JAPAN
599
The total Shipping, including junks, from and to Foreign Countries for the year
1910 was :-
Steamers
Entered 9,442
Tonnage Cleared
20,073,680
9,475
Tonnage 20,117,165
Total Tonnage.
18,917
40,190.845
Sailing Vessels ... 1,726
100,107
1,810
100,389
3,536
200,496
Totals, 11,168 20,173,787
20,217,554 22,453 40,391,341 The merchant vessels entered from Foreign Countries in 1910 were divided among the different nationalities as under :-
11,283
Strs.
Tonnage Sailing Tonnage Total Tonnage
Japanese
Chinese
5,932 56
British
1,970
9,261,035 56,910 6,152,365
1,697
87,624
7,629
9,348,659
56
56,910
5
8,283
1,975
6,160,648
French
114
337,891
114
337,891
German
412
1,385,840
3,774
414
1,389,614
Austrian
41
151,792
41
151,792
Dutch
66
174,611
66
174,611
Swedish
25
58,913
25
58,913
Norwegian
227
372,677
227
372,677
Russian
356
644,872
356
644,872
American.
190
1,397, 29
190
1,397,629
Other Countries
35
79,145
22
426
75
79,571
1,726
100,107
11,168 20,173,787
Totals, 94,42 20,075,680
The total Customs Revenue for the year 1910 was yen 36,072,659. Extension of the Japanese railway systems has proceeded uninterruptedly since the first line was laid in 1872. The mileage open to traffic, according to the latest returns, is 4,542 miles of State railway, and 477 miles of private railway. The Government in 1906 decided on the State ownership of all railways which are used for general traffic, the object being to improve the facilities for direct traffic over long distances, to accelerate transportation, and to cheapen the cost. The Government proposed to purchase the lines belonging to thirty-two private companies within a period extending from 1906 to 1911, but the House of Peers, when the Bills came before them, reduced the number of companies to be bought out to seventeen, and extended the period of purchase to 1915. The aggregate length of the lines it was decided to purchase is 2,812 miles, the cost of construction being about yen 229,000,000. Public loan bonds to the value of yen 476,318,000 have been issued for the purchase of the railways, and it is intended to redeem by means of the net profit accruing from the railways purchased. This profit amounts to about eight million yen a year, The purchases included the line of railway in Corea, running between Fusan and Seoul. As a result of the war with Russia, the South Manchurian Railway was taken over by Japan. There are about 272 miles of electric tramway in Japan, and 128 miles more under construction.
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 new treaties were signed with the Powers by which extra-territoriality was abolished and the whole country opened to foreign trade and residence, the treaty to come into force in July, 1899, provided similar treaties were effected with the other Powers. This was done and extra-territoriality ceased to exist on August 4th, 1899.
CURRENCY
From October, 1897, Japan placed her currency on a gold basis. The unit of value is a gold dollar weighing .8333 grammes and containing .75 grammes of fine gold. The conversion from silver to gold was effected at the ratio of 1 to 32.348,
EDUCATION
Education is national and very general in Japan, and is making great progress. There are numerous Higher Schools, Middle Schools, Normal Schools, and Colleges for special studies, such as Law, Science, Medicine, Mining, Agriculture, and Foreign Languages, and several Female High Schools have been established, and are carefully fostered by the Government. In order to facilitate the prosecution of foreign studies the Government employs many European professors, and also sends, at the public
expense, a large number of students every year to America and Europe.
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