Free Essay Example: Summaries About Japan

Japan is an island that is located in Asia where it is bordered to the west by the Sea of Japan and to the east by the Pacific Ocean. Japan, as a country, has had different capital cities in history and the current one is Tokyo since the year 1868. Japan occupies a land area of 145,936 square miles making it the 61st largest country in the world (Toyoda and Latz 1-43). One interesting fact about Japan is that three-quarters of its land is made of mountains and forests, making it hard for any farming, industrialization or residential settlements to be established there. The highest peak in the world and the most famous mountain in Japan is Mount Fuji, and it is considered a sacred area by many Japanese people. The entire land in Japan is occupied by four main islands, namely Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku. Honshu is the largest and the others that follow in size are Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku, respectively. Japan is surrounded to the north by the Siberian region of Russia, and to the south by China and Korea.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

Economic Environment of Country

Population

Data from 2012 shows that more than 127 million people live in Japan, which makes it the 10th largest world population (Toyoda and Latz 1-43). The population density for the country is 337 people per square kilometre with Tokyo alone having more than 30 million inhabitants (Toyoda and Latz 1-43). Ethnic Japanese makes up 98% of the population of the country despite several areas such as Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto having local dialects such as Koreans and Chinese (Toyoda and Latz 1-43). The living conditions of the people in Japan have been reducing as the ageing population increases. A combination of vast populations of the elderly with the lowest rates of fertility in all developed countries and low net immigrations has contributed to shrinking populations in Japan. 1.2 children are born by every Japanese woman compared to 2.1 children per woman required to ensure that the existing population does not deteriorate (Toyoda and Latz 1-43). The life expectancy of the country is 83.2 years which is the longest in the world (Toyoda and Latz 1-43).

Economy

Japan is the third-largest economy in the world after being defeated by China in the year 2010. Japan renounced the art of going to war to settle international disputes. It relies mostly on the United States for protection from different external threats (Maruyama and Suganuma 1-16). More than 40,000 U.S. military personnel are deployed in various military bases across Japan mainly in Okinawa island where almost 18% of the territory is made of the U.S. military (Maruyama and Suganuma 1-16). The country pays around $2 billion annually to pay for the costs and services offered by the United States military (Maruyama and Suganuma 1-16). The form of the government of Japan is a constitutional monarchy that is created by a parliamentary government. The Japanese Yen is the primary currency of the country, and it has an exchange rate of 108.26 Japanese Yen against 1 United States dollar (Maruyama and Suganuma 1-16). The GDP per capita is $32,554, according to reports from 2009 (Maruyama and Suganuma 1-16).

Cultural Environment of Japan

Japan has four major seasons, and they include Haru or spring which happens between March and May, Natsu or summer which happens between June and August, Aki or autumn which takes place between September and November and Fuyu or winter that is experienced between December and February. The primary language is Japanese, although people are taught English in school; hence they have the necessary skills and knowledge when speaking English. It is a homogenous country and has most of its announcements done in English and Japanese (Harada 1-23).

Japan's tourism is affected by the deep affection that the occupants of the country have on the landscape's beauty. Shinto, an ancient religion in Japan, believe that natural features such as waterfalls, forests and mountains possess a spirit and soul which makes them a tourist attraction site. It is home to several incredible wildlife such as the sika deer, stellar's sea eagle, red-crowned crane and the Japanese macaque monkey. Tourists also love Japanese foods such as sushi, udon, tofu, tempura, and sashimi, among others that are cooked in a special way only in the country (Bagarino 1-8).

The Hofstede dimension of Japan shows the power distance of the country to be a hierarchical society, mainly due to its slow decision-making processes from different hierarchical layers to top management. Individualism is low in the country as the Japanese people are more of a collectivistic society where it places group harmony before the expression of different opinions (Harada 1-23). Masculinity in Japanese people is high as they are driven by achievement, competition and success. However, it is hard for women in society to climb up corporate ladders despite them working long hours. Japan is an uncertainty-avoiding country mainly due to threats from natural disasters that makes them be readily prepared for all uncertain situations. Japan is also one of the most long-term oriented societies in the world as well as having a restrained culture due to high levels of pessimism and cynicism they portray.

Specific Marketing Information

Since the property bubble collapsed in 1989, Japan has been through different situations of economic stagnation, high levels of unemployment, and deflation mainly due to constrained economic performance that is created by weak domestic demand and rigid markets in the labour section (Diamond et al. 1-56). The country has limited entrepreneurial and risks in taking activities. However, despite all these challenges, Japan harbors many companies that continue performing well on different stages of the world. The country has so far had 68 companies in the Fortune ranks of the largest corporations of the world (Diamond et al. 1-56). The fortune ranking shows the major companies to be Hitachi, Toyota Motor, Toshiba, Panasonic, Sony, Honda Motor and Nissan Motor. The corporate sector of the country has continued pushing for more technology to be used in fields such as medical devices, robotics, satellite communications and other high tech industries. Technology will also play a significant role in increasing marketing activities in the country from other countries. The aspects of culture and the government of the country will improve marketing, especially where tourists and foreign investors know that the United States protects Japan.

The Relevance of Cultural and Environmental Factors

Japan is a desirable country for different firms from the United States to use as alternatives for international business because it is an ever-growing economy. Its economy has improved gradually over the years because of the efforts made by the government and the hardworking nation that exists in the country (Kuepper 1-11). The government has made more efforts in the attraction of overseas visitors and companies and the creation of open markets that facilitate business expansion. Japan has reliable earning power and highly profitable markets acquired mainly from the large population in the country. The U.S. expanding its businesses to Japan will help create more employment opportunities that help improve the living standards of individuals. Raw materials are readily available and cheaper than in the United States, which reduces costs for expanding companies while increasing profits. The enhancement of corporate governance in Japan is a current opportunity for developing businesses from the United States. Such improvements have made positive progress in the reform of regulations, especially in agriculture, energy, and medical care that help to attract new investments.

Works Cited

Bagarino, Christine. "The 10 Best Traditional Japanese Foods and Dishes." Culture Trip, The Culture Trip, 9 Oct. 2018, theculturetrip.com/asia/japan/articles/the-10-best-traditional-japanese-dishes/. 1-8

Diamond, Jess, Kota Watanabe, and Tsutomu Watanabe. "The Formation of Consumer Inflation Expectations: New Evidence From Japan's Deflation Experience." International Economic Review (2019), https://www.carf.e.u-tokyo.ac.jp/admin/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/F442.pdf

Harada, Yoshifumi. "A cultural comparison of business practices in Thailand and Japan with implications for Malaysia." Cogent Social Sciences 3.1 (2017), https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23311886.2017.1370994

Kuepper, Justin. "Top 3 Reasons to Invest in Japan." The Balance, The Balance, 12 Mar. 2019, www.thebalance.com/top-reasons-to-invest-in-japan-4140399.

Maruyama, Toshitaka, and Kenji Suganuma. "Inflation expectations curve in Japan." V Bank of Japan Working Paper Series 19&E&6 (2019), https://www.boj.or.jp/en/research/wps_rev/wps_2019/data/wp19e06.pdf

Toyoda, Takeshi, and Gil Latz. "Japan." Encyclopaedia Britannica, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., 27 Feb. 2020, www.britannica.com/place/Japan/People.