# Japan and Russia compared

Japan and Russia side by side: 42 shared sourced indicators across 9 domains, and the 2 events their chronicles record of each other.

Canonical: https://terralore.co/compare/jpn-vs-rus
Updated: 2026-08-10 (latest of the two dossiers' refreshes and the two chronicles' verification dates)

Two sourced records set beside each other — nothing on this page was written for the pair. Every figure is the same observation, with the same source, as on the two national dossiers; every event is the same record, with the same sources, as on its own chronicle. Figures are compared, never graded. A "—" is an absence in the source data, never a zero; each value shows its own observation year — vintages differ by indicator and nation.

## Formation

- Japan: 660 BCE (traditional) — The traditional accession of Emperor Jimmu
- Russia: 882 — Oleg takes Kiev and Kievan Rus' becomes a single state

## Economy

| Metric | Japan | Observed | Russia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP | $4.03 T | 2024 | $2.17 T | 2024 |
| GDP per capita | $32,487 | 2024 | $14,889 | 2024 |
| GDP growth | 0.1% | 2024 | 4.3% | 2024 |
| Inflation | 2.7% | 2024 | 8.4% | 2024 |
| Trade openness | 46.4% | 2024 | 39.5% | 2024 |

## Society

| Metric | Japan | Observed | Russia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 124 m | 2024 | 144 m | 2024 |
| Life expectancy | 84.0 yrs | 2024 | 73.4 yrs | 2024 |
| Urban population | 92.2% | 2024 | 75.1% | 2024 |
| Fertility rate | 1.1 | 2024 | 1.4 | 2024 |

## Governance

| Metric | Japan | Observed | Russia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice & accountability | 76.4 | 2024 | 32.0 | 2024 |
| Political stability | 85.3 | 2024 | 50.5 | 2024 |
| Government effectiveness | 91.9 | 2024 | 45.1 | 2024 |
| Regulatory quality | 75.8 | 2024 | 38.0 | 2024 |
| Rule of law | 83.0 | 2024 | 37.1 | 2024 |
| Control of corruption | 75.3 | 2024 | 29.8 | 2024 |

## Health

| Metric | Japan | Observed | Russia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health spending | 10.7% | 2023 | 7.0% | 2023 |
| Physicians | 2.65 | 2022 | 5.11 | 2022 |
| Under-5 mortality | 2.4 | 2024 | 5.2 | 2024 |
| Measles immunisation | 95.0% | 2024 | 97.0% | 2024 |
| Safe drinking water | 98.7% | 2024 | 76.3% | 2024 |

## Education

| Metric | Japan | Observed | Russia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Education spending | 3.3% | 2021 | 4.2% | 2023 |
| Primary enrolment | 101.1% | 2023 | 97.7% | 2023 |
| Secondary enrolment | 101.5% | 2023 | 92.5% | 2023 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 64.5% | 2023 | 60.4% | 2024 |
| Adult literacy | — | — | 99.9% | 2021 |

## Technology

| Metric | Japan | Observed | Russia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R&D spending | 3.4% | 2023 | 0.9% | 2024 |
| Researchers (per million) | 5,609 | 2023 | 2,639 | 2024 |
| Internet users | 85.5% | 2024 | 94.4% | 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 178 | 2023 | 186 | 2024 |
| High-tech exports | 17.6% | 2024 | 9.7% | 2021 |

## Geography

| Metric | Japan | Observed | Russia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land area | 364,569 km² | 2023 | 16,376,870 km² | 2023 |
| Forest area | 68.4% | 2023 | 49.8% | 2023 |
| Agricultural land | 12.6% | 2023 | 13.2% | 2023 |
| CO₂ per capita (t) | 7.8 | 2024 | 14.0 | 2024 |
| Renewable energy | 8.8% | 2021 | 3.5% | 2021 |

## Resources

| Metric | Japan | Observed | Russia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resource rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 18.5% | 2021 |
| Oil rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 9.7% | 2021 |
| Mineral rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 2.1% | 2021 |
| Forest rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.3% | 2021 |
| Electricity access | 100.0% | 2023 | 100.0% | 2023 |
| Copper (mined) | — | — | 1.3 Mt | 2025 |
| Iron ore | — | — | 86 Mt | 2025 |
| Gold (mined) | — | — | 310 t | 2025 |
| Cobalt (mined) | — | — | 7,700 t | 2025 |
| Nickel (mined) | — | — | 200 kt | 2025 |
| Rare earths | — | — | 2,600 t | 2025 |
| Bauxite | — | — | 5.7 Mt | 2025 |
| Zinc (mined) | — | — | 430 kt | 2025 |
| Phosphate rock | — | — | 14 Mt | 2025 |

## Military

| Metric | Japan | Observed | Russia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Military burden | 1.4% | 2024 | 7.1% | 2024 |
| Defense spending | $55 B | 2024 | $149 B | 2024 |
| Armed forces | 261,000 | 2020 | 1.5 m | 2020 |

Each metric is also ranked across all nations: https://terralore.co/rankings (markdown twins at /rankings/<metric>.md). Full dossiers: https://terralore.co/country/JPN.md and https://terralore.co/country/RUS.md.

## Entangled histories (2 events)

Events in which either nation's sourced chronicle names the other — including under earlier names of the same state. Each is the record exactly as its own chronicle carries it, with that chronicle's sources.

- 1904-1905 CE: **Russo-Japanese War** — Japan's victory over Russia marks the first modern defeat of a European power by an Asian state and confirms Japan as a major power. (from the Japan chronicle; sources: Japan)
- 1905: **The Revolution of 1905** — Defeat by Japan and the 'Bloody Sunday' shooting of demonstrators spark strikes, mutinies, and unrest across the empire, forcing Nicholas II to grant a parliament (Duma) and limited civil liberties in the October Manifesto. (from the Russia chronicle; sources: Russia; Russian Revolution)

## Sources

- World Development Indicators — World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://data.worldbank.org
- Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) — Worldwide Governance Indicators / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators
- Global Health Observatory (WHO, via World Bank WDI) — WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.who.int/data/gho
- Child mortality & immunisation estimates (UN IGME and WHO/UNICEF, via World Bank WDI) — UNICEF and WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://childmortality.org
- R&D statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) — UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://uis.unesco.org
- ICT indicators (ITU, via World Bank WDI) — ITU / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics
- Military Expenditure Database (via World Development Indicators) — SIPRI / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://www.sipri.org/databases/milex
- Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 — U.S. Geological Survey · Public domain (U.S. Government work) · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center

Chronicle references are cited inline above and resolve in full at https://terralore.co/country/JPN/chronicle.md and https://terralore.co/country/RUS/chronicle.md.

Citation template: Terralore, "Japan and Russia compared", terralore.co/compare/jpn-vs-rus, retrieved <YYYY-MM-DD>.