• Fish catch per year: 5.52m tonnes
• Oil production and reserves: 7499 b/d (52m barrels)
• Estimated livestock resources: 9.72m pigs, 4.52m cattle, 34,000 goats, 284m chickens
• Main mineral resources: Limestone, sulfur, coal, oil

Electricity generation

Japan has few exploitable resources. The high cost of domestic coal extraction has made it the world's largest importer. In an attempt to reduce dependence on imported fuels, Japan has developed alternative energy sources. It is now the world's third-biggest generator of nuclear power. Nuclear safety issues, highlighted following a radiation leak at Tokaimura in 1999, were again under the spotlight after a deadly (but nonradioactive) accident at the Mihama plant in 2004.

Consumption and spending

Measured in consumer goods, the Japanese are wealthy; car ownership is only low because city parking is so restricted. Most households have substantial savings, enabling them to withstand economic recession.

The country's wealthiest men have seen their wealth decline markedly: the fortunes of the top ten averaged $4.5 billion in 2004, down from $7 billion in 2000. The richest, Nobutada Saji (and family), is worth $6.9 billion.

Tokyo's living costs are high, and most who work there live outside the city center, facing long, cramped commuter journeys to work and back.

Girls and young women still living in their parents' homes are one group with high disposable income.

• Total number of visitors per year: 5.24m visitors
• Tourism trend: Up 10% in 2002

Main tourist arrivals

Japan is expensive for foreign tourists, despite reductions in the yen exchange rate. An increasing number of tourists are now coming from China. The ancient imperial capital, Kyoto, and the temples and gardens of Nara are popular tourist destinations. Other attractions include Mount Fuji and the extraordinary variety of energetic high-tech urban living in Tokyo and Osaka. Traditional agricultural life can be found in rural areas such as Tohoku in northern Honshu. Wilderness areas of Hokkaido attract mainly Japanese climbers and hikers.