International Relations

International Relations

The geography of Japan influences its development and international relation. The location of Japan in relation to other nations has an impact on intercultural influences in terms of the development of social structures, demography, and position in the international community. For example, the topography of Japan greatly determines where and how its people earn a living. Climate also plays a significant role in international relation with regard to farm produce and styles of living. Japan is a country which is located on a chain of islands known as an archipelago. Since the country is mountainous, Japanese depend on the sea for many aspects of daily life. Therefore, the aim of the paper is to discuss how the geography of Japan influences its international relation.

Natural Resources

 Natural resource of Japan influences its international relation. Nevertheless, Japan has few natural resources and as a result, it depends on other nations to import the resources. Example of natural resources in Japan includes coal, oil, and liquefied natural gas. The oil fields in Japan are located in the Hokkaido and northern Honshu (Japan Web, 2019). Japan has been trading with Australia for a long period and this has helped to improve the economy of the country. Australia was the largest export market for Japan in terms of coal, butane, aluminum, natural gas, and liquefied propane. Japan used these natural resources to establish a mutual relationship with Australia which is still paying and impotent role in both economies (Japan Web, 2019). Therefore, international relation between Japan and Australia is based on the economic aspect. Due to this Japan has been able to acquire natural resources from other nations.  Other natural resources such as fish and agriculture have played an important role in the international relations of Japan and other nations where they are exported. Due to the scarcity of natural resource Japan is facing a major problem in terms of natural security. Japan is being threatened by Russia, Iran, and China who are destabilizing international relation.

Climate

The climate of Japan is influenced by a number of factors such as latitudes, longitude, and ocean currents. Within the eastern shores of Japan, the regions experienced high rainfall which is very important for the growth of rice. The high rainfall experienced is a result of winds carrying moisture originating from the surrounding waters (Japan Web, 2019). When the rice is produced in surplus, they can be exported to other nations. During hot summer seasons, the country receives a high number of tourists from Australia and this continues to promote international relation. Tourism highly depends on climate and adverse weather has a great impact on the sector (Japan Web, 2019). On the other hand, climate change in Japan is considered as the global security challenge being experienced in the 21^st century. Food security is another factor which faces Japan as climate change continues to hit the country. Adverse climate events such as flooding are likely to increase and this implies many people are at danger of losing their lives.

Topography

There are several physical features in Japan which act as tourist attractions and mountains covers about 75% of the land surface. In matters of security, topography plays an important role as barracks of Japan are built in secure places. This implies that attacking Japan is difficult as the mountains provide protection. Therefore, the whole country of Japan relay on the mountains for protection from invaders. There are plains in Japan and they cover a total of 29% of the land mass. The region is covered by rivers which are short and swift. Due to these physical features, Japan is considered as one of the best tourist destinations in Asia (Hunter, 2016). People come from different part of the world to attend the festival and take part in athletic activities in Japan as a result of its topography. The region has volcano which are active and can erupt at any given moment. Due to major seismic regions in Japan, the frequency of earthquake is very high. Such eruption can affect international relation with other countries in case their members experienced such accident when touring those regions (Hunter, 2016). Japan has a number of beautiful coastlines which attracts tourist such as natural harbor and indented bays. Most of the cities of Japan are located at the coastline and this helps to attract more tourism.

Access to Trade Routes

Access to trade routes has opened up Japan to trade with other nations and also share skills and knowledge in a different sector. For example, the Silk Road opened up the Asian continent to the global economy (Japan Web, 2019). Nations connected to this road had the opportunity to transverse and sell their products to different parts of the world. Silk Road comprised of sea and land trading routes and it stretched from China, Korea to Japan. The route was used to transport different varieties of items such as tea, gold, foods, medicine, silver, salt among others. Through the sea routes, the government of Japan has offered Official development assistance to Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. This measure taken by the government of Japan helps to improve the international relationship with those nations. Some of the trade routes are a security threat to Japan as other countries can use them to access the country and launch attack.

Neighboring States

The neighboring states of Japan are China, North Korea, South Korea, Russia Taiwan, the Philippines, and Northern Mariana Island (Hunter, 2016). Japan borders the countries through what is known as maritime borders. Japan has a unique relationship with each country in terms of business, social and political. Due to the industrialized nature of Japan, it exports a major of its products to the named nations above. Additionally, Japan imports some of the natural resources with the countries they share a maritime border line. Trading between nations is important since it helps in developing a mutual relationship which contributes to economic development. The war between Japan and China ended some 70 years ago but there are still chances that the fight might be going on. This matter is putting the national security of Japan at stake since the government seems powerless.

Conclusion

The geography of Japan such as natural resources, climate, topography, trade routes, and neighboring states has influenced is international relations in different ways. Japan is not well endowed with natural resources but it has managed to establish a positive relationship with countries through trading. Natural resources such as coal, natural gas, and oil occur in small quantities but it has played an important role in promoting international relations. Japan has a favorable climate during summer which attracts tourists from a different part of the world. In terms of topography, Japan has mountains, coastlines which are beautiful and attracts tourists from different regions. Other geographical factors which promote international relation in Japan are trade routes and neighboring states.

Reference

Hunter, J. (2016). Earthquakes in Japan. Modern Asian Studies, 50(1), 415-435.

Japan Web (2019). Geography and Climate: A Country of Diverse Topography and Climate. Retrieved from https://web-japan.org/factsheet/en/pdf/e01_geography.pdf