Paul Morelli Jr., age 13, of Prescott, Ariz.. for his question:
DOES JAPAN HAVE MANY NATURAL RESOURCES?
Japan has developed the highest economic growth rate of any country in the world. It is one of the chief industrial countries even though it has few natural resources.
Actually, Japan's most valuable resource is its people. With their skills, Japan has overcome the handicap of limited natural resources.
Only about a seventh of Japan's land can be farmed because of the many high mountains. But the people have learned to use their farmland carefully. They cultivate hills and even small mountains by carving out terraces. Forests grow on the rest of the land below the tops of the highest mountains.
The forests cover about two thirds of Japan, but the nation still must import much lumber for construction. Trees of Japan include cedars, maples, oaks and pines.
Bamboo is a leading natural resource. People eat bamboo shoots, use the poles as building material and cut bamboo stalks into fishing poles. Craftsmen weave long bamboo strips into baskets and mats.
Mulberry trees grow on about 400,000 acres of land. The mulberry leaves are fed to silkworms, which spin cocoons of silk threads. The cocoons are unwound at silk factories and the silk is used to make fabrics.
Japan has a wide variety of minerals, but the quantities are small. The chief minerals produced include coal, copper, iron, lead, manganese, sulfur and zinc. Of about 30 minerals that Japanese industry requires, only a few are present in large enough quantities to meet basic needs.
Most essential minerals must be imported. As an example, Japan imports 98 percent of its petroleum, about four fifths of the coking coal and nearly all the iron ore needed for industry.
Because of limited natural resources, Japan must also import much of its food.
To pay for the many raw materials that it must import, Japan exports large amounts of manufactured items.
The country's chief imports include coal, crude oil, food products, iron ore, machinery and wood.
Japan's chief exports include motor vehicles, chemicals, electronic equipment, iron and steel, ships and textiles.
Japan's best customer is the United States. Japan, in turn, ranks behind only Canada as the best customer of the United States.
Japan's leading United States imports include aircraft, coal, logs, soybeans and wheat. The leading exports to the United States include automobiles, iron and steel, motorcycles, radios, television sets and textiles.
Manufacturing employs more than a fourth of Japan's workers.