416 



JAPAN. 



may be taken are ten, to each of which allow- 

 ances from the civil list are made annually. 

 Eleven members of the Upper House of the Diet 

 are styled princes. The fifth session of the Im- 

 perial Diet was formally opened by the Emperor 

 on Nov. 28, 1893. 



Finances. The budget submitted to the Im- 

 perial Diet, Nov. 28, 1893, for the next fiscal year, 

 in six books containing 1,438 pages, may be thus 

 summarized, the figures standing for silver yen : 

 Totals revenue, 90,675,196; and expenditure, 

 85,472,159. The increase of income over that of 

 last year, 2,649,481, is derived from the tax on 

 sake and tobacco, customs dues, licenses, com- 

 missions and receipts from posts and telegraphs; 

 the decrease of 926,573 is in mining-tax receipts 

 and receipts from railroads, making a balance 

 of 1.712,808. In expenditure there is a total in- 

 crease of 3,624.054. Owing to the great develop- 

 ment of administrative and civilizing agencies, 

 the items of ordinary expenditure amount to 

 1,994,704 ; but as there has been saved by reduc- 

 tion of office expenses and salaries 1,695,315, the 

 total actual increase is but 299,962. In extraor- 

 dinary expenditure the items amount to 3,894.- 

 733, which sum is decreased 632,212 by a reduc- 

 tion of subsidy to the Japan Railway Company 

 and less outlay on men-of-war, giving a balance 

 of 3,262,521. The excess of revenue over ex- 

 penses is 5,233,036. In the report of the budget 

 committee, distributed Dec. 19, a retrenchment 

 of 3,382,000 is proposed, by which the estimated 

 surplus is 8,400,000. In March, 1892, the for- 

 eign debt was but $3,840,000. The national 

 debt (including the foreign) in 1892 was yen 

 251,743,709, which, with 22,000,000 of circulating 

 notes payable in silver on demand and 25,702,- 

 384 of paper money, makes a total of 299.446,093. 

 Of metal coinage, there have been made and cir- 

 culated since the foundation of the mint, in 1870, 

 until 1882 yen 193,582,540, of which yen 188,- 

 891,364 (63,426,861 gold, 109,665,118 silver, 4,267- 

 349 nickel, and 11,532,036 copper) are in circula- 

 tion. The paper money issued by the Govern- 

 ment and national banks for ordinary business 

 amounted, April 1, 1882, to yen 136,161,150. 



Trade. The total foreign trade for 1892 

 was nearly double that of 1884. Owing to the 

 progress of native industries, the imports of 

 raw material are increasing over the imports of 

 manufactured goods. Since 1887 the value of 

 imports has increased over 19 per cent. The 

 value of cotton yarn and piece goods has de- 

 creased 17 per cent., while woolen goods remain 

 stationary. In 1892 eleven times the quantity 

 .of raw cotton imported in 1887 entered Japan, 

 and during these four years the export of fabrics 

 made in Japan was over 400 per cent. The 

 Japanese now compete with the British in the 

 far East in certain lines of cotton goods. Ex- 

 clusive of yarn made from native cotton, the in- 

 crease of yarn consumed in 1887 was 25,000 tons; 

 in 1892, 72,000 tons. Imports of sugar are in- 

 creasing. Since 1890, owing to fluctuations in 

 silver, Japan has been steadily selling in a dear- 

 er market and buying in a cheaper one. In 1892 

 the export of gold was nearly $5,000,000. and the 

 import nearly $15.000,000 of silver. British 

 trade has declined, and American trade has ad- 

 vanced. The foreign trade of Japan for the 

 year 1892 amounted in exports to nearly $65,- 



717,350, and in imports to nearly $53,308,810, 

 or an increase in the whole foreign trade over 

 that of 1891 of nearly $2,592,170, and an excess 

 of exports over imports of nearly $14,408,540, 

 more than a majority of the whole being done at 

 Yokohama. During the past ten years raw silk 

 has formed over 40 per cent, of the exports, 

 while tea has fallen from 17 to 8 per cent., while 

 the export of manufactured silk goods has great- 

 ly increased. In imports, cotton yarn from 22 

 per cent, in 1883 has fallen to 10 per cent, of the 

 total value in 1892, while, raw cotton has risen 

 from 1 to 17 per cent., being now the most im- 

 portant article in the import trade. While 

 Japan is yearly becoming more and more her 

 own manufacturer, 82 per cent, of the foreign 

 trade (78'5 per cent, of imports and 85'5 per cent, 

 of exports) is in the hands of foreigners. Since 

 1887 the gold value of the import trade has in- 

 creased 19 per cent., and the value of the export 

 trade 60 per cent. The steady increase of trade 

 with the United States is especially shown in 

 " General View of Commerce and Industry in 

 the Empire of Japan," published by the Govern- 

 ment, and distributed at the World's Fair in 

 Chicago. The total values of exports and im- 

 ports for 1873 to 1891 show a steady increase of 

 the former from yen 4.226,162 to 29,795,755, and 

 of the latter from yen 1,017,761 to 6,840,048, 

 showing that as a buyer from Japan the United 

 States leads all nations, while as sellers only 

 Great Britain and China exceed. Especially has 

 mutual increase of trade been noticed since the 

 Centennial Exhibition of 1876. The first Japan- 

 ese chamber of commerce was established in 

 1878, since which date 50 more have come into 

 existence. These, with the other organizations 

 which have sprung into existence in recent 

 years and are noted below, exert a powerful in- 

 fluence in developing the commercial energies 

 and resources of the whole empire. 



Army and Navy. On Dec. 31, 1891, the total 

 enrollment of persons in the employ of the mili- 

 tary service was 269,620. of whom 251,254 were sol- 

 diers, 1,879 students, 10,581 petty officers, 3,587 

 officers, and 595 general and superior officers. 

 Under the conscription law there were avail- 

 able in 1890 350,369 recruits, of whom 307.856 

 had just attained the conscript age of twenty. 

 Of the recruits, 20,365 were placed in active serv- 

 ice and 127,565 assigned to the reserve. The 

 empire is divided into 6 military departments, 

 in which are 19 hospitals, the proportion of deaths 

 among 100 sick soldiers being 1'24, and of deaths 

 among 1,000 being 7*11. In the navy depart- 

 ment, Dec. 31, 1891, were 14,190 persons, of whom 

 13,092 were officers and sailors in active service; 

 35 steam vessels, of 61,763 tons displacement and 

 76,665 horse power, mounting 324 cannon, all of 

 the finest modern European model and equip- 

 ment, and manned by 5,726 officers and subor- 

 dinates/formed the Japanese fleet. In the 3 na\ r al 

 hospitals the death rate of the sick was T33, and 

 of every 1,000 men was 5'87. 



Industry. In almost all the items under this 

 head the progress shown is extraordinary. The 

 stimulus of foreign demands and of the cultivat- 

 ed tastes of the people, besides the application of 

 Western arts and sciences, are the underlying 

 causes of the increase. Of land owned by pro- 

 prietors, 61 per cent., and by farmers, 39 per 



