Global - Technology - Review

Japan is an archipelago of nearly seven thousand mainly rocky and volcanic islands. The habitable areas are among the most densely populated on earth. The greater Tokyo area is the world’s largest conurbation, with a population of thirty million. Japan is one of the world’s richest countries with a powerful economy and the highest life expectancy of any nation. Japanese products in the fields of microelectronics, robotics and telecommunications lead the world, while the country’s highly developed industrial base produces automobiles, ships, machine tools and chemicals. Lifetime employment and low tax are typical in the Japanese workplace. There can be few homes in Europe or America which do not contain a product made by corporations like Panasonic, Toyota, Nintendo, Sony, Hitachi or Fujitsu. Japanese culture has had a profound influence on the rest of the world. Whether it is the traditional arts like origami, flower arranging, pottery, gardening or calligraphy; martial arts like judo, sumo, kendo and karate; the artwork of manga comics and anime; the traditions of costume, music, dance, poetry and architecture; the religious philosophies of Shinto and Buddhism; or the delicate subtlety of Japanese cuisine, few people have not experienced its distinctive charm.