JAPAN. 



401 



on the day the new treaties came in force, and 

 the trade in August and September amounted to 

 3,257,100 yen. At the end of 1898 the number 

 of spindlep in the cotton factories of Japan was 

 1,108,404, or 200 per cent, more than six years 

 ago; but the competition of spinning mills in 

 Shanghai and other causes have depressed the 

 industry in Japan. 



The purpose of the Japanese is to gain the 

 markets of China. The trade between the two 

 countries, which in 1893 amounted to 48,707,540 

 yen, increased until at the end of 1898 it reached 

 a total of 95,440,348. Exhibitors to the Paris 

 Exposition send goods valued at 2,217,352 yen. 



Communications. Emigration from Japan 

 continues to be active. About 75,000 Japanese 

 live abroad 10,000 in America, 2,000 in Russian 

 Siberia, 28,000 in Hawaii, 30,000 in Korea, and 

 1,000 in China. At home the building of railways, 

 telegraphs, and telephones continues brisk. Near- 

 ly 500 miles of railway were opened in the fiscal 

 year 1898-'99, and in October, 1899, there were 

 3,534 miles opened for travel, the development in 

 Yezo being remarkable. In 1895 there were 2,272 

 miles opened, showing an increase in three years 

 of 33 per cent. On the Government lines (660 

 miles ) the accidents during the year ending March 

 31, 1897, were 148 killed and 94 wounded; on 

 private lines (1,340 miles), 204 killed and 169 

 wounded. On the water, at the end of 1897, there 

 were 1,684 steamers, of 486,459 tons; of sailing 

 ships on foreign models there were 171, of 27,412 

 tons. Fifty- seven steamers, aggregating 10,698 

 tons, and 18 sailing vessels, aggregating 2,422 

 tons, were built in Japan in 1897. The number of 

 telegraphic messages to every 100 of the popula- 

 tion is 26, and the use of telephones is increasing. 

 There are 5 electric trolley lines in the empire. 



Formosa. The past year was signalized by 

 many outbreaks of rebellion and raids of the 

 head-hunting savages. In 1898 303 attacks were 

 made by the aborigines, and 635 peaceful people 

 lost their lives. The great demand for heads, to 

 supply the offerings to their gods made at re- 

 ligious festivals by the hill tribes, is the cause 

 of the raids being more numerous in March and 

 September. The bandits and rebel leaders were 

 unusually active in 1898, but in April, 1899, the 

 famous chief Ko Ti-at, on the advice of former 

 rebel Liu, made his submission. Between Jan. 1 

 and April 1 2,297 surrendered. In 1898 vessels 

 entering the ports of Formosa numbered 4,140, 

 with a tonnage of 254,330. Of these, 3,943 were 

 Chinese, 135 British, 18 Japanese, 30 German, 6 

 Norwegian, and 4 American, the trade being in 

 exports 12,827,189 and the imports 16,879,190 yen. 

 The Formosa-Amoy cable has been bought from 

 China by Japan for 100,000 yen. The revenues 

 in 1897-98 aggregated 8,000,000 yen; but the 

 estimate for 1899 was 10,000,000, nearly balancing 

 the normal expenditures. The income is derived 

 from the opium, tobacco, and land tax. Though 

 the pest has been very destructive to the natives, 

 the health of the Japanese garrison has been 

 excellent, the sick not exceeding 5 per cent., and 

 the Third Division not losing a man in their 

 sojourn of many months. The total revenues 

 from 1895 to the end of the fiscal year 1899-1900 

 were 33,000,000 yen, and the expenditures 116,- 

 000,000, the extraordinary expenses being for 

 fortifications and garrisons, the troops and gen- 

 darmes costing 8,500,000 yen annually, the mili- 

 tary expenses for the rest of the empire being 

 28,500,000 yen. For the survey and reassessment 

 of the land 15,000,000 yen are "to be paid. 



Education and Religion. There are 12 Shin- 

 to, 41 Buddhist, and more than 30 Christian sects 

 VOL. xxxix. 26 A 



in Japan. The Shintoists claim about 15,000,000 

 believers, the Christians 40,000, and the remainder 

 are Buddhists, Confuciahists, or agnostics. The 

 Government forbids the teaching of religion in 

 any school under its care, and discriminates 

 against all private schools by exempting from 

 military conscription the students in the Gov- 

 ernment schools. Against this policy, which 

 tends to kill all private instruction or rivalry, 

 the Christian educators have made formal pro- 

 test. In 1893 there were 2,021 private schools; 

 in 1899 the number was 1,677; but the number 

 of pupils in those remaining increased from 139,- 

 595 to 152,714 in 1897. In 1893 there were 23,573 

 schools of all kinds, and in 1897 there were 26,- 

 776. The number of instructors increased in 

 the same time from 62,850 to 82,545, and the 

 number of students from 3,316,200 to 4,016,003. 

 Eighty-one per cent, of the school-age male chil- 

 dren and 51 per cent, of the female children at- 

 tended in 1897. In 1897 the expenditure for public 

 schools was 18,669,049 yen, for which the people 

 were taxed 12,545,243 yen, the difference being 

 obtained from the income of the schools. The 

 General Government appropriated 1,522,509 yen 

 to support 2 universities, 2 higher normal, 6 high, 

 5 technical, 1 school for the blind and dumb, 1 

 school for training technical teachers, and 1 

 library. Literary activity is chiefly noticeable 

 in the translation of serious foreign literature and 

 of the new codes of law into foreign languages, 

 and in periodical literature, but there is little of 

 original production. Of the 100 Chinese students 

 studying in Japan, half have been sent by the 

 Government. 



Statistics show that crime and immorality, 

 especially by females, is on the increase. In 1896, 

 of 184,062 criminals, 53,896 were incarcerated for 

 gambling, the practice being widely extended and 

 the corruption of the police being secured on a 

 regular plan. A careful study of the social evil 

 shows that of every 80 Japanese females between 

 the ages of fifteen and thirty-five 1 is dissolute, 

 there being in Japan proper: Geisha (artists, sing- 

 ing girls), 30,000; licensed prostitutes, 50,000; 

 concubines, 10,000; unlicensed public women, 80,- 

 000; total, 170,000. The extra-marriage relations 

 of the Japanese were strongly discussed in 1899. 



Politics and Events. The deaths during the 

 year included the Princess Sada, youngest daugh- 

 ter of the Emperor, Jan. 11; Count Katsu Awa, 

 Jan. 21 ; Baron Nobuyoki, an eminent diplomatist 

 and Christian, March 27 ; Prof. Yatabe and Prof. 

 Burton; besides 8,977 natives from dysentery out 

 of the 45,996 attacked. The discovery by Dr. 

 Kitasato of the bacillus causing the disease and 

 the successful treatment of many patients are 

 events of note. On May 14 207 miners in Fuku- 

 oka were killed by an explosion of gas. The 

 thirteenth session of the imperial Diet ended 

 March 14. Japanese judges were sent abroad to 

 study foreign judicial systems. The new treaties 

 went into effect July 17, and great rejoicing 

 marked the advent of Japan to political equality 

 with the nations of Christendom. The city of 

 Sendai, founded by Date Masamune, celebrated 

 its three hundredth anniversary May 23. The 

 historic Uraga of Perry days is again made 

 famous by the building of two great docks for 

 steamers and sailing vessels, one being 451 feet 

 long. The excavation was begun in 1896 and 

 finished in November, 1898. The other, 500 feet 

 long, is nearly finished. The dedication of the 

 granite memorial to the late Guido F. Verbeck, 

 erected by the Japanese and raised by public 

 subscription, took place Nov. 13. Under the new 

 treaties 20 foreigners at once applied for diplomas 



