I0 6o JAPAN 



indulging in games of chance, imprisonment for three years or under. The issuing of lottery 

 tickets or acting as lottery agents is also punishable by imprisonment or fines. At the end 

 of the year 1909 there were 370 courts in the country; one Supreme Court, seven Appeal, 

 50 District and 312 Local courts. The number of judges was 13,037, distributed respectively 

 as to 25, 133, 598 and 581. The number of cases tried in the Supreme Court in this year 

 was 676; in the Appeal Court 5,677. The criminal cases tried in these courts numbered 

 2,453 and 11,353 respectively. At the district and local courts during the same year the 

 number of civil and criminal cases numbered 588,153, the prosecutions amounting to 230,955. 

 The number of prisons at the end of 1908 was 149, in which were 53,619 prisoners, 47,312 

 of these being convicts. The total revenue derived from prisons in 1908-9 amounted to 

 about 131,594 and in 1909-10 to 125,238. The expenditure for all items amounted in the 

 same years to 589,439 and 603,327 respectively. The number of police stations at the 

 end of 1907 was 16,072, police officers and men numbering 37,110. The number of suicides 

 in 1908 amounted 109,600 (5,897 males and 3,703 females). The number of fires occurring 

 in 1908 was 15,351, by which 37,380 houses were destroyed or damaged. 



Political History. The last few years have been marked by a general expansion of 

 Japanese home industries and foreign trade, together with retrenchment in expenditure 

 on Army and Navy, the improvement of conditions of labour, and considerable activity 

 in connection with the construction of inland transport facilities. Briefly, the Govern- 

 ment have been concentrating their attention on the economic problems which always 

 accompany a transition in industrial development. The Japanese are essentially an 

 agricultural people, and the building up of manufacturing industries has introduced new 

 economic conditions. This is clearly instanced by the fact that whereas in 1908 the 

 value of iron and steel imports amounted to 3,726,406, in 191 1 the value was 4,706,201 ; 

 the value of other metals imported in 1908 was 786,566 and in 1911 1,090,527, while 

 the imports of machines and machinery were valued in the latter year at 4.692,828 and 

 4,313,412 respectively. In ten years the figures for these items about trebled. 



An important step was taken in 1910 by the introduction of a new Tariff of a highly 

 protective character. The objects of this tariff were to provide an increased amount of 

 revenue and to encourage the building up of home industries. Provision, however, was 

 made for the reduction of certain duties on commodities imported from countries with 

 whom conventions had been arranged. Substantial concessions were made to Great 

 Britain by a commercial treaty in April 1911 in return for the free entrance into the latter 

 country of Japanese goods, on which Great Britain levied no duties. In recognition of 

 her treatment, Japan agreed to the entrance of British 'cotton and linen goods and 

 iron and steel manufactures at a considerably reduced rate, these classes of manu- 

 facture representing about 80 per cent of the total British exports to Japan. 



During 1910 further progress was made in the exploitation and absorption of Korea; 

 an agreement was signed with Russia by which the two Powers agreed to the mainte- 

 nance of the status quo in Manchuria and to refrain from indulging in any antagonistic 

 rivalry in its development; and a Bill was introduced having as its object the granting 

 of permission to foreigners to hold land, provided that foreign Governments granted 

 similar privileges. This latter Bill was passed after the introduction of an amendment 

 to the effect that such a concession should be restricted to persons and to business firms 

 resident in Japan. The year 1911 was chiefly of note for the development of the internal 

 resources of the country and the provision of better transport facilities and accommoda- 

 tion. With this purpose in view the sum of 13,484,0100 was allocated to the improve- 

 ment of waterways, and 9,800,000 to the extension and improvement of railways; 

 1,000,000 was devoted to the improvement of roadways in Korea, and nearly 850,000 

 to the construction of custom houses; the Harbour Commission also recommended the 

 expenditure of 10,000,000 on new harbour works at various ports. The issue of a loan 

 in Great Britain for 6,000,000 was also carried through for the extension and improve- 

 ments on the South Manchuria Railway. 



The most important political event in 1911 was the renewal in July of the alliance 

 between Japan and Great Britain for a further period of 10 years; a new condition was 

 introduced into the terms of the alliance, whereby it was agreed that if either of the con- 

 tracting parties was at war with a Power with which it had a Treaty of Arbitration 

 neither of the parties should be under an obligation to give its support. Marquis J. 



