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supply rice at specially cheap rates, &c. The outlay for the first year is expected to be 1,150,000 yen, and it is considered that there may be some difficulty in raising this amount.
Diplomacy for Children.
193. An attractively designed booklet was published by the Intelligence Bureau of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs recently, for use in primary schools, entitled "Japan's Diplomacy." It sets out to explain in the simplest language and in the guise of conversations between a group of children and their "uncle from Kamakura" the purpose and meaning of diplomacy, and why and how Japan maintains friendly relations with other countries through the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The booklet has 102 pages with numerous illustrations. It is on sale for the modest price of 30 sen, and 20,000 copies have been distributed in the schools.
Opening of Dr. Noguchi Memorial Museum.
194. The opening of the museum on the borders of Lake Inawashiro in honour of Dr. Hideo Noguchi, who died in 1927 in the Gold Coast Colony while conducting researches into the causes of yellow fever, took place on the 21st May. His Majesty's Ambassador was unable to be present but sent a representative with a message containing a cordial tribute to the memory of Dr. Noguchi.
Prosperity in the Entertainment Industry.
195. On the 24th May the Tokyo police authorities announced that they had decided to enforce earlier closing hours on all stores, restaurants, cafés and bars. Under the new rule machiai must turn back all customers and geisha after 12 midnight, and brothels must close their doors at 1 A.M., one hour earlier than at present. Business has been booming at these establishments following the prosperity of the munition industries in the capital. The number of geisha in January this year was more than 13,700 and that of licensed prostitutes 7,089, showing an increase of about 1,700 and a decrease of 90, respectively, over the figures of the year before. Time-charges paid for Tokyo geisha in the year ending in January this year totalled 2,899,000 yen, and fees paid to licensed prostitutes 1,827,844 yen, showing increases of 1,820,000 yen and 330,000 yen, respectively, over the preceding year.