usage by the Ministry of the Environment under the {{nihongo|Natural Parks Law|(:ja:自然公園法|自然公園法)}} of 1957.WEB,weblink Natural Parks Act (1957), Ministry of the Environment (Japan), Ministry of the Environment, 1 February 2012, The Quasi-National Parks have slightly less beauty, size, diversity, or preservation. They are recommended for ministerial designation and managed by the prefectures under the supervision of the Ministry of the Environment.WEB,weblink Natural Park Systems in Japan, Ministry of the Environment (Japan), Ministry of the Environment, 4, 12, 1 February 2012, The Japanese archipelago has diverse landscapes. For example, the northern part of Hokkaido has a taiga biome.C.Michael Hogan. 2011. Taiga. eds. M.McGinley & C.Cleveland. Encyclopedia of Earth. National Council for Science and the Environment. Washington DC Hokkaido has 22% of Japan's forestland with coniferous trees (Sakhalin fir and Sakhalin spruce) and broad-leaved trees (Japanese oak, birch, and painted maple). The seasonal views change throughout the year.WEB,weblink National Forests in Hokkaido, 2014-03-01, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Hokkaido Regional Forest Office, ja,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180627115721weblink">weblink 2018-06-27, 2019-07-21, In the south, the Yaeyama Islands are in the subtropics, with numerous species of subtropical and tropical plants and mangrove forests.ENCYCLOPEDIA, Nihon Rekishi Chimei Taikei, å…«é‡å±±è«¸å³¶,weblink 2012-12-04, 2012, Shogakukan, Tokyo, ja, Yaeyama Islands, 173191044,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070825113418weblink">weblink 2007-08-25, dead, WEB,weblink 自然環境ã®ä¿å…¨ã«é–¢ã™ã‚‹æŒ‡é‡ å…«é‡å±±ç·¨ï¼ˆé™¸åŸŸï¼‰, Okinawa Prefectural Government, ja, Guidelines for conservation of the natural environment, 2019-01-15, Most natural islands have mountain ranges in the center and coastal plains.- List of National Parks of Japan
- List of National Geoparks in Japan
- Wildlife Protection Areas in Japan
- List of Ramsar sites in Japan
- Cultural Landscapes
Places of Scenic Beauty
File:Ritsurin_park16s3200.jpg|thumb|Ritsurin Garden, Takamatsu, Japan]]The Places of Scenic Beauty and Natural Monuments are selected by the government via the Agency for Cultural Affairs in order to protect Japan's cultural heritage.WEB,weblink ja:å²è·¡ç‰ã®æŒ‡å®šç‰ã«ã¤ã„ã¦, Designation of Special Historic Sites, 2017-09-14, Agency for Cultural Affairs, 2017-11-18, 2017-12-01,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20171201033530weblink">weblink dead, As of 2017, there are 1,027 {{nihongo|Natural Monuments|天然記念物|tennen kinenbutsu}} and 410 {{nihongo|Places of Scenic Beauty|åå‹|meishÅ}}. The highest classifications are 75 {{nihongo|Special Natural Monuments|特別天然記念物|tokubetsu tennen kinenbutsu}} and 36 {{nihongo|Special Places of Scenic Beauty|特別åå‹|tokubetsu meishÅ}}.Three Views of Japan
The {{nihongo|Three Views of Japan|日本三景|Nihon Sankei}} is the canonical list of Japan's three most celebrated scenic sights, attributed to 1643 scholar Hayashi GahÅ.WEB,weblink Amanohashidate – History, Amanohashidate kankokyokai, 14 May 2011, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110717114213weblink">weblink 17 July 2011, These are traditionally the pine-clad islands of Matsushima in Miyagi Prefecture, the pine-clad sandbar of Amanohashidate in Kyoto Prefecture, and Itsukushima Shrine in Hiroshima Prefecture. In 1915, the New Three Views of Japan were selected in a national election by the Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha (æ ªå¼ä¼šç¤¾å®Ÿæ¥ä¹‹æ—¥æœ¬ç¤¾). In 2003, the Three Major Night Views of Japan were selected by the New Three Major Night Views of Japan and the 100 Night Views of Japan Club (新日本三大夜景・夜景100é¸äº‹å‹™å±€).Matsushima miyagi z.JPG|Pine-clad islands of MatsushimaAmanohashidate view from Mt Moju02s3s4592.jpg|Sandbar of Amanohashidate20131012_07_Miyajima_-_Torii_(10491662566).jpg|Torii at Itsukushima ShrineClimate
{{more citations needed|section|date=October 2018}}File:Koppen-Geiger Map JPN present.svg|thumb|upright=2|A Köppen climate classificationKöppen climate classificationMost regions of Japan, such as much of Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, belong to the temperate zone with a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) characterized by four distinct seasons. However, its climate varies from a cool, humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfa/Dfb) in the north, such as northern Hokkaido, to a warm tropical rainforest climate (Köppen climate classification Af) in the south, such as the Yaeyama Islands and Minami-Tori-shima.Climate zones
File:Kabira Bay Ishigaki Island41s3s4500.jpg|thumb|Kabira Bay on Ishigaki Island, Okinawa PrefectureOkinawa PrefectureFile:Himejijo sakura2.jpg|thumb|Sakura blossoms with Himeji Castle in HyÅgo PrefectureHyÅgo PrefectureFile:Mt.Yarigatake_from_Enzansou.jpg|thumb|Mount Yari, Nagano PrefectureNagano PrefectureJapan's varied geographical features divide it into six principal climatic zones.- Hokkaido belongs to the humid continental climate, with long, cold winters and cool summers. Precipitation is sparse; however, winter brings large snowfalls of hundreds of inches in areas such as Sapporo and Asahikawa.
- In the Sea of Japan, the northwest seasonal wind in winter gives heavy snowfall, which south of TÅhoku mostly melts before the beginning of spring. In summer, it is a little less rainy than in the Pacific area, but it sometimes experiences extreme high temperatures because of the foehn wind phenomenon.
- Central Highland: a typical inland climate gives large temperature variations between summers and winters and between days and nights. Precipitation is lower than on the coast because of rain shadow effects.
- Seto Inland Sea: the mountains in the Chūgoku and Shikoku regions block the seasonal winds and bring a mild climate and many fine days throughout the year.
- Pacific Ocean: the climate varies greatly between the north and the south, but generally winters are significantly milder and sunnier than those of the side that faces the Sea of Japan. Summers are hot because of the southeast seasonal wind. Precipitation is very heavy in the south and heavy in the summer in the north. The climate of the Ogasawara Island chain ranges from a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) to a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification Aw), with temperatures being warm to hot all year round.
- The climate of the Ryukyu Islands ranges from a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) in the north to a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen climate classification Af) in the south, with warm winters and hot summers. Precipitation is very high and is especially affected by the rainy season and typhoons.
Rainfall
Japan is generally a rainy country with high humidity. Because of its wide range of latitude, seasonal winds, and different types of ocean currents,{{citation needed|date=November 2020}} Japan has a variety of climates, with the latitude range of the inhabited islands ranging from 24°N to 46°N, which is comparable to the range between Nova Scotia and The Bahamas on the east coast of North America. Tokyo is between 35°N and 36°N, which is comparable to that of Tehran, Athens, or Las Vegas.As Mount Fuji and the coastal Japanese Alps provide a rain shadow, Nagano and Yamanashi Prefectures receive the least precipitation in Honshu, though it still exceeds {{convert|900|mm|in|0}} annually. A similar effect is found in Hokkaido, where Okhotsk Subprefecture receives as little as {{convert|750|mm|in|0}} per year. All other prefectures have coasts on the Pacific Ocean, Sea of Japan, or Seto Inland Sea or have a body of salt water connected to them. Two prefectures—Hokkaido and Okinawa—are composed entirely of islands.Summer
The climate from June to September is marked by hot, wet weather brought by tropical airflows from the Pacific Ocean and Southeast Asia. These air flows are full of moisture and deposit substantial amounts of rain when they reach land. There is a marked rainy season, beginning in early June and continuing for about a month. It is followed by hot, sticky weather. Five or six typhoons pass over or near Japan every year from early August to early October, sometimes resulting in significant damage. Annual precipitation averages between {{convert|1000|and|2500|mm|-1|abbr=on}} except for areas such as Kii Peninsula and Yakushima Island, which is Japan's wettest place,WEB, Japan Climate Charts Index,weblink 2015-10-11,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20171030040135weblink">weblink 2017-10-30, dead, with the annual precipitation being one of the world's highest at 4,000 to 10,000 mm.WEB, Yakushima World Heritage property,weblink Ministry of the Environment, 2015-10-11, Maximum precipitation, like the rest of East Asia, occurs in the summer months except on the Sea of Japan coast, where strong northerly winds produce a maximum in late autumn and early winter. Except for a few sheltered inland valleys during December and January, precipitation in Japan is above {{convert|25|mm|in|0}} of rainfall equivalent in all months of the year, and in the wettest coastal areas it is above {{convert|100|mm|in|0}} per month throughout the year.Mid-June to mid-July is generally the rainy season in Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, excluding HokkaidÅ since the seasonal rain front, or {{nihongo|baiu zensen|梅雨å‰ç·š|}}, dissipates in northern Honshu before reaching Hokkaido. In Okinawa, the rainy season starts early in May and continues until mid-June. Unlike the rainy season in mainland Japan, it rains neither everyday nor all day long during the rainy season in Okinawa. Between July and October, typhoons, grown from tropical depressions generated near the equator, can attack Japan with furious rainstorms.Winter
File:Mount_Zao_Winter_Miyagi_12_Feb_2021.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Winter with frozen coniferous trees near Mt. Kumano in the Mount ZaŠrange in Miyagi PrefectureMiyagi PrefectureIn winter, the Siberian High develops over the Eurasian land mass and the Aleutian Low develops over the northern Pacific Ocean. The result is a flow of cold air southeastward across Japan that brings freezing temperatures and heavy snowfalls to the central mountain ranges facing the Sea of Japan but clear skies to areas fronting the Pacific.The warmest winter temperatures are found in the NanpŠand Bonin Islands, which enjoy a tropical climate due to the combination of latitude, distance from the Asian continent, and warming effect of winds from the Kuroshio, as well as the Volcano Islands (at the latitude of the southernmost of the Ryukyu Islands, 24° N). The coolest summer temperatures are found on the northeastern coast of HokkaidŠin Kushiro and Nemuro Subprefectures.Sunshine
Sunshine, in accordance with Japan's uniformly heavy rainfall, is generally modest in quantity, though no part of Japan receives the consistently gloomy fogs that envelope the Sichuan Basin or Taipei. Amounts range from about six hours per day on the Inland Sea coast and sheltered parts of the Pacific Coast and KantÅ Plain to four hours per day on the Sea of Japan coast of HokkaidÅ. In December, there is a very pronounced sunshine gradient between the Sea of Japan and Pacific coasts, as the former side can receive less than 30 hours and the Pacific side as much as 180 hours. In summer, however, sunshine hours are lowest on exposed parts of the Pacific coast, where fogs from the Oyashio current create persistent cloud cover similar to that found on the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin.Extreme temperature records
The highest recorded temperature in Japan was 41.1 °C (106.0 °F) on 23 July 2018. An unverified record of 42.7 °C was taken in Adachi, Tokyo, on 20 July 2004. The high humidity and the maritime influence make temperatures in the 40s rare, with summers dominated by a more stable subtropical monsoon pattern through most of Japan. The lowest was −41.0 °C (−41.8 °F) in Asahikawa on 25 January 1902. However, an unofficial −41.5 °C was taken in Bifuka on 27 January 1931. Mount Fuji broke the Japanese record lows for each month except January, February, March, and December. Record lows for any month were taken as recently as 1984.Minami-Tori-shima has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification Aw) and the highest average temperature in Japan of 25 °C.WEB,weblink Japan Climate Index, 2015-10-11,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20171030040135weblink">weblink 2017-10-30, dead, {{Weather box|location = Japan|metric first = yes|single line = yes|Jan record high C = 29.7|Feb record high C = 29.1|Mar record high C = 30.4|Apr record high C = 33.7|May record high C = 39.5|Jun record high C = 40.2|Jul record high C = 41.1|Aug record high C = 41.1|Sep record high C = 40.4|Oct record high C = 36.0|Nov record high C = 34.2|Dec record high C = 31.6|Jan record low C = -41.0|Feb record low C = -38.3|Mar record low C = -35.2|Apr record low C = -27.8|May record low C = -18.9|Jun record low C = -13.1|Jul record low C = -6.9|Aug record low C = -4.3|Sep record low C = -10.8|Oct record low C = -19.5|Nov record low C = -28.1|Dec record low C = -34.2Population distribution
{{see also|List of cities in Japan}}(File:JapanCitiesTownsOMC.PNG|thumb|upright=2|A map of Japan's major cities, main towns and selected smaller centers)Japan has a population of 126.3 million in 2019.WEB,weblink Population Estimates Monthly Report June 2019, June 20, 2019, www.stat.go.jp, Statistics Bureau Japan, July 18, 2019,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20190606203315weblink">weblink June 6, 2019, It is the eleventh-most populous country and the second-most populous island country in the world. The population is clustered in urban areas along the coast, plains, and valleys. In 2010, 90.7% of the total Japanese population lived in cities.WEB, å¹³æˆ22å¹´å›½å‹¢èª¿æŸ»æœ€çµ‚å ±å‘Šæ›¸ 人å£ã®åœ°åŸŸåˆ†å¸ƒ,weblink The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Statistics Bureau, 2015-10-14, Japan is an urban society, with about 5% of the labor force working in agriculture. About 80 million of the urban population is heavily concentrated on the Pacific coast of Honshu.WEB,weblink Japan – Places in the News {{!, Library of Congress|website=www.loc.gov|access-date=2017-01-30}}81% of the population lives on Honshu, 10% on Kyushu, 4.2% on Hokkaido, 3% on Shikoku, 1.1% in Okinawa Prefecture, and 0.7% on other Japanese islands such as the NanpÅ Islands. Nearly 1 in 3 Japanese people live in the Greater Tokyo Area, and over half live in the Kanto, Kinki, and Chukyo metropolitan areas.WEB, Statistics Bureau of Japan, Statistical Handbook of Japan 2020,weblinkHonshu
{{nihongo|HonshÅ«|本州}} is the largest island of Japan and the second most populous island in the world. It has a population of 104,000,000 with a population density of {{Pop density|447|1|km2|sqmi}} (2010).WEB,weblink ç·å‹™çœï½œä½åŸºãƒãƒƒãƒˆ, soumu.go.jp, Honshu is roughly {{convert|1300|km|abbr=on}} long and ranges from {{convert|50|to|230|km|mi|abbr=on}} wide, and the total area is {{convert|225,800|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}. It is the 7th largest island in the world.WEB,weblink Islands By Land Area, Islands.unep.ch, 2010-08-01, 2018-02-20,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180220003634weblink">weblink dead, This makes it slightly larger than the island of Great Britain ({{convert|209,331|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}).The Greater Tokyo Area on Honshu is the largest metropolitan area (megacity) in the world, with {{nts|38,140,000}} people (2016).WEB,weblink Table 2.10 Population of Three Major Metropolitan Areas, Statistics Bureau of Japan, 26 November 2013, WEB,weblink The World's Cities in 2016, United Nations, March 12, 2017, United Nations, The area is {{convert|13,500|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}Japan Statistics Bureau – Keihin'yÅ Major Metropolitan Area {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070210012525weblink |date=2007-02-10 }} and has a population density of 2,642 persons/km2.{{Citation |title=Demographia World Urban Areas: 12th Annual Edition: 2016:04 |date=2016 |url=http://demographia.com/db-worldua.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161013155105weblink |publisher=Demographia|access-date=2007-05-10|archive-date=2016-10-13|url-status=dead}}Kyushu
{{nihongo|Kyushu|ä¹å·ž}} is the third-largest island of Japan of the five main islands.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "KyÅ«shÅ«" in {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC|Japan Encyclopedia, p. 588|page=588}} {{As of|2016}}, Kyushu has a population of 12,970,479 and covers {{convert|36782|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}.NEWS,weblink Discover the Geography of the 4 Main Islands of Japan, ThoughtCo, 2018-09-26, It has the second-highest population density of 307.13 persons/km2 (2016).Shikoku
{{nihongo|Shikoku|四国}} is the second-smallest of the five main islands (after Okinawa Island), with {{convert|18,800|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}. It is located south of Honshu and northeast of Kyushu. It has the second-smallest population of 3,845,534 (2015)WEB,weblink Shikoku and Awaji Island, Japan National Tourism Organization, September 2011, 2013-05-02, live,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130204132833weblink">weblink 2013-02-04, and the third-highest population density of 204.55 persons/km2.Hokkaido
{{nihongo|Hokkaido|北海é“}} is the second-largest island of Japan and the largest and northernmost prefecture. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Hokkaido" in {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC|Japan Encyclopedia, p. 343|page=343}} It has the third largest population of the five main islands, with 5,383,579 (2015), and the lowest population density, with just 64.5 persons/km2 (2016). The island area ranks 21st in the world by area. It is 3.6% smaller than the island of Ireland.Okinawa Prefecture
{{nihongo|Okinawa Prefecture|沖縄県}} is the southernmost prefecture of Japan.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Okinawa-shi" in {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC|Japan Encyclopedia, p. 746-747|page=746}} It encompasses two-thirds of the Ryukyu Islands, over {{convert|1000|km}} long. It has a population of 1,445,812 (2017) and a density of 662 persons/km2. {{nihongo|Okinawa Island|沖縄本島 or 沖縄島}} is the smallest and most southwestern of the five main islands, at {{convert|1,206.98|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}. It has the smallest population of 1,301,462 (2014) and the highest population density of 1083.6 persons/km2.NanpŠIslands
{{nihongo|NanpÅ Islands|å—方諸島}} are the groups of islands that are located to the south and east of the main islands of the Japanese archipelago. They extend from the Izu Peninsula west of Tokyo Bay southward for about {{convert|1,200|km}} to within {{convert|500|km}} of the Mariana Islands. The NanpÅ Islands are all administered by Tokyo Metropolis.TaiheiyÅ Belt
File:Major_metropolitan_employment_areas_of_TaiheiyÅ_Belt.svg|thumb|upright=1.2|right|TaiheiyÅ BeltTaiheiyÅ BeltThe TaiheiyÅ Belt is a megalopolis that includes the Greater Tokyo Area and Keihanshin megapoles. It is almost {{convert|1,200|km|mi|abbr=on}} long, from Ibaraki Prefecture in the northeast to Fukuoka Prefecture in the southwest. Satellite images at night show a dense and continuous strip of light (demarcating urban zones) that delineates the region with overlapping metropolitan areas in Japan.Satellite images of stable night time lights in Japan It has a total population of approximately 81,859,345 (2016).- TaiheiyÅ Belt – includes Ibaraki, Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Shizuoka, Aichi, Gifu, Mie, Kyoto, Osaka, HyÅgo, Wakayama, Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, Fukuoka, and ÅŒita. (81,859,345 people)WEB,weblink 地域活性化戦略（案）資料, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, August 13, 2016, PDF, ja, 4,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160923151046weblink">weblink September 23, 2016, live, mdy-all, WEB, 2015 Population Census,weblink Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, August 13, 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160825120347weblink">weblink August 25, 2016, live, mdy-all,
- Greater Tokyo Area – Part of the larger KantŠregion, broadly includes Tokyo and Yokohama. (38,000,000 people)United Nations (March 12, 2017). "The World's Cities in 2016" (PDF). United Nations
- Keihanshin – Part of the larger Kansai region, includes Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe. (19,341,976 people)Japan Statistics Bureau – "2010 Census", retrieved August 23, 2015
Underwater habitats
There are plans to build underwater habitats in Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone. Currently no underwater city is constructed yet. For example, the Ocean Spiral by Shimizu Corporation would have a floating dome 500 meters in diameter with hotels, residential and commercial complexes. It could be 15 km long. This allows mining of the seabed, research and production of methane from carbon dioxide with micro-organisms. The Ocean Spiral was co-developed with JAMSTEC and Tokyo University.WEB,weblink Ocean Spiral, November 21, 2014, ja, NEWS,weblink City of the future sinks into the ocean, Daily Telegraph, November 21, 2014,weblink September 8, 2018,Extreme points
File:Extreme_points_japan_map.png|thumb|upright=1.2|Extreme points of JapanExtreme points of JapanFile:Numazu_and_Mount_Fuji.jpg|thumb|left|The summit of Mount FujiMount FujiJapan extends from 20° to 45° north latitude (Okinotorishima to Benten-jima) and from 122° to 153° east longitude (Yonaguni to Minami Torishima).WEB,weblink GeoHack – Geography of Japan, GeoHack, October 14, 2018, These are the points that are farther north, south, east, or west than any other location in Japan.{| class="wikitable" style="width:75%;"Japan's main islands
The five main islands of Japan are HokkaidÅ, HonshÅ«, KyÅ«shÅ«, Shikoku, and Okinawa. These are also called the mainland. All of these points are accessible to the public.{| class="wikitable" style="width:75%;"Extreme altitudes{| class"wikitable sortable" style"width:75%;"
Largest islands of Japan
File:Ogasawara islands.png|thumb|upright=1.25|The NanpÅ Islands of the Japanese archipelagoJapanese archipelagoFile:Map_of_Izu_Islands.png|thumb|upright=1.25|Izu IslandsIzu IslandsFile:Location_of_the_Ryukyu_Islands.JPG|thumb|upright=1.25|The Ryukyu Islands administered by Kagoshima Prefecture and Okinawa PrefectureOkinawa PrefectureThese are the 50 largest islands of Japan. It excludes the disputed Kuril Islands, known as the northern territories.{| class="sortable wikitable"Northern Territories
(File:Demis-kurils-russian names.png|upright=1.25|thumb|The Kuril Islands, with their Russian names. The borders of the Treaty of Shimoda (1855) and the Treaty of St. Petersburg (1875) are shown in red. Currently, all islands northeast of Hokkaido are administered by Russia.)Japan has a longstanding claim to the Southern Kuril Islands (Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan, and the Habomai Islands). These islands were occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945.MOFA, Japan's Northern Territories The Kuril Islands historically belonged to Japan.BOOK, Peattie, Mark R., The Cambridge History of Japan Vol. 6, Chapter 5 – The Japanese Colonial Empire 1895–1945, Cambridge University Press, 1988, Cambridge, 0-521-22352-0, The Kuril Islands were first inhabited by the Ainu people and then controlled by the Japanese Matsumae clan in the Edo Period.BOOK, The Kuril Islands, John J, Stephan, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1974, 50–56, The Soviet Union did not sign the San Francisco Treaty in 1951. The U.S. Senate Resolution of April 28, 1952, ratifying the San Francisco Treaty, explicitly stated that the USSR had no title to the Kurils.James E. Goodby, Vladimir I. Ivanov, Nobuo Shimotomai, Northern territories and beyond: Russian, Japanese, and American Perspectives, Praeger Publishers, 1995 This dispute has prevented the signing of a peace treaty between Japan and Russia.Geographically, the Kuril Islands are a northeastern extension of Hokkaido. Kunashiri and the Habomai Islands are visible from the northeastern coast of Hokkaido. Japan considers the northern territories (aka Southern Chishima) part of the Nemuro Subprefecture of Hokkaido Prefecture.Time zone
There is one time zone in the whole Japanese archipelago. It is 9 hours ahead of UTC.WEB,weblink Current Local Time in Japan, timeanddate.com, There is no daylight saving time. The easternmost Japanese island, Minami-Tori-shima, also uses Japan Standard Time, while it is geographically {{convert|1848|km|mi|0}} southeast of Tokyo and in the (UTC+10:00) time zone.Sakhalin uses (UTC+11:00), even though it is located directly north of Hokkaido. The Northern Territories and the Kuril Islands use (UTC+11:00), although they are geographically in (UTC+10:00).Natural hazards
Earthquakes and tsunami
File:SH-60B helicopter flies over Sendai.jpg|thumb|The aftermath of the 2011 TÅhoku earthquake and tsunami2011 TÅhoku earthquake and tsunami{{see also|List of earthquakes in Japan}}Japan is substantially prone to earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes because of its location along the Pacific Ring of Fire.WEB,weblink Japan's Explosive Geology Explained, Live Science, Israel, Brett, March 14, 2011, June 17, 2016, It has the 15th highest natural disaster risk as measured in the 2013 World Risk Index.2013 World Risk Report {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140816173655weblink |date=August 16, 2014 }}As many as 1,500 earthquakes are recorded yearly, and magnitudes of 4 to 6 are common. Minor tremors occur almost daily in one part of the country or another, causing slight shaking of buildings. Undersea earthquakes also expose the Japanese coastline to danger from {{nihongo|tsunamis|津波}}.Destructive earthquakes, often resulting in tsunamis, occur several times each century. The 1923 Tokyo earthquake killed over 140,000 people.WEB, James, C.D., The 1923 Tokyo Earthquake and Fire,weblink University of California Berkeley, January 16, 2011, 2002, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070316050633weblink">weblink March 16, 2007, More recent major quakes are the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake and the 2011 TÅhoku earthquake, a 9.1-magnitudeWEB,weblink M 9.1 – near the east coast of Honshu, Japan, Earthquake.usgs.gov, July 11, 2016, August 29, 2017, quake that hit Japan on March 11, 2011. It triggered a large tsunami and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, one of the worst disasters in the history of nuclear power.NEWS, Fackler, Martin; Drew, Kevin, Devastation as Tsunami Crashes Into Japan,weblink March 11, 2011, The New York Times, March 11, 2011, The 2011 TÅhoku earthquake was the largest ever recorded in Japan and is the world's fourth largest earthquake to strike since 1900, according to the U.S. Geological Service. It struck offshore about {{convert|371|km|mi}} northeast of Tokyo and {{convert|130|km|mi}} east of the city of Sendai and created a massive tsunami that devastated Japan's northeastern coastal areas. At least 100 aftershocks registering a magnitude of 6.0 or higher have followed the main shock. At least 15,000 people died as a result.Researchers found the source of great thrust earthquakes and associated tsunamis in the Greater Tokyo Area at the Izu-Ogasawara Trench. There is a 'trench-trench triple junction' of the oceanic Philippine Sea Plate that underthrusts a continental plate and is being subducted by the Pacific Plate.WEB, Simon Fraser University, Phys.org, New source for earthquakes and tsunamis in the Greater Tokyo Region identified,weblink September 12, 2021, live,weblink September 4, 2021, Reclaimed land and human-made islands are particularly susceptible to liquefaction during an earthquake. As a result, there are specific earthquake resistance standards and ground reform work that apply to all construction in these areas. In an area that was possibly reclaimed in the past, old maps and land condition drawings are checked, and drilling is carried out to determine the strength of the ground. However, this can be very costly, so for a private residential block of land, a Swedish weight sounding test is more common.Japan has become a world leader in research on the causes and prediction of earthquakes. The development of advanced technology has permitted the construction of skyscrapers even in earthquake-prone areas. Extensive civil defense efforts focus on training in protection against earthquakes, in particular against accompanying fire, which represents the greatest danger.Volcanic eruptions
File:Sakurajima_20091003.jpg|thumb|upright|SakurajimaSakurajima{{see also|List of volcanoes in Japan}}Japan has 111 active volcanoes. That is 10% of all active volcanoes in the world. Japan has stratovolcanoes near the subduction zones of the tectonic plates. During the 20th century, several new volcanoes emerged, including ShÅwa-shinzan on Hokkaido and MyÅjin-shÅ off the Bayonnaise Rocks in the Pacific.WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070204064754weblink">weblink February 4, 2007, Tectonics and Volcanoes of Japan, Oregon State University, March 27, 2007, In 1991, Japan's Unzen Volcano on Kyushu, about {{convert|40|km|abbr=on}} east of Nagasaki, awakened from its 200-year slumber to produce a new lava dome at its summit. Beginning in June, repeated collapse of this erupting dome generated ash flows that swept down the mountain's slopes at speeds as high as {{convert|200|km/h|abbr=on}}. Unzen erupted in 1792 and killed more than 15,000 people. It is the worst volcanic disaster in the country's recorded history.{{USGS|title=Plate tectonics and people|last1=Kious|first1=W. Jacquelyne|last2=Tilling|first2=Robert I.|url=http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/tectonics.html}}Mount Fuji is a dormant stratovolcano that last erupted on 16 December 1707 till about 1 January 1708.WEB, Active Volcanoes of Japan,weblink Geological Survey of Japan, AIST, March 7, 2016, WEB,weblink Mount Fuji, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 11 September 2019, The HÅei eruption of Mount Fuji did not have a lava flow, but it did release some {{convert|800|e6m3}} of volcanic ash. It spread over vast areas around the volcano and reached Edo almost {{convert|100|km|-1}} away. Cinders and ash fell like rain in Izu, Kai, Sagami, and Musashi provinces.BOOK, fr, Titsingh, Isaac, von Klaproth, Julius, Siyun-zai Rin-siyo, 1834,weblink 63259938, Nipon o daï itsi ran; ou, Annales des empereurs du Japon, 416, Paris, Printed for the Oriental Translation Fund; [etc., etc.], In Edo, the volcanic ash was several centimeters thick.WEB, 18. å™´ç«ç½å®³, ja, dil.bosai.go.jp,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110325062432weblink">weblink March 25, 2011, The eruption is rated a 5 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index.WEB,weblink Fuji — Eruption History, Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian Institution, 10 August 2013, File:Aso-4_tephra_90-85ka.svg|thumb|Mount AsoMount AsoThere are three VEI-7 volcanoes in Japan. These are the Aira Caldera, the Kikai Caldera, and the Aso Caldera. These giant calderas are remnants of past eruptions. Mount Aso is the largest active volcano in Japan. 300,000 to 90,000 years ago, there were four eruptions of Mount Aso that emitted huge amounts of volcanic ash that covered all of Kyushu and up to Yamaguchi Prefecture.- The Aira Caldera is 17 kilometers long and 23 kilometers wide, located in south Kyushu. The city of Kagoshima and the Sakurajima volcano are within the Aira Caldera. Sakurajima is the most active volcano in Japan.WEB,weblink Sakurajima, Japan's Most Active Volcano, 2018-05-16, nippon.com, Nippon Communications Foundation, 2018-08-02, mdy-all,
- The Aso Caldera stretches 25 kilometers north to south and 18 kilometers east to west in Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyushu. It has erupted four times: 266,000 and 141,000 years ago with 32 DRE km3 (dense-rock equivalent) each; 130,000 years ago with 96 DRE km3; and 90,000 years ago with 384 DRE km3.阿蘇カルデラ 産ç·ç ”
- The Kikai Caldera is a massive, mostly submerged caldera up to 19 kilometres (12 mi) in diameter in the ÅŒsumi Islands of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. It is the remains of the ancient eruption of a colossal volcano. Kikai Caldera was the source of the Akahoya eruption, one of the largest eruptions during the Holocene (10,000 years ago to present). About 4,300 BC, pyroclastic flows from that eruption reached the coast of southern KyÅ«shÅ« up to {{convert|100|km|mi|abbr=on}} away, and ash fell as far as HokkaidÅ. The eruption produced about 150 km3 of tephra,Kikai – Eruptive history {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120820003439weblink |date=2012-08-20 }}, Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. giving it a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 7.Johnston, Eric, "Latest volcano show: Shinmoe", The Japan Times, 1 March 2011, p. 3. The JÅmon culture of at least southern Kyushu was destroyed, and it took nearly 1,000 years to recover.
Typhoons
Since recording started in 1951, an average of 2.6 typhoons reached the main islands of Kyushu, Shikoku, Honshu, and Hokkaido per year. Approximately 10.3 typhoons approach within the 300-kilometer range near the coast of Japan. Okinawa is, due to its geographic location, most vulnerable to typhoons, with an average of 7 storms per year. The most destructive was the Isewan Typhoon, with 5,000 casualties in the Tokai region in September 1959. In October 2004, Typhoon Tokage caused heavy rain in Kyushu and central Japan, resulting in 98 casualties. Until the 1960s, the death toll was hundreds of people per typhoon. Since the 1960s, improvements in construction, flood prevention, high tide detection, and early warnings have substantially reduced the death toll, which rarely exceeds a dozen people per typhoon. Japan also has special search and rescue units to save people in distress.WEB,weblink Factsanddetails.com, Typhoons in Japan, January 29, 2020,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20200129143927weblink">weblink Heavy snowfall during the winter in the snow country regions causes landslides, flooding, and avalanches.Environmental issues
In the 2006 environment annual report,Annual Report on the Environment in Japan 2006, Ministry of the Environment the Ministry of Environment reported that the current major issues are: global warming and preservation of the ozone layer; conservation of the atmospheric environment, water, and soil; waste management and recycling; measures for chemical substances; conservation of the natural environment; and participation in international cooperation.See also
References
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}External links
{{commons category|Geography of Japan}}- "Colton's Japan: Nippon, Kiusiu, Sikok, Yesso and the Japanese Kuriles" a map from 1855
- Terrain of Japan – GJI Maps (Geospatial Information Authority of Japan)
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