Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 8.djvu/358

 JAPAN

302

JAPAN

thirty days' imprisonment by police magistrates. These jails are annexed to the police stations. The prisons are under the jurisdiction of the minister of justice, who appoints the general inspectors and all the employes. Number of civil prisons for the year 1908, 56; bridewells, 92; general inspectors, 56; wardens, 620; engineers and interpreters, 29; physicians, 19S; chaplains and instructors, 232; pharmacists, 42; keep- ers of the first class. 7907; of the second class, 300; women servants, 383; employes of various kinds, 230. Total, 9997. Inmates of penitentiary establishments at the end of 1907: detentive prisons, men, 4008; women, 203; houses of detention, men, 46,175; wo- men, 2550; houses of correction, men, 738; women, 69. Total, 53,743. The total number of persons sen- tenced in 1907, men, 114,236; women, 16,748.

Police (Keisatsu). — The police service as it exists to-day was organized at the beginning of the present reign according to the English system. It is divided into two main sections, the administrative police (flyosei Keisatsu) and the judiciary police (Shiho Kei- satsu). In the department it is subject to the prefect, at Tokio to the prefecture of police {Keishicho). It has its courts, which are empowered to judge offences for which the penalty does not exceed thirty days' im- prisonment. On 31 March, 1908, the police depart- ment numbered: chief police stations or bureaus, 713; branch stations, 618; city station-houses, 1841; rural station-houses, 12,648; inspectors or superintendents {Keibu), 1861; police agents {Jimsa), 33,885. Crimes, offences, and cases in which the police have had to intervene in 1907: robberies accompanied by vio- lence, 12.39; without violence, 267,030; swindlings, 28,876; total number of robberies, 297,145. Violent deaths: suicides, 8906; murders, 1236; sudden deaths, 1387; victims of accidents and others, 14,015. Total, 25,544. Fires: involuntary, 12,462; incendiary, 858; caused by lightning, or by unknown causes, 2174. Total, 15,494. Number of houses burned, 36,669. Public reunions, indoors, 587; number of orators, 1863; in the open air, 87; orators, 55. Total number of arrests made by the police for crimes, offences, or infractions of the law, 707,261.

Hygiene. — The organization of the hygienic service dates from 1872. It began with the organization of a medical bureau, which was suspended in 1875 and re-

E laced by a bureau of health. In 1879 a central oard and local boards of public health were estab- lished and the service was extended to all the depart- ments. In 1899 it was extended to all the towns and villages and private committees were formed. The chief regulations relative to hygiene are: the cleansing of houses and drains, which should be done twice yearly under police supervision; the building and im- provement of hospitals, prisons, schools, and all pub- lic institutions; the location of cemeteries; l>urial; vaccination; etc. The hygienic service is within the jurisdiction of the police who are charged with enfor- cing its regulations.

Hospitals arid Medical Bodies. — Before the Restora- tion, Japan had five hospitals located at Nagasaki, Saga, Fukui, Kanazawa, and Osaka. The first in point of time was Nagasaki, founded in 1861. On 31 March, 1908, the number of ho.spitals was 870, 5 founded by the Government, 205 by the departments, and 660 by private citizens. To all these hospitals, private as well as public, is attached a force of women- nurses, who must be at least eighteen years of age and provided with a diploma. Throughout the empire there are: doctors, ;{6,776; midwives, 26,387; drug- gists, 29,813; clifniists, 2:179. In 1907 the number of persons afflioti-d wilh contagious diseases wiis 71,532; typhus, 27,'.).SS; ilysciitery, 24,942; tleaths from con- tagious diseases, 19,530.

PuuLic In.stuuction. — Until the shogunate of the Tokugawa education was left entirely to the Buddhist priests. Under the Tokugawa (U)0:j-lS68) it was con-

fided to lay teachers and during this period of 265 years the Chinese classics were the basis of instruction. But in this aristocratic country knowledge was a privi- lege together with nobility, and there were no public schools save for the sons of Samurai. However, the lower classes were not wholly abandoned to ignorance. Farmers, mechanics, and merchants received an edu- cation befitting their condition in the schools con- nected with the temples, known as Teragoya, and in private schools. To-day freedom to learn is granted in Japan to all degrees of the social scale. Instruc- tion is compulsory from six to twelve years, and non-religious. At the head of public instruction is a minister assisted by a board and corps of inspec- tors. Schools are divided into primary schools in which class are included the infant schools and the schools for deaf-mutes and the blind, secondary schools, high schools, universities, ordinary normal schools, higher normal schools, special schools, technical schools, and various.

Primary Schools are divided into two classes, com- mon and high schools. The duration of the first is six years, and as the instruction is compulsory, attendance at this school is required from six to twelve }'ears. The certificate of completion of this term secures ad- mittance into the secondary schools. The higher course lasts two years and is optional. Number of primary schools, 27,269; teachers, 116,070; pupils, 6,601,620; average number of children receiving in- struction, 96.5'^. Private schools, only 249. In- fant-schools, 361. Women attendants, 984; children, 32,885. Deaf-mute and blind institutions, 31; teachers, 168; pupils, 1532. The secondary schools for boys were founded as a preparation for the high schools. Graduates of these schools are qualified to obtain position under the Government, according to their abilities, without passing a preliminary exam- ination. The duration of the course is six years. Number of schools, 281; founded by the Government and the municipalities, 228 ; private, 58; teachers, 5336; pupils, 108,531.

Secondary Schools for Girls. — The duration of the course is from four to five years at choice. To the regular courses may be added special courses for the study of foreign languages or some womanly art, and supplementary courses for pupils desiring to perfect themselves in a particular branch. These courses should not exceed two or three years. Number of schools, 114; public, 98; private, 16; teachers, 1770; pupils, 35,876.

The higher schools are a preparation for the uni- versity. The course lasts three years, and is divided into three classes which differ among themselves. The instruction given in each class corresponds to the career to which the pupil is destined. Number of schools, 7, all founded by the Government and under its supervision. They are located at Tokio, Sendai, Kyoto, Kanazawa, Okayama, Kumamoto, and Ka- goshima; teachers, 272; pupils, 4888.

Imperial Universities. — There are two of these, one at Tokio and one at Kyoto. The University of Tokio comprises besides the University Hall the faculties of law, medicine, literature, science, agriculture, and en- gineering. Number of professors: Japanese, 275; for- eigners, 15; Japanese students, 5050; foreigners, 39. The University of Kyoto comprises besides the Uni- versity Hall, the faculties of law, medicine, literature, science, and engineering. Japanese professors, 166; foreign professors, 4; students, 1507. Besides these universities there are about forty pulilic or private schools which assume the name of universities, but for entnince to which it is not necessary to have a diploma from tlic higher schools. The two most important are the University of \Vasod;i, from .-,(11)1) to 0000 stu- dents, and that of Kei-o-gijiku, 1101) students. The former was founded by Okuniain 1882, and the second by Fukuzawa in 1865.