ock and
real estate markets. Growth picked up to 3.9% in 1996, largely a
reflection of stimulative fiscal and monetary policies as well as
low rates of inflation. But in 1997-98 Japan experienced a wrenching
recession, centered about financial difficulties in the banking
system and real estate markets and exacerbated by rigidities in
corporate structures and labor markets. In early 1999 output has
started to stabilize as emergency government spending begins to take
hold. The crowding of habitable land area and the aging of the
population are two major long-run problems.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$2.903 trillion (1998 est.)

GDP--real growth rate: -2.6% (1998 est.)

GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$23,100 (1998 est.)

GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 2%
industry: 38%
services: 60% (1997)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.9% (1998 est.)

Labor force: 67.72 million (November 1998)

Labor force--by occupation: trade and services 50%, manufacturing,
mining, and construction 33%, utilities and communication 7%,
agriculture, forestry, and fishing 6%, government 3% (1994)

Unemployment rate: 4.4% (November 1998)

Budget:
revenues: $407 billion
expenditures: $711 billion, including capital expenditures (public
works only) of about $86 billion (FY99/00 est.)

Industries: among world's largest and technologically advanced
producers of steel and nonferrous metallurgy, heavy electrical
equipment, construction and mining equipment, motor vehicles and
parts, electronic and telecommunication equipment, machine tools,
automated production systems, locomotives and railroad rolling
stock, ships, chemicals; textiles, processed foods

Industrial production growth rate: -6.9% (1998)

Electricity--production: 948.559 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 61.47%
hydro: 8.34%
nuclear: 29.83%
other: 0.36% (1996)

Electricity--consumption: 948.559 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)

Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)

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

Exports: $440 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Exports--commodities: manufactures 96% (including machinery 50%,
motor vehicles 19%, consumer electroni