2302 C03IMEECIAL JAPAI^. [December, 



THE Vr/EALTH OF JAPAN. 



[From the Japan-American Commercial Journal.] 



Last October we published statistics compiled by a writer calling himself '•' Onjoji Kyoshi," with reference to the wealth of Japan. 

 The total sum, according to his estimate, was 7,898,062,444 yen, and the items were as follows: 



Yen. 



Lands 3,527,08.5,739 



Livestock 59,890,722 



Buildings 1,082,597,116 



Furniture and fittings 541, 283, 558 



Eailways 116,171,819 



Shipping 28,440,536 



Merchandise 428,380,142 



Specie and bullion 139,721,201 



Miscellaneous 1, 974, 515, 611 



Grand total 7,898,062,444 



Referring to this table, we said: 



The above figures are based on statistics for 1894 and 1895. In our opinion the value of lands .should be nearly doubled, and that 

 of building.^ increased by 50 per cent. It is worth noting that Giffen'a estimate of tlie wealth of the United Kingdom iu 1875 was 

 £8,548,000,000, or over ten times the figure for Japan. On the whole, a yen in Japan is approximately the representative of a sovereign 

 in EnglaTid. 



Mr. Kusaka Yoshio has now undertaken the same calculation, and, aftor devoting six months to the work, has arrived at these 

 results: 



Yon. 



Lands ■ : 10,000,000,000 



Live stock 75, 000, 000 



Buildings 1, 919, 000, 000 



Furniture and works of art 788, 000, 000 



Kailways, telegraphs, and aqueducts 90, 000, 000 



Shipping 98, 000, 000 



Mines 405,000,000 



Marine products 272,000,000 



Capital ( paid up) of companies and banks 242, 000, 000 



Specie and l)ullion 170 000, 000 



Ml8cellam-()u.s 1 , 02S, 0<00, 000 



Total 15, 093, 000, 000 



It will be seen that IMr. Kusaka's total is nearly twice that of "Onjoji Kyoshi;" that he more than doubles the latter's figiire for 

 the valiK! of arable and forest lands, and that he nearly doul)les the figure for buildings. It appears to us that Mr. Kusaka's estimate 

 is nearer the truth than that of the former economist, lie arrives at his results thus: 



LAND. 



The total area of the land in Japan is 413,201, 088 tan (103,300,272 acres), of which 274,678,144 tan (68,669,536 acres) belong to the 

 ' Government and 138,522,944 tan (34,630,736 acres) to the people. Now, tlie total yearly produce of the people's land is 1,000,000,000 yen 

 annually, half of which must be set aside on accoimt of labor and other costs of production, so that tiie net income derived from the 

 land in 500,000,000 yen; and if that be regarded as 5 per cent of the value of the land we get 10,000,000,000 yen as the aggregate value 

 of the privately owned lands. With regard to the lands owned by the Government there are no moans of making any estimate, and 

 Mr. Ku.Hiika consequently omits them altogether from the list. 



It will be seen that Mr. Ku.saka as.seases the gross average yearly produce of the land at 28 yen an acre, approxunatcly, and the 

 net produce at 14 yen, or 28 ^^hillings. That is a liberal estimate, especially since the question of forests and moors doe^ not appear to 

 l)e taken into account. The area of forest land owned by the peoi>le is 7,300,000 cho (18,250,000 acres), and the area of moor land is 

 1,()()(),()()0 cho (2,()r)0,(M)0 acre?). Deducting these figures, we find that the area of araltle land owned by the people is only 13,730,706 

 acres; and hince we know tluit the gross income derived from the moors and forests certainly docs not exceed 40,000,000 yen annually, it 

 would a]«iHar that Mr. Kusaka estimates the yield of the arable land at about 72 yen gross per acre, or 30 yen net, which seems to us to 

 be above tlie mark. Two years ago we also examined this question, and arrived at the conclusion that the gross produce of the land, 

 exchiwive of root crops, concerning which no statistics are available, amounted to about 700,000,000 yen annually. There was thus a 

 difference of 300,000,000 between our calculation and that of Mr. Kusaka, but without a more detailed statement of his method of 

 reaching his conclusion it is impossil)le to query his accuracy. 



MVE STOCK. 



Yen. 



Number of horned cattle, 1,091, .360; total valued at .")5 yen per head 38,000,000 



Nundterof horses, 1,477,021; total valued at 25 yen per head 37,000,000 



Total 75,000,000 



Thesi> figures are certainly not excessive. An average price of 70 shillings a head for cattle and 50 shillings a head for horses — 

 allliougli the foriuer are diminutive iu .Japan and the latter mere ponies— flcema to err ou the side of conser\-atism. 



