JAPAN. 



387 



cupies 54,184 square miles. For administrative 

 purposes the empire is divided into 47 prefec- 

 tures and 12,625 mayoralties. For meteorologic- 

 al observation and weather predictions there 

 are 7 divisions, following mainly the line of the 

 ancient do, or circuits, which have 12 main and 

 48 subordinate stations, at which barometric 



THE EMPEROR OP JAPAN. 



pressure, temperature, humidity, and the phe- 

 nomena of the weather are noted daily. From the 

 data thus gathered forecasts are issued twice 

 daily and notices of storms are regularly posted. 

 Population. According to the census re- 

 turns, compiled by the Department of Home 

 Affairs, on Dec. 31, 1893, there were 7,859,218 

 houses and 41,386,265 inhabitants, of whom 20,- 

 905,359 were males and 20,480,906 were females. 

 Classified according to rank, there were 3,905 

 nobles, 599 being heads' of houses, and 3,306 

 their families ; 2,024,310 shizoku, or gentry, 432,- 

 723 being heads of families, and 1,591,587 their 

 families ; 39,358,050 heimin, or commoners, 

 8,875,622 being heads of houses and 31,476,781 

 their families. Foundlings not yet adopted 

 numbered 4,442, while there were 1,225 prisoners 

 unregistered as citizens. The census of 1893 

 shows an increase of 41.648 houses and 296,325 

 persons over that of 1892. Of the 1,177,663 

 births in 1893, 601,961 were of boys, 575,702 

 were of girls, and 108,872 were stillborn. In 

 the list of 937,177 deaths, 478,808 were of males 

 and 458,366 of females, the sex of 2 being un- 



After the declaration of war between China and 

 Japan a majority of the Chinese left the ports, 

 while a considerable minority remained, having 

 registered and received protection from the Jap- 

 anese Government. Owing to various causes, 

 growing out of Japan's adoption of the civiliza- 

 tion of Christendom, the mastery of diseases, 

 the limitations of the death penalty, the repeal 

 of oppressive sumptuary laws, the redistribution 

 of land, the greater freedom of life, etc., the 

 population, which remained very nearly station- 

 ary for over a century previous to 1868, is now 

 increasing at a rate that presents new problems 

 to the statesman and economist. No European 

 country except Belgium is more densely popu- 

 lated than Japan. 



Finances. Owing to the sudden and un- 

 looked-for outbreak of war with China in June, 

 the annual budget was not presented to the Diet 

 at the usual time. Nevertheless, at the special 

 session called at Hiroshima, which place the Em- 

 peror and his ministers made their residence for 

 several months in order to be nearer the seat of 

 war. a credit of yen 150,000,000 was voted to the 

 Government for the prosecution of the war. 

 This money is raised by loan. Of metal coin- 

 age gold, silver, copper, and nickel there had 

 been made and circulated since the foundation 

 of the mint at Osaka (in 1870) up to 1893, yen 

 207,575,735, of which in 1892-'93 yen 1,351,267 

 in gold, 12,141,928 in silver, and 500.000 in nickel 

 were struck and issued. The paper money in 

 circulation, including imperial treasury notes 

 (19,200,044), national banknotes (23,623,657), and 

 silver certificates (100,230.963), exchangeable for 

 their value in cash at the Bank of Japan, amounts 

 to yen 143,054,664. Besides the taxes collected 

 by the General Government there were receipts 

 of local taxes in the various prefectures, for po- 

 lice, public works, penitentiaries, etc., amount- 

 ing to yen 18,045,927. The Constitution pre- 

 scribes that "when the budget has not been 

 brought into actual existence the Government 

 shall carry ont the budget of the previous year." 



Army and Navy. Japan had no national 

 army until 1876, when the hereditary military 

 monopoly was abolished and the honors of war 

 made possible to all males of twenty or more 

 years of age. On Jan. 1, 1893, there' were 643 

 generals, 3,715 officers, 11,704 subordinate offi- 

 cers, and 2,066 cadets and pupils ; soldiers and 

 military employees, 269,748. In the infantry 

 each regiment has 12 companies or 3 battalions. 

 In time of peace the company consists of 192 

 men, of whom 5 are officers and 29 are " first 

 soldiers " or noncommissioned officers, the grade 



known. There were 357,913 marriages and 116,- of corporal not being known. In war time the 

 636 divorces. These were 35,550 persons known company at full strength has 272 men. A regi- 



company a u strength as men. 

 ment of infantiy in war has 2,880 men ; in peace, 

 2,347 men, with 12 horses, 9 noncombatant offi- 

 cers, 349 " first soldiers," 65 ordinary, and 4 su- 

 perior officers. A brigade of artillery at war 

 strength comprises 2 batteries, each of "6 bronze 

 ._,._. field guns, served by 158 men and 86 horses. A cav- 



and 50,000 inhabitants. There were 9,803 for- airy company in war has 189 men and 140 horses. 

 eign residents, of whom 94 were in the diplo- The cannon are of 7|- centimetres bore. The in- 

 matic or consular service of their respective fantry is armed with the Murata rifle, a maga- 



zine breech-loader holding 9 cartridges and firing 

 a copper-coated leaden rod H m h long, the 

 powder used making little smoke and noise. The 

 rapid mobilization of troops in the summer of 



, persons 



to be abroad and 296,885 absconders. The 

 number of persons between the ages of ninety 

 and one hundred was 7,880; of those over 

 one hundred, 98. In 1892, 6 cities (all on 

 Hondo) had over 100,000, 12 had between 

 50.000 and 100,000, and 18 had between 30,000 



countries, and 672 were in the Japanese Govern- 

 ment or private employ as teachers, engineers, 

 etc. Of this total, 1,728 were British, 958 Ameri- 

 can, 480 German, 404 French, and 5,574 Chinese. 



