Iwate Entrance Social Studies flashcards
Iwate Entrance Social Studies · Build recall with a focused review session.
32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- 47 prefectures
- Japan is divided into 47 prefectures (to-do-fu-ken), each with a governor and assembly; they are grouped into 8 regions for geographic study.
- Pacific side climate
- The Pacific coast of Japan has hot, humid summers with heavy rainfall and relatively dry, sunny winters because seasonal winds blow from the northwest across the mountains.
- Sea of Japan side climate
- The Sea of Japan coast receives heavy winter snowfall because cold northwest monsoon winds pick up moisture over the warm Tsushima Current and release it as snow.
- Seto Inland Sea climate
- The Seto Inland Sea region has low annual rainfall and many sunny days because mountains on both sides block seasonal winds, making it Japan's driest climate zone.
- Keihin industrial belt
- The Keihin industrial belt stretches around Tokyo and Yokohama; it is Japan's largest industrial zone, built on imported raw materials and port access.
- Contour interval
- The contour interval is the vertical distance between adjacent contour lines; on a 1:25,000 topographic map of Japan it is usually 10 meters.
- Japan Standard Time meridian
- Japan Standard Time is based on the 135°E meridian, which passes near Akashi; Tokyo at about 139°E has local solar time slightly ahead of clock time.
- Aging population
- Japan's population is aging rapidly: the share aged 65 and over exceeds 29 percent, while the working-age population shrinks, raising pension and healthcare costs.
- Taika Reforms
- The Taika Reforms of 645 centralized land and taxation under the emperor, modeled on Tang China, and helped establish the ritsuryo state.
- Heian court culture
- Heian court culture produced The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu and The Pillow Book by Sei Shonagon, both written in kana script during the 10th and 11th centuries.
- Kamakura shogunate
- The Kamakura shogunate, founded in 1192, was Japan's first warrior government; it repelled Mongol invasions in 1274 and 1281 with help from typhoons.
- Sakoku policy
- The Edo shogunate's sakoku policy restricted foreign trade and travel; contact was limited mainly to Dutch and Chinese traders at Nagasaki.
- Meiji Restoration
- The Meiji Restoration of 1868 ended the Tokugawa shogunate and returned power to the emperor, launching rapid industrialization and military modernization.
- Meiji Constitution
- The Meiji Constitution, promulgated in 1889, created a bicameral Imperial Diet but kept sovereignty with the Emperor and limited the powers of the elected lower house.
- San Francisco Peace Treaty
- The 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty formally ended World War II for Japan and took effect in 1952, restoring Japanese sovereignty.
- Silk Road
- The Silk Road was a network of trade routes linking China, Central Asia, and the Mediterranean; goods, religions, and technologies spread along it.
- Article 9
- Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution renounces war as a sovereign right and prohibits maintaining armed forces with war potential; its interpretation is debated.
- Popular sovereignty
- Popular sovereignty means political power ultimately rests with the people; in Japan the Emperor is a symbol and does not hold governing power.
- Separation of powers
- The separation of powers divides government into legislative (Diet), executive (Cabinet), and judicial (courts) branches, each checking the others.
- House of Representatives superiority
- The House of Representatives can override the House of Councillors on budgets, treaties, and the choice of Prime Minister with a two-thirds vote.
- Cabinet composition
- The Cabinet is led by the Prime Minister, chosen by the Diet, and a majority of its ministers must be members of the Diet.
- Judicial review
- Judicial review is the Supreme Court's power to rule laws and government acts unconstitutional; Japan's court has used it sparingly.
- Fiscal policy
- Fiscal policy uses government spending and taxation to influence the economy; it is controlled by the Diet and Cabinet, not the central bank.
- Monetary policy
- Monetary policy is set by the Bank of Japan and adjusts interest rates and money supply to influence prices and economic activity.
- UN membership
- Japan joined the United Nations in 1956 and has served as a non-permanent member of the Security Council many times, though it lacks a permanent seat.
- Era-to-Western year conversion
- To convert a Japanese era year to a Western year, add the era's starting year minus one; for example, Showa 20 equals 1926 plus 20 minus 1, or 1945.
- Map scale calculation
- To find actual distance, divide the map distance by the scale fraction; 4 cm on a 1:50,000 map equals 4 cm times 50,000, or 2 km.
- Population pyramid reading
- A population pyramid with a wide base shows a high birthrate; a narrow base with a wide top shows an aging society, as in present-day Japan.
- Absolute value versus rate
- A rate (percentage) and an absolute number can move in opposite directions; a rising share of elderly can occur while the total population falls.
- Document sourcing
- Document sourcing means identifying a source's author, date, and purpose before using it; this helps separate fact from opinion and detect bias.
- 1955 system
- The 1955 system refers to the Liberal Democratic Party's near-continuous dominance of Japanese politics from 1955 until the 1993 coalition government.
- Trade surplus
- A trade surplus occurs when a country's export value exceeds its import value; Japan has shifted between surpluses and deficits in recent years.