Case Study Japan (Industry) 01

Japan has a very strong economy and is usually ranked amongst the top five in the world. Most people associate electronic goods with industry in Japan, but they have many heavy industries too, including shipbuilding and car manufacture. The Japanese electronics industry has provided the world with portable music devices and affordable home computers to name just two items. You probably also associate robots with Japan. They first developed robots to improve their car building industry and are working now on humanoid robots - robots that look and behave like humans.

Japan doesn't have a great deal of natural resources, so its industry is based on importing them and exporting manufactured goods. The interior of Japan is mainly mountains, so the population and industry tends to be in the narrow coastal strip. Quite often, when a new industrial area is required, they build the land out into the sea. Agriculture is based on fisheries and rice, with tea plantations in the mountains.

Try our first KS3 Geography quiz about Japanese Industry.