Page:Brinkley - Japan - Volume 5.djvu/117

 employés. There is also another classification into nine ranks, each having two classes. The place occupied by an official in this list is granted by the Emperor as a recognition of merit, and the designation is prefixed to the name, like a title, in official documents. Thus Sho-ni-i Koshaku Itō, "First-grade Second Rank Marquis Itō;" or Ju-sammi Danshaku Iwakura, "Second-grade Third Rank Baron Iwakura." Admission to officialdom is by examination, except in the case of candidates possessing certain duly attested educational qualifications.

The following table shows the number of officials belonging to the Central Government and their respective emoluments:—

There has been of late years a steady tendency towards increase in the number of Central-Government officials. In 1893, the total was only 45,508, against 68,876 at present, and the emoluments aggregated 10,745,348 yen, whereas they now aggregate 18,587,710 yen. Undoubtedly the establishment is too large. In several of the State Departments the officials are so numerous that they serve merely to impede each other.