JAPAN. 



455 



J 



JAPAN. (For details relating to area, terri- 

 torial divisions, the dynasty and members of 

 the imperial family, see the preceding two vol- 

 umes of the u Annual Cyclopedia.") The cen- 

 sus finished Dec. 31, 1882, stated the popula- 

 tion to be 36,700,110; 18,598,998 being males, 

 and 18,101,112 females. The population in- 

 habited 7,611,770 houses. 



The city of Tokio had, in 1881, 823,557 in- 

 habitants ; Osaka, 293,686; Kioto, 239,425; 

 Nagoya, 118,450; Kanagawa, 107,624; and 46 

 cities had between 20,579 and 78,104 souls. 



The government is constituted in part on 

 European models, the Mikado ruling in accord- 

 ance with the counsels of his regularly appoint- 

 ed advisers. These are the ministry which 

 was established in imitation of European cabi- 

 nets the Council of State, of an indefinite num- 

 ber of members ; and the Senate, composed of 

 thirty -two members, most of whom are per- 

 sons who have filled high posts. The Secretary 

 of Legation and charge d'affaires ad interim at 

 Washington is Takahira Kogoro, and the Con- 

 sul at New York, Takahashi Shinkichi. 



The United States Envoy Extraordinary and 

 Minister Plenipotentiary to Japan is Hon. J. A. 

 Bingham, and the American Consul-General at 

 Yokohama, T. P. Van Buren. 



Army. The army comprised in 1883 : The 

 guard two regiments of foot ; one squadron ot 

 cavalry, and one artillery division of two bat- 

 teries; the line 14 regiments of foot; two 

 squadrons of horse, and nine artillery divisions, 

 eat-h of two batteries ; nine companies of engi- 

 neers and six platoons of attendants. The to- 

 tal strength of the army on Jan. 1, 1883, was 

 119,823 men, including 30 generals, 9,335 offi- 

 cers, 109,496 non-commissioned officers and 

 soldiers, 253 officers of the administration of 

 the army, 62 workmen, and 647 cadets. 



Instruction is given by a military academy, 

 a military school, a school for instruction in 

 marksmanship and gymnastics, a veterinary 

 school, and a practical engineers' school. 



Navy. The fleet is composed of 31 vessels, 

 with a joint armament of 196 guns, consisting 

 of five ironclads; one turret-ship and three 

 corvettes ; 21 steamers and five sailing-vessels. 

 The fleet is manned by 5,551 men. 



Finance. The public indebtedness of Japan, 

 on July 1, 1882, was as follows : 



Internal debt bearing between 4 and 10 per cent. 



interest $226,048,301 



Internal debt bearing no interest 8,774,560 



Paper money 105,639,228 



Total $340,462,089 



Foreign debt, new 7 per cent, loan 9,309,088 



Total debt ... , . . $349,771,177 



Less reserve fund $55,854,208 



Other assets .. . 14,652,218 



70,506,426 



Net indebtedness ... $279,264,751 



The revenue and expenditure during the fis- 

 cal year ending June 30, 1883, were as follow : 



INCOME. 



Duties $2,600,880 



Keal-estate tax 42,945,853 



Mining-tax '. 15,152 



Tax on northern products 1,288880 



Liquor-tax 10,512,806 



Tobacco-tax 348,674 



Stamp-tax 8,907,255 



State revenue from mines 543,468 



State revenue from railroads 989.667 



State revenue from telegraphs 28,624 



State revenue from the Mint 480,500 



From other sources 8,252,968 



Total $66,814,122 



OUTLAY. 



Interest on debt and sinking fund $28,298,204 



Civil list and appanage 1,898,785 



Pensions 449,279 



State Council 632,282 



Senate 178,500 



Department of Foreign Affairs 195,210 



the Interior 489.225 



" Finance 669,929 



War 8,605.872 



the Navy 8,161,692 



Other departments 4,521,806 



Other expenses 23,218,488 



Total $66,814,122 



The great difficulty the Government has to 



frapple with is the outstanding paper money, 

 ince September, 1883, the Government has 

 been selling $600,000 of bonds a month at 76 

 per cent., and with the proceeds has withdrawn 

 and canceled paper money ; but the remedy is 

 not adequate. On April 26, 1882, the paper 

 money in circulation was worth $81,000,000 in 

 the open market ; in January, 1883, $109,000,- 

 000 ; and in April, 1883, $96,000,000. In or- 

 der to intimidate the usurers and speculators, 

 some money-brokers speculating on the fluctua- 

 tions in the gold premium were arrested in 

 Osaka because they were trying to spread a 

 panic, but such measures have for the time 

 being only rendered matters worse. 



In spite of the monetary and financial crisis, 

 and the restricted dealings of the banks and 

 many failures in business, banks on the whole 

 paid good dividends in 1883 ; thus, the First 

 National Bank declared a dividend of 9 per 

 cent., the Second National Bank 10 per cent, 

 and the Specie Bank 4 per cent. 



Treaty with Corea. The treaty of commerce 

 between Japan and Corea was published in 

 November, 1883. Corean trade has developed 

 very considerably in Japan of late years. Con- 

 trasted with that between Japan and any West- 

 ern nation, except perhaps England, the direct 

 trade with Corea figures to great advantage, 

 being larger than the combined trade of Japan 

 with Germany, Russia, Italy, and Holland. 



Postal Service. There were in operation in 

 Japan on July 1, 1882, altogether, 5,169 post- 

 offices, and they had dispatched during the 

 twelvemonth 44,729,699 letters, 29,533,936 



