Directory_and_Chronicle_1884 — Page 244

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JAPAN,

EXPENDITURE (Continued).

Public Works Department (Ko Bu Sho)...

Judicial Department (Shi Ho Sho)

$ 468,294

2,070,556

Imperial Household (Ku Nai She)

401,460

Ag icultural and Commercial Department Sepate

903,297

185,500

Post Office

2,465,000

Bureau for Administering the Hokkaido Industries

671,287

Repairs and Constructious, &c.

809,744

Administration of Cities and Prefectures...

5,332,609

Police Expenditure

2,475,364

Shinto Surines

151,789

Gaols and Penitentiaries

649,751

Inland Revenue Bureau

624,237

Customs Bureau

204,971

Diplomatic and Consular Services

533,395

Relief Fund for Agricultural Distress

1,200,000

Miscellaneous, Ordinary

236,217

Temporary advances to Industries

Expenditure for Creation of Public Industries

534,860

5,000,000

Miscellaneous, Extraordinary

5,559,-88

Supplementary Reserve for Warlike purposes

1,816,133

Continger cy Fund...

1,500,000

Total Estimated Expenditure...... $75,606,059

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The domestic debt of Japan in 1883 was, inclusive of paper modes in circulation, Capitalized Pension Bonds, &c., &c., $340,462,088. The Foreign debt of Japan was $9,309,088.

ARMY AND NAVY.

The armed force of Japan is divided into the Standing Army, the Reserve, and the Militia, and the troops into five classes. The Standing Army comprises 40 battalions of Infantry, and one of Cavalry, 18 companies Artillery, 10 companies Engineers, 6 companies of Transport Corps, and 9 companies Marine Artillery. When on a peace footing the Army numbers about 32,300 men, and on a war footing 50,000 men. They are stationed in various parts of the Empire, which is divided into six military districts, having headquarters at Tokio, Nagoya, Sendai, Osaka, Hiroshima, and Kumamoto. Camps are established in 37 places. Not included in th above are the Imperial Guard, composed of about 3,700 picked troops, which bring up the strength of the regular army, in time of peace, to some 36.000. The army has been organised on the French system by officers specially selected by the French Government.

The navy of Japan consists of one ironclad frigate, four ironclad corvettes, one ironclad gunboat, six wooden corvettes, ten gunboats, six despatch vessels, and fire The largest of these ships, the ironclad frigate Fu-10, training ships, all steamers. was built by Messrs. Samuda, Brothers, at Poplar, London, and despatched to Japan in March, 1878. The Fu-so has a burthen of 3,700 tons displacement, with engines of 3,500 horse-power. The armour is from 7 inches to 9 inches in thickness, while the armament consists of four 15-ton and two 54-ton steel breechloaders by Krupp, so arranged as to command every point of the horizon. The second largest ship of the navy is an ironclad corvette, called the Kon-go, constructed at Earle's shipbuilding yard, Hull, after the design of Sir E. J. Reed, and which arrived in Japan in 1878. The Kon-go has a burthen of 2,800 tons displacement, with engines of 2,500 horse-power, and has a belt of armour 4 inches thick. The armament consists of 12 Krupp guns, capable of throwing steel shells of 142 pounds. The Hi-yei, a sister ship to the Kon-go, was also built at Hull, and arrived in Japan in 1878. The latest addition to the navy is the Taukashi-kan, which was built in England to the order of the Chilean Government and subsequently purchased by Japan. She arrived in September last The navy is manned by 4,241 officers and men, and carries 146 guns.

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JAPAN.

POPULATION, TRADE, AND Industry.

+

The total area of Japan is estimated at 156,604 square miles, and the popula tion according to census returns for 1882, prepared on the 1st January, 1883," was 36,700,118, namely, 18,598,998 males and 18,101,210 females. The empire is geogra- phically divided into the four islands: Hondo, the central and most important territory; Kinshiu, "the nine provinces," the south-western island; Sikoku, "the four states," the southern island; and Yesso, the most northerly and least developed. The former three islands are sub-divided into eight large roads, containing sixty-six provinces, and the latter (Tesso) is divided into eleven provinces. Administratively, as before mentioned, the Empire is divided into fu and ken, each ken containing more one province.

than

The

Education is very general in Japan, and is making greater progress before the revolution which made Japan a monarchy. In 1871, the Mikado appointed a Board of Public Instruction, which is reported to be very active. number of elementary schools in 1880 was 25,459, of which 24,281 were public schools and 1,178 private schools. Of Middle Schools there are 31 public and 358 private establishments. There are 98 Normal Schools; and Colleges for special studies, such. as Law, Medicine, Mining, Agriculture, and Foreign Languages, have been established, and are carefully fostered by the Government. In order to facilitate the acquirement of foreign languages, the Government of the Mikado engaged many European pro- fessors, and also sent, at the public expense, a large number of students to America and Europe.

The total value of the foreign trade of Japan was, according to consular reports, as follows in each of the ten years 1873 to 1882 :-

YEARS.

18:3

1874

18:5

1876

1877

1873

1879

1-80

1881

...

1882

IMPORTS.

EXPORTS.

$27,444,068

$20,660.994

24,223.629

20,001,637

29,467,067

18,014,890

24,087,515

27,669,466

25.900,541

21,692,121

+3,334,392

26, 9.49

32,603,858

27,372,976

36,622,243

27,419.629

30,912,412

:0,32,607

29,300,724

37,246,029

The following table shows the imports and exports of each port for the years 1881 and 1882:

PORTS.

Kanagawa

Hliogo Osaka Nagasaki Niigata Hakodate

1881.

IMPORTS.

EXPORTS.

$21,472,026

$21,154,664

7.335,159

1.095,163

1,001,8-2

No returns. 128,272

| 830,942,442

5,319,824 6206 2,383,605

No returns,

843.62%

$30,825,607

IMPORTS.

$20,20-802 6.876,7-3 1,51.00% 1,166,711

No returns. 7,417

$29,300,724

1832.

EXPORTS.

$26,661, 89 - 6,345,573 417,090 3,313,390 No returns. 508, 87

$37.216,029

The two staple articles of import iuto Japan, in the year 1882 were cotton and woollen fabrics, the former of the value of $10,856,901, and the latter of the value of $1,838,633; the value of mixed cotton and woollen goods was $1,011,255. The two staple articles of export in the year 1882 were raw silk, of the value of $18,636,963, aud tea, of the value of $7,029,716. The commercial intercourse of Japan is carried on mainly with two countries, namely, Great Britain and the United States of America, the former absorbing more than two-thirds of the whole.