Moreover, a serious nuclear power plant accident has taken place. As a result, it has created hundreds of thousands of
additional homeless, at least for the time being, from the area near the Fukushima Daiichi (#1) Power Station. As another consequence, a significant shortfall of electricity has made it extremely difficult for Japan to recover from the damage.
The area's utility company, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), has been conducting a scheduled power outage in the region (3 hours or so a day on average during weekdays) since March 14 to cope with the shortfall.
Japan at a Glance
Japan is an island nation with 6,852 islands, while the four largest islands - Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku - account for 97% of Japan's land area of 394,744 sq km (152,411 sq mi). It is merely 4% of the size of United States, or the size of Montana, however.
Japan has the world's tenth-largest population with over 127 million people - while the population is declining at a pace of roughly 0.2% per annum. The Greater Metropolitan Tokyo Area is the largest metropolitan area in the world with over 30 million population - which had been supplied its electricity from the Fukushima Daiichi.
Japan has the highest life expectancy (82) of any country in the world, and a 99% of literacy rate, and the number of Internet users exceeds 87 million. According to the UN, it has the third lowest infant mortality rate in the world.
Meanwhile, the country maintains an extensive modern military force (Self Defence Force or SDF) in self-defense and peacekeeping roles. More than 100,000 military personnel have been engaging in the rescue operations in Tohoku.
Japan has the world's third-largest economy by GDP - $4.34 trillion and $33,800 per capita. It is the world's fourth largest exporter (motor vehicles, semiconductors, office machinery, etc.) and fifth largest importer (oil, machinery, foods, chemicals, etc.) The oil imports is at 5.425 million bbl/day.
The official currency of Japan is Yen, which is the third most-traded currency in the foreign exchange market after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a reserve currency after the U.S. dollar, the euro and the pound sterling. The Yen-Dollar exchange rate recorded as high as 76 yen per dollar after the earthquake, while it has returned to the low 80s supported by the intervention of G7 countries.
With the damage in Tohoku area from the earthquake and tsunami together with the electric power shortage, Japan is experiencing 1) supply chain breakdown, 2) power shortages, and 3) loss of jobs.
Nuclear Power Generation in Japan
Japan ranked third in the world in electricity production, after the United States and China with 1,025 GWh produced in 2008. As to the per capita electricity consumption, Japan ranked 18th among the countries of the world - consuming 8,459KW-Hours per capita in 2004 compared to 14,240KW-Hours per capita for American. The per capita electricity consumption had, however, increased by 21.8% between 1990 and 2004, despite the fact that the electricity rates in Japan were among the world's highest.
Japan relies its electric power generation on 1) conventional thermal (coal, oil, natural gas) 60%, 2) nuclear 29%, 3) hydroelectric 9%, and 4) renewables 2%. With 53 active nuclear power generating reactor units in 2009, Japan ranked third in the world - after the United States (104 reactors) and France (59). Roughly one quarter (24.9%) of its electricity production was from nuclear plants, compared to 76.2% for France and 19.7% for the United States.
Approximately 75% of the available power is controlled by ten major regional power utilities, and Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) is the largest - supplying the electricity for the Greater Metropolitan Tokyo Area with over 30 million population. It is one of the four largest utility companies in the world.
According to TEPCO, it owns 17 nuclear reactors - 10 in Fukushima, and 7 in Niigata Kashiwazaki Kariwa, and the total capacity is 17,308 MW. Nuclear power is considered as a base load energy, and it accounts for approximately 40% of TEPCO's total electricity output.
Fukushima Daiichi (#1) plant became operational in 1971, and has six nuclear reactors with a capacity of 4,696 MW. It is located approximately 250 km (155 miles) north of Tokyo in the towns of Futaba and Ohkuma, facing the Pacific Ocean. The plant site covers about 3.5 million square meters (865 acres) of land on solid bedrock. The power plant was catastrophically damaged by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
Meanwhile, Fukushima Daini (#2) plant, located approximately 10 km (6 miles) south of the #1 plant, began its operation in 1982 with a total capacity of 4,400 MW. The plant site covers approximately 1.55 million square meters (383 acres) and has its own private harbor used as the source of sea water to cool the power plant and the dock for shipping out spent fuel and taking in fuel oil. The plant experienced some difficulties as well after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, but it was relatively safely shut down.
