1052
JAPAN
There are (1919) 1,659 miles of electric tramway in Japan.
The following are postal and telegraphic statistics for four fiscal years : —
1915-1(5
1917-18
Letters ....
Postcards .... Newspapers and periodicals Parcels ....
Post and Telegraph offices . Telegrams delivered Telegraphic line (miles)
,, wire (M'iles)
Telephone line (miles)
,, wire (miles) Number of telephone messages Number of telephone subscribers
1,910,305,481
26,387,563
7, Moo
34,553,501
26,840
118,890
7,905
575,403
212,977,361
2,043,001,943 2,49S,905,783 3,009,703,47 36,305
29,578
7
41,484,
26 ;
119
8.
604.
1,355,118,
,542 ,530
,100 352 000 3-25 020 674
55,763
33
129,
~8.
670
,563,739,
255,
,961 ! 647, t 6S0 .5221 842' 917j 607 1 835; 300l
40,742.733
7,S17
64,855,716
36,000
136,907
9,330
721,d50
273,309
Money and Credit.
Coinage issued in the fiscal years stated (ending 31st March) :-
-
1915-16
Yen
30,260,000
2,890,884
130,020
1916-17
1917-18
1918-19
1819-20
Gold coins . Silver ,, Bronze,, , Nickel ,, .
Yen 41,049,700
4,333,014
2H.310
Yen 119,937,880 9,039.384 809
325,853
Yen
65,838,660
U,137,s>
1,205,431
469,859
Ten
37,260,120
7,604,942
2,218,226
2,173,124
Total .
33,080,904
47,047,054
129,612,948
31,751,806
49,200,4(1
The total amount of coins in circulation at the end of 1919 was 212,589,701 yen ; notes, 1,555,100,553 yen. On December 27, 1930, the gold slock of Japan was 2,183,000,000 yen, of which 889,000,000 yen were held by the Government and 1,294,000,000 yen by the Bank of Japan.
The modern banking system dates from 1872. The principal banks of Japan are the Nippon Ginko (Bank of Japan), the Yokohama Specie Bank, the Hypothec Bank, the Industrial Bank of Japan, the Hokkaido Colonisa- tion Bank, the Bank of Taiwan. There are also (1918) 46 agricultural and industrial banks, 1,389 ordinary banks, and 6,65 savings banks. The con- dition of the banks (ordinary, saving and special) for three years (December 31st) was :—
Paid-up Capital
Yen 775,771,20 899,047,98* 731,324,633
1917 .
1918 . IH1» .
Reserve Fund
Yen 296,615,316 338,192,641
227,102,1:59
Deposits
Yen
5, 703,552,994
8,02-6,81
0,681,770,559
Earnings
Rate of Dividend
Yen
643,376,151
13,500
337,480,766
Yen
8-2 8 l 5
The" total postal lank savings on December 31, 1920, amounted to 827,550,777 yen, the number of depositors being 28,787,626.
Money, Weights, and Measures.
The present monetary law came into force from October, 1897, by which gold standard was adopted. The unit of value is 076 gramme pf pure gold, and is called the yen as 2s, 0^d., which, however, is not coiued. The |'.uis
