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JAPAN. 



JAPAN, an empire in Eastern Asia. The 

 area is estimated at 150,000 square miles ; the 

 population at about 35,000,000. The conflict 

 between the Mikado and Tycoon, in 1867 and 

 1868, resulted in the resumption of the admin- 

 istration of the empire by the Mikado, and in 

 the total abolition of the Tycoonate. The fol- 

 lowing foreign powers were, in 1868, repre- 

 sented in Japan, by diplomatic agents : United 

 States of America (Robert B. Yan Yalken- 

 burgh minister), Belgium, Denmark, France, 

 Great Britain, Italy, Netherlands, North-Ger- 

 man Confederation, Austria, Portugal, Russia, 

 Switzerland. 



Official reports from the three ports of Japan 

 open in 1867 (Kanagawa, Nagasaki, and Hako- 

 dadi) show that the exports in that year 

 amounted to $12,123,674, and the imports to 

 $18,476,330, to which must be added no less 

 than $1,500,000 for the value of rice imported, 

 duty-free, into Kanagawa, owing to the bad 

 harvest of 1866, and $1,199,739, the value of 

 steamers and sailing-vessels sold at Nagasaki, 

 bringing the total value of the exports and im- 

 ports of 1867 up to $33,099,743. This state- 

 ment shows a large balance against Japan, and, 

 although the difference is probably not so 

 great as is thus represented, in consequence of 

 the exports being under-estimated, it is known 

 that large returns were received in the year by 

 the foreign merchants in native coin, which 

 was extensively imported as bullion. There 

 has also been an unnatural expansion in that 

 unfavorable feature of the commerce of Japan, 

 the import trade in arms. No less than 102,- 

 333 stand of arms were imported into Kan- 

 agawa in 1867, and 64,367 stand into Nagasaki ; 

 and it is known that these figures do not repre- 

 sent the total quantity of arms brought into 

 Japan. It has not been found possible to show 

 the proportions in which the foreign trade with 

 Japan above stated has been distributed be- 

 tween English and other foreign interests, but 

 some indication is supplied by the tonnage 

 returns. The total foreign tonnage entered at 

 the three ports in 1867 was 297,851 tons, of 

 which there were 138,126 tons British, and 

 159,725 tons of other foreign tonnage. Nearly 

 400 British merchant-vessels visited one or 

 other of the ports of Japan in 1867. Amer- 

 ican shipping shows a marked increase, owing 

 to the opening of the Pacific mail line to San 

 Francisco. The export of raw silk from Japan 

 showed a marked decline in 1867, owing partly, 

 it is probable, to an increased export of silk- 

 worm eggs, to make good the failures of the 

 European silkworm, the native growers prefer- 

 ring to realize a profit from the eggs, without 

 waiting the result of the tardy and more risky 

 process of their conversion into silk. 



Japanese tea has hardly fulfilled the antici- 



pations formed of it. The demand, such as it 

 is, is almost entirely for American consumption. 

 The import trade into Japan in 1867 was 

 affected by the country being to some extent 

 impoverished through the large payments made 

 for sugar, rice, and arms, and the shipments 

 from home having been excessive, prices de- 

 clined greatly. Business in metals was unsat- 

 isfactory, but there appears to be a steadily- 

 increasing demand for cotton manufactures. 

 The vessels sold at Nagasaki last year were 

 25 in number, the tonnage ranging from 83 to 

 540 tons. All but four were British vessels. 

 In most instances they were sold at high 

 prices, upon long credit. The Japanese work 

 these vessels for their own business, plying 

 between Nagasaki and the various ports of 

 the adjacent provinces, but- rarely carrying 

 full cargoes. Coal is found in abundance for 

 the supply of the large fleet of steamers now 

 possessed by the Japanese, and is exported 

 to Shanghai, where it finds a ready sale when 

 English coal cannot be obtained. The British 

 consul at Nagasaki reports that the natives are 

 so anxious to learn, that not a single steamer 

 enters the harbor but they are sure to visit it, 

 and take minute copies of what they think of 

 interest. They are able themselves to work 

 all the steamers they have recently purchased. 

 The imports and exports in 1864 and 1865 

 were as follows (value in millions of dollars) : 



The chief articles of export are : tea (1866- 

 '67, 7,000,000 pounds), silk (1866-'67, 13,537 

 balls), and cotton. 



The following was the movement of shipping : 



It has already been stated, in the ANNUAL 

 CYCLOPEDIA for 1867, that, at the close of the 

 year 1867, the Tycoon resigned his office. A 

 full account of this event is given. in the fol- 

 lowing extract from a letter of Nomoura- 

 Sooshti (a Japanese general, who seems to have 

 played a conspicuous part in the revolution) 

 to Count Charles de Montblanc, dated from 

 Kioto, November 10, 1867 : 



The Japanese Confederation, under the presidency 

 of his Majesty the Mikado, is now free from every 

 illusion. The Tycoon has resigned his equivocal 

 power into the hands of the Mikado. Japanese civ- 



