Part 427

@Japan:Communications

Telephones: 64 million (1987 est.)

Telephone system: excellent domestic and international service domestic: NA international: satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean Region), and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific and Indian Ocean Regions); submarine cables to China, Philippines, Russia, and US (via Guam)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 318, FM 58, shortwave 0

Radios: 97 million (1993 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 12,350 (1 kW or greater 196)

Televisions: 100 million (1993 est.)

@Japan:Transportation

Railways: total: 23,670.7 km standard gauge : 2,893.1 km 1.435-m gauge (entirely electrified) narrow gauge: 89.8 km 1.372-m gauge (89.8 km electrified); 20,656.8 km 1.067-m gauge (10,383.6 km electrified); 31 km 0.762-m gauge (3.6 km electrified) (1994)

Highways: total: 1,144,360 km paved : 846,826 km (including 5,860 km of expressways) unpaved: 297,534 km (1995 est.)

Waterways: about 1,770 km; seagoing craft ply all coastal inland seas

Pipelines: crude oil 84 km; petroleum products 322 km; natural gas 1,800 km

Ports and harbors: Akita, Amagasaki, Chiba, Hachinohe, Hakodate, Higashi-Harima, Himeji, Hiroshima, Kawasaki, Kinuura, Kobe, Kushiro, Mizushima, Moji, Nagoya, Osaka, Sakai, Sakaide, Shimizu, Tokyo, Tomakomai

Merchant marine: total: 773 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 15,026,322 GRT/21,941,516 DWT ships by type: bulk 178, cargo 56, chemical tanker 7, combination bulk 6, combination ore/oil 6, container 38, liquefied gas tanker 39, oil tanker 254, passenger 8, passenger-cargo 2, refrigerated cargo 38, roll-on/roll-off cargo 43, short-sea passenger 23, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 73 note: Japan owns an additional 1,579 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 54,474,380 DWT operating under the registries of The Bahamas, Burma, Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, Honduras, South Korea, Kuwait, Liberia, Malta, Malaysia, Panama, Philippines, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Singapore, Thailand, US, and Vanuatu (1996 est.)

Airports: 164 (1996 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total : 162 over 3,047 m: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 32 1,524 to 2,437 m: 35 914 to 1,523 m: 29 under 914 m: 60 (1996 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (1996 est.)

Heliports: 12 (1996 est.)

Military

Military branches: Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (Army), Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (Navy), Japan Air Self-Defense Force (Air Force)

Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 31,549,081 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males: 27,107,305 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 835,296 (1997 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $48.5 billion (FY96/97)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1% (FY96/97)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan, and the Habomai group occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, now administered by Russia, claimed by Japan; Liancourt Rocks disputed with South Korea; Senkaku-shoto (Senkaku Islands) claimed by China and Taiwan ______________________________________________________________________