Directory_and_Chronicle_1890 — Page 654

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JAPAN.

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 pro- vinces, and the the latter (Yesso) is divided into eleven provinces. Administratively, as before mentioned, the Empire is divided into fu and ken, each ken containing more than one province.

Education is very general in Japan, and is making great progress. In 1871, the Mikado appointed a Board of Public Instruction. There are numerous Middle Schools, Normal Schools, and Colleges for special studies, such as Law, Medicine, Mining, Agriculture, and Foreign Languages, and several High Female Schools have been established, and are carefully fostered by the Government. In order to facilitate the acquirement of foreign languages, the Government of the Mikado has engaged many European professors, and also sent, at the public expense, a large number of students to America and Europe. An association called the Romaji Kai, for promo- ting the adoption of the Roman alphabet in Japan, was formed in 1885, but is not making much progress.

The trade of 1888 was divided between the Treaty ports in the following propor- tions:--

Yokohama

PORTS.

Kobe and Osaka...

Nagasaki...

Hakodate

IMPORTS.

EXPORTS.

TOTAL.

£6,391,707

£6,276,743

4,433,444

2,863,804

369,516

841,016

£12,668,450 7,297,248 1,213,532

9,316

£11,203,983

82,643

91,959

£10,067,206 | £21,271,189

The two staple articles of import into Japan in the year 1888 were cotton yarn and cotton piece goods and woollen and mixed cotton and woollen fabrics, the former of the value of £3,204,936, and the latter of the value of £1,200,704. The two staple articles of export in the year 1888 were raw silk, of the value of £4,398,345, and tea, of the value of £944,225. The commercial intercourse of Japan is carried ou mainly with two countries, namely, Great Britain and the United States of America, the former absoring more than two-thirds of the whole.

By treaties made with a number of foreign Governments the Japanese ports of Kanagawa (Yokohama), Nagasaki, Kobe, Hakodate, Niigata, and the cities of Tokyo (formerly called Ye-lo) and Osaka were thrown open to foreign commerce.

The trea-

ties with some of the Powers were revised in 1889, and it was intended that the new treaties should come into operation in February, 1890, when the whole country was to be opened to subjects and citizens of such Powers, and extraterritoriality abolished. An agitation arose, however, in Japan, the Foreign Minister was, on the 19th October, 1889, severely wounded in an attempt made on his life in Tokyo, and the work of treaty revision had to be suspended. The German, American, and Russian Treaties have been signed, but not yet ratified.

Railways in Japan are now being rapidly pushed forward. The first railway constructed was the one connecting Yokohama with Tokyo; it is 18 miles long and was opened for traffic as a single road on the 12th June, 1872, and was completed as a double line throughout on the 8th May, 1880. The gaug, like that of all other railways in Japan, is 3 ft. 6 in. There are now over 1,000 miles of railway open in Japan. The principal line in point of length is what is known as the Tokaido Rail- way, which now unites Tokyo with Kobɔ, vid Yokohama, Shizuoka. Nagoya, Kyoto, and Osaka. There are several other lines connecting important districts wi h the capital, and others in course of construction.

The ports of Yokohama, Kobe, Osaka, Nagasaki, and Hakodate are connected with each other, and with Europe, by lines of telegraph, and the telegraph system extends to all the important towns of the Empire. Japan has joined the Universal Postal Union, and for the past eight years has conducted the international as well as domestic postal service.