12
TOKYO
The total Shipping, including junks, from and to Foreign countries, for the year 1895 was-
Steamers
Entered
1863
Tonnage Cleared
2,749,839
1606
Tonnage 2,323,972
Total Tonnage 3469 5,073,811
Sailing Vessels...... 1005
2868
118,069
2,867,908
1117
112,777
2122
230,846
2723
2,436,749 5591 5,304,657 Of which 854 steamers and 349 sailing vessels entered, and 103 steamers and 91 sailing vessels cleared in ballast. 1,347 steamers of 2,353,623 tons and 16 sailing vessels of 19,344 tons entered, and 1,596 steamers of 2,750,333 tons and 18 sailing vessels of 22,754 tons cleared in the coast trade between the open ports. Of this tonnage employed coastwise 69 per cent. was under the British flag and 6 per cent. Japanese vessels employed in foreign trade. The merchant vessels entered from Foreign countries in 1895 were divided among the different nationalities as under :-
British German
Strs. Tonnage Sailing Tonnage Total Tonnage
..907 1,741,894
80
44,451
987 1,786,345
...365
333,388
6
6,533
371
339,921
Norwegian
.238
235,703
6
....
United States of America ...
3,445
244
239,148
34
83,087
62
38,915
96
122,002
Japanese (excluding Junks) ...126
93,505
44
4,369
170
97,874
Russian
66
85,515
6
804
72
86,319
French.
29
61,330
29
61,330
Austrian
22
55,844
22
55,844
Other Countries
76 59,573
8
3,000
84
62,573
1,863 2,749,839
212
101,517 2075 2,851,356
The total Customs Revenue for the same year consisted of-Export Duties yen 2,273,102; Import Duties, yen 4,238,842; Miscellaneous, yen 172,639; Total, yen 6,684,583. The revenue has more than doubled since 1885.
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 Yedo) and Osaka were thrown open to foreign commerce. In 1894 a new treaty was signed with Great Britain by which extraterritoriality is abolished and the whole country opened to foreign trade and residence, but it does not come into force for five years, nor then, unless similar treaties be effected with the other Powers. Similar treaties have been concluded with the United States, France, Italy, Holland, and Russia, and others are in course of negotiation.
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 total mileage open on 1st March, 1895, was 2,118. The principal line in point of importance is what is known as the Tokaido Railway, which unites Tokyo with Kobe, vid Yokohama, Shizuoka, Nagoya, Kyoto, and Osaka. The North-Eastern Railway runs from Tokyo to Aomori, a port on the northern coast, and is 454 miles in length. The last section, from Morioka to Aomori, was opened to traffic on the 3rd September, 1891. Other lines are in course of construc tion, some of which will ultimately complete the chain of communication from the extreme north of Hondo to Nagasaki in the south. In 1892 the Diet passed a law giving power to the Government to construct a network of state railways which will ultimately connect all the important towns in the Empire, and to issue bonds in the first instance to the extent of Yên 60,000,000 to meet the expenses. Most of the present lines are owned by private railway companies of which there were in 1896 twenty-nine in existence, their paid up capital amounting to $63,928,669.
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, extending over 8,500 miles, connects all the important towns of the Empire. Japan has joined the Universal Postal Union, and for the past fifteen years has conducted the international as well as domestic postal service. The telephone has been introduced into Tokyo and other large cities.
EDUCATION.
Education is very general in Japan, and is making great progress. There are numerous Middle Schools, Normal Schools, and Colleges for special studies, such as Law, Science, Medicine, Mining, Agriculture, and Foreign Languages, and several Female High
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