The Natural Environment

In many ways, nature has not treated Japan kindly. In fact, few countries face more geographical and environmental obstacles than does Japan. Its location off the eastern edge of Asia isolates the country from the rest of the world. Japan faces the challenge of extreme fragmentation. The archipelago, or chain of islands, includes four major islands—Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu—and thousands of smaller ones (3,413 by one count!). To further complicate its geographical distribution,the islands lie scattered along a southwest-northeast axis spanning nearly 3,000 miles (4,800 kilometers). Providing transportation among the islands is difficult and costly. Fragmented countries often suffer from conflicting cultures and can be very difficult to govern. The natural environment also poses many economic challenges.

It offers few natural resources to support the country’s huge industrial economy.Approximately 95 percent of all environmental resources (metals, fuels, wood, and so forth) used in Japan’s booming industries must be imported. Additionally, because of its rugged terrain,only about 15 percent of Japan’s land is relatively flat and well suited to farming, urban development, and transportation. The country also experiences many natural hazards. In fact, few countries on Earth are more subject to nature’s wrath than is Japan. In this post, you learn about these obstacles and how the Japanese have adapted to them.

LOCATION

 Location is often the most important of all environmental conditions. Certainly, this holds true for Japan. The country’s location holds the key to understanding much of its history and geography. Huge and powerful China lies some 500 miles (800 kilometers) to the west, across the East China Sea and Sea of Japan. Russia’s vast Siberian territory looms less than 200 miles (320 kilometers) across the Sea of Japan. Only a few miles separate South Korea from the Japanese islands. The Communist-controlled and often belligerent “Hermit Kingdom” of North Korea lies about 500 miles (800 kilometers) across the Sea of Japan. To the east, across some 4,000 miles (6,400 kilometers) of open Pacific Ocean,lie Japan’s major markets in the United States and Canada. Island countries, if they are to progress, must overcome the challenge of being isolated from other lands, peoples, ideas, and economies. To solve this problem, the Japanese have developed one of the world’s best networks of sea and air linkages. For travel between islands they have created one of the world’s finest domestic air, rail, and water (ferry, bridge, and tunnel) networks. “Getting around” poses little problem for most Japanese. An island location can also benefit a country. Isolation, for example, has been a chief factor in preserving the unity of Japanese people and culture. Until the United States and its allies successfully invaded Japan in 1945,bringing an end to World War II,no conquering army had ever reached Japan’s shores. A true appreciation of Japan’s location is difficult to gain from looking at a flat map. If Japan is viewed on a globe, however, the importance of the country’s position relative to other nations can be better understood. Japan lies just beyond Alaska along what geographers call a “great circle route” between North and South America and much of eastern Asia. To see this relationship, place one end of a string anyplace on the Americas and the other end crossing coastal China, the Philippines, Singapore, or Indonesia. No matter where the ends are placed, the string will fall on or close to Japan. As the focus of global trade and commerce has changed from the North Atlantic to countries bordering the Pacific Rim, Japan’s location has become a great asset. To the west, in southern, southeastern, and eastern Asia live more than half of the world’s people (and rapidly growing potential markets). The world’s largest markets, the United States and Canada, are separated from Japan by about a 10-day voyage by huge, fast, cargo ships or a half-day flight by cargo plane.

LAND 

Volcanic mountaintops that rise from the bottom of the Pacific Ocean form nearly all of Japan. Slightly more than 80 percent of the country is composed of rugged hills and mountains. In fact, only about 15 percent of Japan’s land is classified as plains. The lack of plains makes travel, farming, and building difficult and costly.Because most of the country’s huge,sprawling cities are located on plains,much of the flat land is not available for farming. With few exceptions, Japanese settlement, agriculture, and industry have avoided the mountainous regions. Many such areas remain sparsely populated, quite isolated, and economically underdeveloped. The small valleys of flat land and narrow coastal plains support much of Japan’s population and economy. Indeed, few places in the world can match Japan for crowded space. Of Japan’s several hundred volcanoes, none is more picturesque, widely recognized, or worshiped by its people than is the beautiful Mount Fuji (also called Fujiyama or Fuji San). In fact, it is one of Japan’s most widely recognized symbols. This famous, cone-shaped, extinct volcanic peak towers 12,388 feet (3,776 meters) above the Kanto Plain about 70 miles (110 kilometers) southwest of Tokyo and Yokohama. Japan’s land features have posed many challenges. As you will learn later in this chapter, Japan’s land also can be deadly. The threat of volcanic eruptions is only one of the natural hazards with which Japanese must contend; there are also earthquakes and various kinds of earth flows and slides.

WEATHER AND CLIMATE 

Climate is defined as the long-term average of daily weather conditions. Meteorologists (scientists who study the atmosphere) and climatologists (scientists who study the weather) are interested in such atmospheric elements as temperature, precipitation, wind, and storms. Japan lies in the middle latitudes. The southernmost island of Okinawa is located at 26° North Latitude, the same as Miami, Florida. Northern Hokkaido reaches about 46° North Latitude, comparable to central Maine. Because of this latitudinal span, Japan has a wide range of climates similar to that of the eastern coast of the United States. Most of Japan located south of Tokyo enjoys a mild, humid subtropical climate similar to that of the coastal southeastern United States. To the north, a more moderate climate prevails, with cooler summers and longer colder winters similar to those of New England. Japan’s temperatures are influenced by latitude, closeness to the sea, and elevation. Latitude determines the angle at which the rays of the sun strike Earth’s surface. Heating is greatest in the equatorial latitudes and decreases toward the poles. Southern Japan, therefore, enjoys a warm climate and long growing season. Temperatures generally decrease as one goes northward. Tokyo, in central Honshu, has a climate similar to that of coastal North Carolina or Virginia. Farther northward, Hokkaido’s temperatures are similar to those of the northeastern United States. Because of its cold, snowy winters, Hokkaido has hosted the Winter Olympics twice. No place in Japan is located more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) from the sea. Indeed, closeness to the ocean plays an important role in moderating the country’s temperatures. Land temperatures near large water bodies generally do not get as hot or cold as do those in places located away from large water bodies. In Japan, temperatures rarely reach 100°F (38°C). In the south, Shikoku, Kyushu, the Ryukyu Islands, and southern Honshu enjoy a mild, humid subtropical climate. At lower elevations, frost is uncommon. Here, farmers enjoy a 365-day growing season and are able to produce two rice crops each year. In the north, winter temperatures do not get as cold as they do at comparable latitudes in the United States. Finally, much of Japan is mountainous. Elevation exerts a strong influence on temperatures. In Japan, a person can be sweltering in a lowland location, yet look upward at snowcovered mountain peak such as the summit of Mount Fuji. Typically, temperatures drop about 3.5°F (about 1°C) with every 1,000 foot (300 meters) increase in elevation. With about 80 percent of Japan covered by hills and mountains, elevation is an important temperature control. Rainfall is abundant throughout Japan.Amounts of rainfall range from more than 80 inches (200 centimeters) in much of the south, to about 20 inches (50 centimeters) in drier portions of Hokkaido. In lower elevations of central and southern Japan, nearly all moisture falls in the form of rain. In the far north and at high elevations on the island of Honshu, winter precipitation often falls as snow, sometimes very heavy.As is true throughout most of the world, summer is the season of heaviest precipitation. Particularly in central and southern parts of the country,summer storms—including those associated with typhoons (Pacific Ocean hurricanes)— can bring torrential rain, severe flooding, landslides, and mud flows. Precipitation in Japan is affected by a system of seasonal monsoon winds. These winds blow onto the continent during the summer and out of the continent’s interior during the winter. The seasonally shifting winds also cause a change in precipitation patterns. During the winter months, winds blowing out of Asia sweep across the Sea of Japan bringing moisture to the western-facing mountain slopes. During the summer,the winds shift direction,blowing from the east and bringing more moisture to eastern Japan. No place in Japan, however, suffers from prolonged seasonal drought.

ECOSYSTEMS

 At one time,forests covered most hillsides in Japan.Forests of evergreens and broadleaf deciduous trees thrived in the warm, humid south. Northern Honshu supported forests consisting of cone-bearing evergreens and broadleaf deciduous species. Dense forests of cone-bearing evergreens also covered much of the cooler northern island of Hokkaido. Nearly all housing in Japan, and much of the fuel burned in traditional homes, comes from wood. At one time, the country’s forests were severely depleted. Today, however, much of the woodland has been restored. Rather than cutting its own forests, Japan has become the world’s leading importer of lumber and other forest products (including sawdust used in the making of pressed board). Japan’s marine ecosystem is vital to its survival. The country has long depended on the ocean for food.The waters surrounding Japan are among the world’s richest fisheries. Fish, shellfish, crustaceans, and even edible seaweed abound. Japanese fishing vessels also ply the world’s seas in search of catches. Indeed, the Japanese diet consists mostly of seafood. Some scientists believe that diet is one reason the Japanese enjoy the world’s longest life expectancy.

ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS

 Few places can match Japan in terms of environmental hazards. The country has experienced some of nature’s most violent events, including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis (“tidal waves”), typhoons (hurricane-like storms), earth flow or slide, and flooding. Additionally, various areas of the country are subject to less devastating hazards. Hokkaido,for example,frequently suffers from raging summer forest fires and blinding winter blizzards. Because the country and its people are constantly threatened by nature’s wrath, Japan is the world leader in natural hazard research, prediction, and protection. Japan is located in a region of geologic instability known as the “Pacific Ring of Fire.” This region includes approximately 80 percent of the world’s volcanoes and is subject to frequent earthquakes. Japan is a world leader in the occurrence of both environmental hazards. Additionally, violent events occurring on the ocean floor can cause devastating tsunamis, incorrectly called “tidal waves.” Geologically, nearly all of Japan is a result of volcanism. That is to say, nearly all of the country’s land has risen from the seafloor as a result of volcanic activity. In fact, Japan is home to about 100 active volcanoes, some of which erupt with great regularity. Many other volcanoes are classified as being inactive, or dormant. Scientists believe that the country’s most famous volcano, Mount Fuji, is dormant. In recent history, none of the country’s volcanoes have erupted with devastating results. People have adjusted to the threats posed by the volcanoes. Settlement and land use are designed to minimize potential destruction caused by periodic eruptions.

Few places on Earth are more prone to earthquakes than is Japan. In fact, the country averages about 1,500 earthquakes each year—about four each day! Nearly all Japanese, no matter where they reside, live in constant threat of tremors. In addition to the direct destruction caused by earthquakes,they also trigger other hazards,including crushing landslides and crashing coastal tsunamis. During the 20th century, the country experienced 13 major earthquakes measuring 7.0 or higher on the Richter Scale (a measure of earthquake intensity). Such earthquakes can be devastating, particularly if they occur in a densely populated area. Japan’s most disastrous earthquake in terms of loss of life happened just before noon on September 1, 1923. The violent tremor struck near the heart of the country’s most densely populated area—the Kanto Plain,home to the huge cities of Tokyo and Yokohama. Its magnitude of 8.3 on the Richter Scale was comparable to that of the 1906 earthquake that devastated San Francisco, California. The event left Tokyo’s business, industrial, and residential districts in ruins. Because the earthquake struck around noon, many homes and restaurants had fires lighted to prepare lunch. Traditional Japanese homes, made mostly of wood and paper, provided abundant fuel for the hungry flames. No water was available to fight the raging inferno, because water pipes were broken by the tremor. As many as 140,000 people died and hundreds of thousands were left homeless in the Great Tokyo Earthquake. This tragic event remains Japan’s greatest natural disaster as measured by loss of human life. Another terrible earthquake struck Japan in the early dawn of January 17, 1995. At that time, most residents of Kobe— Japan’s fifth-largest city with a population of 1.5 million—were yawning and stretching themselves awake. Suddenly, disaster struck. In a mere 20 seconds, a huge earthquake (7.2 on the Richter Scale) rocked Kobe to its very foundation, leaving much of the city a blazing ruin of tangled destruction. More than 5,000 lives were lost and another 37,000 people were seriously injured.Nearly 200,000 buildings were ruined and an estimated 300,000 people (one-fifth of the city’s residents) were left homeless. Because pipelines ruptured, nearly 1 million households were without water or natural gas. Property losses were estimated to be as high as $100 billion, making it the world’s most costly natural disaster of all time.Ironically,Kobe was considered to be one of Japan’s safest cities in terms of potential seismic activity and damage. Tsunamis (Japanese for “harbor wave”) are huge waves caused by earthquakes that occur on the ocean floor. No place on Earth is more prone to tsunami devastation than is Japan— with its many cities and towns built bordering the sea on low-lying coastal plains. At sea, a tsunami can pass unnoticed as nothing more than a swell traveling at a speed of up to 500 miles per hour (800 kilometers per hour). As a tsunami approaches the shore and shallow water, however, the water rises and begins to crest in a series of huge waves.Under certain conditions—as in a funnel-shaped harbor—a tsunami can rise to more than 100 feet (30 meters). The surging waves destroy everything in their path as they crash ashore,then carry debris back to sea with the receding water. With much of its population clustered along the coast— and particularly around harbors—Japan is extremely vulnerable to tsunamis. In 1792, a tsunami killed about 15,000 people in Shimabara, a coastal city in western Kyushu. Over the years, the Japanese have become the world leaders in studying, predicting, and protecting against this potentially devastating environmental hazard.

ATMOSPHERIC HAZARDS 

Japan is subject to many atmospheric hazards,including floods and blizzards. The most devastating atmospheric hazards,however,are typhoons.(Pacific typhoons are a type of storm similar to Atlantic Ocean hurricanes.) Typhoons are huge storm systems that can measure hundreds of miles (kilometers) across, with winds, clouds, and rain stretching even farther out from the “eye,” or storm center. The storms begin over the warm tropical waters of the Pacific Ocean and drift in a westerly to northwesterly direction. Because the islands of Japan lie along a general southwest to northeast axis, they fall directly across the path of many such storms. In fact, during an average year about 30 typhoons pass through this part of the Pacific Basin,some of which strike Japan. The often ferocious storms bring raging winds that exceed 75 miles per hour (120 kilometers per hour) and can reach 150 miles per hour (250 kilometers per hour).Japanese homes, built of wood and other light materials,are no match for winds of this speed.Wind damage,particularly along the coast,can be severe. Water associated with the storms poses an even greater threat than the wind. Immediately along the coast, winds can create a huge wall of water that crashes ashore destroying everything in its path. Inland, torrential rains associated with the storms can cause severe flooding as water rushes down steep mountain slopes. Moreover, water-saturated earth frequently gives way, creating mudflows or landslides that can bury everything in their path.

ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION

 As Japan’s population grew and its economy changed from agriculture to industry, much of the country’s natural environment suffered. Beautiful natural landscapes were destroyed as the land became overcrowded with people and settlements. Expanding industrial development also damaged the land. During the 20th century, the country experienced numerous disasters caused by environmental pollution. In some places, industrial wastes contaminated the soil, toxic dust and smoke polluted the air, and sewage poisoned the streams. Even the sea became poisoned. Beginning in the 1950s, hundreds of people living near Minamata Bay on the island of Kyushu became ill. They began to suffer a severe breakdown of the central nervous system. Eventually, some 3,000 people contracted the “Minamata disease,” and hundreds of children were born with birth defects. In 1959, scientists discovered the cause. For decades, a chemical company had been dumping mercury waste directly into the bay. Marine life in the bay consumed the mercury which, in turn, was passed on to humans who caught and ate the fish. By the 1960s, the Japanese people began to recognize the devastation caused by pollution and other forms of environmental damage. They began taking steps to conserve and protect their environment. Today, Japan has some of the world’s strictest regulations protecting the environment.