s of
deflation in prices and economic activity lessened. Japan's huge
government debt, which totals more than 160% of GDP, and the aging
of the population are two major long-run problems. A rise in taxes
could be viewed as endangering the revival of growth. Robotics
constitutes a key long-term economic strength with Japan possessing
410,000 of the world's 720,000 "working robots." Internal conflict
over the proper way to reform the ailing banking system continues.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$3.745 trillion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
2.9% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $29,400 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1.3%
industry: 24.7%
services: 74.1% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
66.97 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 5%, industry 25%, services 70% (2002 est.)

Unemployment rate:
4.7% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 4.8%
highest 10%: 21.7% (1993)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
24.9 (1993)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
-0.1% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
24% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $1.401 trillion
expenditures: $1.748 trillion, including capital expenditures
(public works only) of about $71 billion (2004 est.)

Public debt:
164.3% of GDP (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit, pork, poultry, dairy
products, eggs, fish

Industries:
among world's largest and technologically advanced producers of
motor vehicles, electronic equipment, machine tools, steel and
nonferrous metals, ships, chemicals, textiles, processed foods

Industrial production growth rate:
6.6% (2004 est.)

Electricity - production:
1.044 trillion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 60%
hydro: 8.4%
nuclear: 29.8%
other: 1.8% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
971 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2002)

Oil - production:
17,330 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
5.29 million bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
93,360 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
5.449 million bbl/day (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
29.29 million bbl (1 January 2002)

Natural gas - production:
2.519 billion cu m (2001 es