1.A. Geographic settinga. LocationJapan is a group of northeastern islands off the Asian mainland. The approximate coordinates are 35°N, 136°E. The country has four main islands, Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku, and over 2,000 smaller islands, all completely surrounded by seas and oceans. These bodies of water include the Sea of ​​Japan, the East China Sea, the Philippine Sea, and the surrounding major body of water, the Pacific Ocean. The distance to fly over the Pacific Ocean from Tokyo, Japan to Denver, Colorado, United States is approximately 5,852 miles, which would take approximately 12 hours of travel. With an area of ​​approximately 377,915 square kilometers, the country is slightly smaller than the state of California.b. ClimateThe climate in Japan differs from that of the United States in that it has a humid, tropical climate, hot during the summer months (June-mid-September), but; conversely, heavy clouds, extremely dry air, snow, rain, and strong winds may also occur during the winter, fall, and spring months (mid-September - May). Most of Japan has had consistent weather conditions for the past 18 years. The weather during each year since 2000 has been mostly rainy about 40% of the time, snowy weather has lasted about 25% of the time, 15% of each year has been cloudy, and the remaining about 10% has been clear . Japan has also had a consistent amount of sunshine hours over the years, accounting for about 20% pure sunshine per year. Japan, overall, is mostly humid and hot during the summer and freezing during the winter, something the US can relate to without the humidity.c. TopographyJapan's topography is extreme but stunning. Opposite the United States, Japan l......center of paper......Department of Statistical Investigation, Bureau of Statistics, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. (2012). Statistical Yearbook of Japan. Statistical Office. Retrieved December 18, 2013, from http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/nenkan/index.htm5. United Nations. (n.d.). Population of Japan 2013. Review of world population. Retrieved December 20, 2013, from http://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/japan-population/ University of Texas. (1971). Land use. Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection - UT Library Online. Retrieved December 21, 2013, from http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/middle_east_and_asia/japan_land_1971.jpg6. Selvaggio, J. J., Selvaggio, K. L., & Han, J. C. (2008). (CH2)Cross-cultural business and (CH5)International trade. International Affairs: The Challenges of Globalization (4th ed., pp. 48, 61-62, 132, 136, 147). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.