JAPAN 



or eighteen years and precluded students entering one of the Universities before the age 

 of 23 or 24. la many cases, therefore, it was found that their education was not com- 

 plete until they were about 28. The unsatisfactoriness of this system was recognised, 

 and in May 1910 the authorities decided to remodel it. The new programme reduced 

 the course of study in the high-school to two years, and the higher-middle and middle 

 courses were combined, subject to the approval of the authorities, while at the middle 

 school, technical subjects are optional. This new curriculum was introduced in 1911 

 for the Middle School and in 1912 for the higher grade. Graduates from the latter 

 school are now admitted to the higher school by diploma. The Department of Educa- 

 tion is divided into the Minister's Secretariat and their bureaux, which deal respectively 

 with special, general and technical affairs. Several new State Educational Institutions 

 have been or are being organised, including the College of Sciences of the North-Eastern 

 University at Sendai, the College of Engineering at Fukuoka, Sericultural College at 

 Uyeda, the Mining College at Akita, 5th Higher Commercial School at Otaru, 6th Medi- 

 cal School at Niigata, and 7th Higher Technical School at Yonezawa. The number of 

 schools of all classes in 1908-09 were 34,376, the number of instructors and teachers 

 160,878, the number of students and pupils 6,627,104, an increase of about 300,000 in 

 the previous year, and graduates, 607,521. The Department of Education employed 

 96 foreign teachers, 25 being English, 22 German, 21 American, 6 French, 3 Russian, 

 and other countries 19. There are 405 Kindergartens where infants from 3 years of age 

 are educated until they are old enough to enter the elementary school. 



Physical culture, which includes Military and Gymnastic exercises, is conducted in 

 all schools from the Primary to the University preparatory schools. In the Primary 

 schools there is military drill without arms after the fourth year. In the secondary schools 

 drill is compulsory through the whole five years. During the last three years students 

 are given drill with arms and trained in the practice of giving command. In the High 

 and similar schools, military training with arms is continued. Gymnastic training in 

 Japan is a combination of all the best systems of different countries, and fencing and 

 jujitsu are also taught in many schools. 



Religion. The prevailing religion of Japan, Shintoisfn, was represented in 1908 by 

 162,442 temples or shrines, at which 14,826 ministers officiated. Buddhism, the old religion, 

 was represented by 71,927 temples with 5,268 priests. Christianity, represented by the 

 Protestant, Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches, possessed 1132, 176 and 174 

 places of worship respectively in 1909. The total membership of each branch was 75,608, 

 64,118, and 31,538. The missionaries, including wives, numbered 931 Protestants, 319 

 Roman Catholics and 2 Eastern Orthodox, while the native ministers amounted to 563 Prot- 

 estants, 34 Roman Catholics and 38 Eastern Orthodox. 



Poor Law and Charity. The State Relief Fund amounted in the year 1907-8 to about 

 3,488,437. The disbursements from this fund for -the same year amounted to 53,600. 

 This included the relief of destitute cases and cases of death not identified. The State also 

 provides for the support of paupers. The hospitals established by the Red-Cross Society 

 at the end of 1909 amounted to twelve institutions, attached to which were 3,787 doctors, 

 pharmaceutists, and nurses. The number of members in this year amounted to 1,525,822 

 compared with 1,443,420 in the previous year. In addition to this there are at the present 

 time 260 asylums and orphanages and about 50 public and private reformatories for boys. 

 There are in addition a number of other hospitals for special diseases. Good work is also 

 being carried out in connection with the Ex-convicts reform, the fund for this purpose 

 totalling approximately 180,000. Fifty-five homes had been established to' carry out this 

 work at the end of 1908 ; the number dealt with for this year amounted to 390. There are in 

 addition five or six other establishments of the same description doing good work. 



Justice, Crime, etc. The criminal code of Japan which came into force in 1909 is in many 

 ways an advance over its predecessor, which was based chiefly on the French model. The 

 new code gives a greater amount of discretionary power to judges. The punishments pro- 

 vided under this code include capital punishment, penal servitude, imprisonment, fines 

 and detention, with confiscation as a subsidiary penalty. Penal servitude ranges from not 

 less than one month. Any attempt on the life of a member of the Imperial Court or a Prince 

 of Royal-blood receives capital punishment and for lese-majeste, penal servitude varying 

 from .two months to five years. The importation or manufacturing of opium is also a 

 punishable offence, the term of imprisonment varying from six months to seven years, and 

 for smoking opium, imprisonment for three years or under. For gambling or lottery and for 

 games of chance a fine is imposed of 1000 yen (about 100) or under, and for habitually 



