Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 8.djvu/375

 JAPAN

317

JAPAN

Companies

Number

FONDS

Life

Xi 21) !)

,s 1

2 1

350,188.000 ven

Fire.

1,462.303,000 " 64,278.000 "

2,678,000 "

555,000 ••

9.421.000 "

13.800 "

Electric Light Cnmpanie.i (SI Dec, 1907). — Number of companies, 84; stockholders, 14,10-5; length of lines, 1016 ri (24(3S miles) : length of wires, 87.50 ri; private houses lighted with electricity, 204,587; electric lamps, 836,640; public lamps in cities, 18,650; receipts, 8,,mS,361 yen; expenses, 4,928,383 yen; net profit, 3,894,200 yen. In 1897 there were 41 companies; 29,701 private houses lighted; public lamps, 2335; net profit, 614,999 yen.

CIcdring-liiiH.'ie.'i. — In 1.S96 there were two clearing- hou.-ics organized according to the system operating in the United States, one at Tokio, the other at Osiika. During that year (1896), the two establishments liq- uidated 647,239 notes, representing a value of ooS,- 834,000 yen. In 1907, four new clearing-liouses were in operation at Kyoto, Yokohama, Kolie, and Naga- saki. The liquidation operations dealt with 6,948,- 485 notes, representing a value of 7.124,0.")!!. 761 yen. On 31 March, 190S, number of exchanges, 50; stock- holders, 8448; lirokers, 971; authorized capital, 12,- 851,456 yen; paid-up capital, 10,291,000 yen. Re- ceipts, 7,015,388 yen; expenses, 4,448,531 yen. Net profit, 2,566,857 yen.

Commerce. — Foreign. — The export and import fig- ures will afford an idea of commercial activity and the development of native production: —

Ye.\r

Exports

Imports

1875 1885 1.S95 1905 1907

18.611,000 ven 37.147.000 ■ " 136.112.000 " 321.261.000 " 455,152,349 "

29.976.000 yen 29,357.000 •■ 129.261.000 •■ 488.538.000 •• 511.717.360 "

British India, England, and Germany have profited most by the new order of things in Japan. Within thirty-four years, that is since 1873, Japan's export trade has increased 23 times.

Chief Exports and Imports with their Value in Yen. — Exports: raw silks, silk waste, handkerchiefs, pongees, 158,876,000 yen; cottons, cloth, napkins, 48,986,000 yen; chemical matches, 9,446,000 yen; fancy floor mattings, 5,743,000 yen; porcelains and crockery, 7,216,000 yen; lacquered articles, 1,643,000 yen; plaited work, 5,001,000 yen; umbrellas (Euro- pean shape), 1,613,000 yen; cigarettes, 2,055,000 yen; tea, 12,618,000 yen; rice, 3,664,000 yen; dried cuttle fish, 2,401,000 yen; sea-weed, 709,000 yen; fish-oil, 2,975,000 yen; camphor, 5,026,000 yen; crude and re- fined copper, 29,262,000 yen; oil, 19,0.52,000 yen; veg- etable wax, 1,070,000 yen. Imports: raw and spun cotton, prints, velvets, i:!l, 718,001) ven; wnolleiis, mus- lin, cloth, 24,878,000 yen; IxMup, 3,5(!),(I(I0 yen; ma- chines, 27,699,000 yen; locomotives and wagons, 2,- 933,000 yen; iron bars, 26,445,000 yen; rails, 3,828,000

That is to say, in 1 907 the foreign commerce of Japan was twenty times greater than in 1875, and since the Russo-Japanese war, three years ago, it has increased one-third. Average per person: in 1875, 1-43 yen; in 1907, 18 yen.

Japanese commerce with the chief countries of the world: —

Countries

J.^PANESE Exports

Japanese Imports

1895

1907

1895

1907

China

Brit. India. Hong-Kong

Corea

England. ..

France

Germany..

Italy

Belgium. ..

U. §

Australia...

Yen 9,135,000 4,339.000 18.363.Ono

3.,s:ii,iiriii 7.si:;.

22.l)ll|-. Mini

3.3411,111111

3. 551.01 )ll

132.000

54,029,000 1,281,000

Yen 106,119.(11111 13,088.111111 24.384. 1

J_\ 1 l.ijniil

1 l,L^^.^,llllM i:i. 7711.111 111 2.054.000 131.101,000 4,793,000

2_>.'I^."..I100

l.'.J7_'!iiliu r, 1 Ml, III 111

"'l4,s!llllO 2,066,000 9,276,000 1,031,000

Yen

67,991,000

74,593,000

820,000

16.371.000

116,245.000

7.024.0llt)

47.667,000

942.000

13.398.000

80.697.000

7.318.000

Japan also maintains commercial relations with the following countries: the French colonies of India, the Russian colonies of Asia, Siam, Switzerland, Russia, Austria-Hungary, Dutch Indies, Sweden, Norway, Spain, Turkey, Denmark, Portugal, Mexico, Peru, Egypt, the Philippines, Hawaii, etc.

The greatest amount of Japane.se merchandise has been exported to China and the United States, while

yen; iron nails, iron, and steel. 11.172.1)00 yi-ii; dry in- digo, 5,876,000 yen; paper, 7,436.000 yen: .^olc leather, 3,933,000 yen; brown and white sugar, 19.,st;4.000 yen; rice, 30,931.000 yen; beans, lentils, 10,405,000 yen; meal, 6.212,00(1 yen; petroleum, 14,324,000 yen; tor- toise .shell. 21.042,000 yen._

The chief markets for silk are the United States, France, and Italy; for cotton and copper, China. Tea is exported almost wholly to the United States. In 1907, there entered the Japanese ports 10,932 steamships, tonnage, 19,801, 425 tons; Japanese steam- ships, 6734 (8,770,491 tons); Chinese steamers, 52 (57,659 tons) ; English steamers, 2269 (6,267,638 tons) ; German steamers, 673 (1,840,000 tons) ; United States, 377 steamers (1,618,462 tons); Norwegian steamers, 348 (386.311 tons); Russian steamers, 172 (324,050 tons): .\ustrian steamers, 140 (1.54,425 tons); Danish steamers. 24 (64,753 tons); other. nationalities, 143 (.■',17.636 tons).

Domestic Commerce. — Museums. — Japan possesses 1 1 commercial museums, two of which (those of the Government and the industrial association) are at Tokio; the others are at Sapporo. Osaka, Kobe. Naga- saki, Miye, Nagoya, Gifu. Kanazawa, and Toyama. At the end of March, 1906, the Government Museum at Tokio contained 61,670 specimens, 31,674 of which were of foreign origin. Visitors in 1907, 57,111, of whom 1625 were foreigners.

Chambers of Commerce. — On 31 March, 1908, there were 386 chambers of commerce. Ordinary council- lors, 1589; special councillors, 250; number of matters