# Japan and United States compared

Japan and United States side by side: 42 shared sourced indicators across 9 domains, and the 3 events their chronicles record of each other.

Canonical: https://terralore.co/compare/jpn-vs-usa
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
- United States: 4 July 1776 — The Second Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence

## Economy

| Metric | Japan | Observed | United States | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP | $4.03 T | 2024 | $28.75 T | 2024 |
| GDP per capita | $32,487 | 2024 | $84,534 | 2024 |
| GDP growth | 0.1% | 2024 | 2.8% | 2024 |
| Inflation | 2.7% | 2024 | 2.9% | 2024 |
| Trade openness | 46.4% | 2024 | 25.4% | 2024 |

## Society

| Metric | Japan | Observed | United States | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 124 m | 2024 | 340 m | 2024 |
| Life expectancy | 84.0 yrs | 2024 | 78.9 yrs | 2024 |
| Urban population | 92.2% | 2024 | 80.1% | 2024 |
| Fertility rate | 1.1 | 2024 | 1.6 | 2024 |

## Governance

| Metric | Japan | Observed | United States | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice & accountability | 76.4 | 2024 | 72.4 | 2024 |
| Political stability | 85.3 | 2024 | 64.3 | 2024 |
| Government effectiveness | 91.9 | 2024 | 77.8 | 2024 |
| Regulatory quality | 75.8 | 2024 | 76.2 | 2024 |
| Rule of law | 83.0 | 2024 | 73.5 | 2024 |
| Control of corruption | 75.3 | 2024 | 69.9 | 2024 |

## Health

| Metric | Japan | Observed | United States | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health spending | 10.7% | 2023 | 16.7% | 2023 |
| Physicians | 2.65 | 2022 | 3.68 | 2022 |
| Under-5 mortality | 2.4 | 2024 | 6.5 | 2024 |
| Measles immunisation | 95.0% | 2024 | 92.0% | 2024 |
| Safe drinking water | 98.7% | 2024 | 97.6% | 2024 |

## Education

| Metric | Japan | Observed | United States | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Education spending | 3.3% | 2021 | 5.4% | 2021 |
| Primary enrolment | 101.1% | 2023 | 97.0% | 2022 |
| Secondary enrolment | 101.5% | 2023 | 97.5% | 2022 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 64.5% | 2023 | 79.4% | 2022 |

## Technology

| Metric | Japan | Observed | United States | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R&D spending | 3.4% | 2023 | 3.4% | 2023 |
| Researchers (per million) | 5,609 | 2023 | 4,937 | 2022 |
| Internet users | 85.5% | 2024 | 94.7% | 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 178 | 2023 | 113 | 2024 |
| High-tech exports | 17.6% | 2024 | 24.3% | 2024 |

## Geography

| Metric | Japan | Observed | United States | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land area | 364,569 km² | 2023 | 9,147,420 km² | 2023 |
| Forest area | 68.4% | 2023 | 33.9% | 2023 |
| Agricultural land | 12.6% | 2023 | 46.1% | 2023 |
| CO₂ per capita (t) | 7.8 | 2024 | 13.6 | 2024 |
| Renewable energy | 8.8% | 2021 | 10.9% | 2021 |

## Resources

| Metric | Japan | Observed | United States | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resource rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 1.3% | 2021 |
| Oil rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.6% | 2021 |
| Mineral rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.1% | 2021 |
| Forest rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 |
| Electricity access | 100.0% | 2023 | 100.0% | 2023 |
| Copper (mined) | — | — | 1.0 Mt | 2025 |
| Iron ore | — | — | 38 Mt | 2025 |
| Gold (mined) | — | — | 160 t | 2025 |
| Cobalt (mined) | — | — | 300 t | 2025 |
| Nickel (mined) | — | — | 10.0 kt | 2025 |
| Rare earths | — | — | 51.0 kt | 2025 |
| Zinc (mined) | — | — | 670 kt | 2025 |
| Phosphate rock | — | — | 20 Mt | 2025 |

## Military

| Metric | Japan | Observed | United States | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Military burden | 1.4% | 2024 | 3.4% | 2024 |
| Defense spending | $55 B | 2024 | $997 B | 2024 |
| Armed forces | 261,000 | 2020 | 1.4 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/USA.md.

## Entangled histories (3 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.

- 1941 CE: **Attack on Pearl Harbor** — Japan attacks the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor, bringing the United States into World War II and opening the Pacific War. (from the Japan chronicle; sources: Pacific War)
- 7 December 1941: **Attack on Pearl Harbor** — Japan's surprise attack on the U.S. naval base in Hawaii brought the United States into the Second World War. (from the United States chronicle; sources: Joint Address to Congress Leading to a Declaration of War Against Japan (1941))
- 1945 CE: **Atomic bombings and surrender** — The United States drops atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9; Japan announces surrender, formalized on September 2, ending World War II. (from the Japan chronicle; sources: Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; Pacific War)

## 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/USA/chronicle.md.

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