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Singapore vs Japan

Singapore

vs

Japan

Green highlights the higher value (or higher GDP per capita). Figures are approximate.

A city versus a country of islands

Singapore is a city-state of about 730 km², smaller than many Japanese cities; Japan covers nearly 378,000 km² and has roughly 20 times Singapore's population. The climates are opposites: Singapore sits about 1° north of the equator with heat and rain all year, while Japan stretches from snowy Hokkaido to subtropical Okinawa and has four distinct seasons. Japan is also volcanic and earthquake-prone, while Singapore is largely flat and outside major seismic zones. The flight from Singapore to Tokyo takes around seven hours.

History

Japanese forces captured Singapore from Britain in February 1942 and occupied it until 1945, renaming it Syonan-to; the occupation, including the massacre of many Chinese residents, is commemorated in Singapore today. After independence in 1965, Singapore drew on Japanese investment and management ideas as it industrialised, and in 2002 the two signed an economic partnership agreement, the first such agreement Japan concluded with any country.

People, language and society

Singapore is multi-ethnic, with Chinese, Malay and Indian communities, and has four official languages (English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil), with English the main working language. Japan is one of the most ethnically homogeneous large countries, and Japanese is almost universally spoken. Both are famously safe, clean and efficient, and both face low birth rates; Singapore relies far more on immigration to sustain its workforce.

Economies

Singapore is a trade, shipping and financial hub with one of the world's highest incomes per person. Japan is a far larger, more diversified industrial economy known for cars, machinery and electronics. Japanese food, retail and brands are hugely popular in Singapore, and Japan is a favourite holiday destination for Singaporeans.