8 N. Yajmasaki 



making Japan first among the silk producing countries of the Avorld. 

 The silk is consumed for the most part in America and secondly in 

 Europe. Forestry flourishes in the warm and wet climate of Japan. 

 ]\Iany kinds of conifers sui:)})ly good timber in the mountains of 

 Honshu, Hokkaido, Karafuto and northern Chosen. Taiwan is also 

 noted for its lumber as well as for its camphor industry. 



The seas near the Japanese Islands are celebrated for their 

 prosperous fisheries. The northern sea around Karafuto and Hokkaido 

 is well-known for its great schools of herring, while the warm Japan 

 current and its branch are the ]irincipal i)laces for the fishing of 

 bonito, sardine and porgy. Besides their use for home consumption, 

 these fishes are abundantly exported to China. 



Among mineral products, coal comes first. Our coal is produced 

 from younger geologic formations, mostly from Tertiary aud partly 

 from Cretaceous deposits. Many collieries are worked in nortliern 

 Kyushu and Hokkaido Japan is one of the cojjjjcr producers of the 

 world. Ashio, Besshi, Hitachi and Kosaka are the most noted copper 

 mines. Iron is mined in northern Honshu, Hokkaido and Chosen. 

 But the greater proportion of iron ore used for smelting is imported 

 from Taye in China. The production of petroleum is increasing 

 in many districts on the coast of northern Honshu along the Sea of 

 Japan. Some trials have proved the possibility of its production 

 in Taiwan and Karafuto also. 



Japan has for a long time been known for its home industries. 

 Porcelain, lacquerware, silk and other artistic articles are produced in 

 many places in this way even at present. But modern factory 

 industries are on the increase in various districts. The textile industry 

 plays one of the principal roles at present. Besides the silk industry, 

 mentioned above, cotton spinning and weaving are the most remark- 

 able textile industries in Japan, India supplies most of the raw cotton, 

 and America and China come next. The chief centre of this industry 

 is Osaka and its vicinity. Yarns and various kind of cotton goods 

 constitute the principal materials of export next to silk ; they are 

 sent mostly to China and other Asiatic ports. Shipbuilding, iron and 

 machinery works, paper and match mills, sugar refineries, breweries, 

 etc. are other large industries in this country. 



Foreign trade has been increasing enormously in recent years. 

 The total import and export trade amounts to four thousand and 

 three hundred million yen, which makes Japan rank fii'st of all the 



