Chemicals. The manufacture of chemicals in Japan does not owe
its inception to the war, but its great development and the many
innovations introduced were the direct result of war-time condi-
tions. There was, however, a sharp decline in the prosperity of the
chemical industry immediately after the Armistice. In 1916 the
Japanese Government set up a subsidized company for the pro-
duction of glycerine, entitled the Glycerine Industry Co., and, as
the result of extensive investigations at the Industrial Institute into
the qualities of sea-weeds and vegetable ash, the production of basic
chloridized alkali increased from 2,000 tons in 1913 to 10,000 tons
in 1917. The match industry, which formerly derived chlorate of
potash from European sources, by the end of 1917 was able to depend
on the home supply. In that year there were over 50 factories in
existence, producing 10,000 tons of chlorate of potash, which in
quality compared favourably with the imported article.
The soda industry, although it existed as long ago as 1880, did not reach a high standard of technical perfection before the war and also failed to satisfy the total annual requirements in caustic soda, amounting to about 25,000 tons. During the war, however, the number of factories increased to about 20, and the annual production rose to 14,000 tons in 1918 and 20,000 tons in the following year.
Some of the chief products in the chemical industry are : sulphuric, hydrochloric and nitric acids, sodium sulphate, carbonate of soda, caustic soda, iodine, potassium iodine, potassium chlorate and chloride, ammonium sulphate, acetic acid, acetone and wood spirit. Table 15 indicates the growth of the industry. Table 15. Chemical Industry
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Year
No. of Factories
Employees
Value of Products Yen
Male
Female
1908
36
1,605
52
2,740,441
1909
143
1,902
159
4-356,718
1910
218
2,436
1 68
^,890,043
1911
230
2,57
223
6,406,024
1912
237
2,449
212
5,646,356
1913
341
3-089
2 7 6
7-687,232
1914
402
3,048
134
7,583,782
1915
468
4,708
407
16,717,143
1916
717
9,422
88 3
37,848,244
1917
832
12,435
9OO
42,494,620
1918
841
12,781
I ,O26
47-39.696
Agriculture. The movement of the agrarian population towards the cities, a familiar phenomenon in most European countries, found its counterpart in Japan during 1910-20. The increase in pop. was about 7,000,000, or roughly 14%, so that it might reasonably have been expected that a corresponding increase would take place in the number of persons engaged in agriculture. The figures, however, show the reverse, as in 1908 there were 5,408,363 persons and in 1918 5,476,784 in the category in question, the increase being only lj%. During 1916 and 1917, when Japan was putting forth her greatest effort in producing munitions of war for the Allies, the number of those actually holding land decreased to the extent of 20,800 and 36,400 respectively, whilst in 1918, when the war boom in industry was practically over, the gain to agriculture was only 20,200 persons.
The relative proportion of farmers cultivating their own land, tenant farmers, and farmers combining tenantship with cultivation, showed little variation in the decade, as is shown by Table 16.
Table 1 6. Farmers and Tenant Farmers
Farmers
cultivating
own land
Tenant farmers
Farmers combining tenantship
1908 1918 .
33-27% 30-98%
27-5"-
28-31 ,;,
39-15% 40-71 %
The high proportion of small holders in Japan is characteristic of the agricultural life of the country. Table 17 shows that the varia- tion in this proportion has remained practically negligible. Table 17. Percentage Proportion of Land Holders
Under
1-23 ac.
Over 1-23 ac.
( )\ rr
2-45 ac.
Over 4-90 ac.
Over 7-35 ac.
Over 12-25 ac.
1908 .
1918 .
37-28 35-54
32-61
33-3
I9-5I 20-70
6-44 6-33
3-01 2-82
I-'5 I-3I
Rice still remains the staple food of the country, and the area under cultivation is nearly twice that devoted to the production of barley, rye and wheat. Intensive cultivation of all crops is carried out, and the limit of return has actually been reached in some cases. In the decade from 1908 to 1918 an additional 418,515 ac. were under rice cultivation, and the yield per acre only fell fractionally from 36-4^2 to 36-24 bushels. In barley and rye the cultivated area showed a slight drop, but in wheat there was an increase of 242,376 ac., the yield per acre showing an increase in all three cases. Little progress as far as yield is concerned was obtained with millet, the area under cultivation also decreasing. The production of potatoes was prac- tically doubled during the decade, although the yield per acre was not so satisfactory.
Cotton, hemp and indigo were all retrogressive, the cotton chiefly owing to the large imports of cheaper cotton from abroad. Table 18 shows the acreage of the chief food products under cultivation at the beginning and end of the decade, and also the position with regard to certain special crops.
Table 19 shows, by index-numbers based on the year 1912, the rise in prices of commodities in Japan between 1912 and 1919.
Table 18. Principal Crops
Area in Acres
Production
1908
1918
1908
1918
Bus.
Bus.
Rice
7.159,850
7,578,365
259,669,465
273,495435
Barley
1,578,203
1,308,983*
47,219-585
49-175,375
Rye
1.687,213
1.583,586*
37,893,020
38,103,475
Wheat .
1,101,467
1,343,843*
22,062,225
31,804,235
Millet .
719,178
560,981
17,141,625
I4,5H,970
Beans
1,659,682
1-456,9/5
27,378,725
25,112,525
Buckwheat
4 5,579
333,966
6,170,890
4,261,825
Rape-seed
359,738
284,936
6,096,350
4,284,400
Tons
Tons
Potatoes
148,705
323,621
567,055
1,195,315
Sweet Potatoes
745,799
754,223
3,556,229
3,388,664
Cotton .
12,934
6,197
4,120
2,513
Hemp
33,io
28,960
8,606
9,460
Indigo (leaf) .
29,809
13,647
20,730
10,029
Sugar-cane
42,344
7i,95o
631.058
1.165,113
This figure is the 1919 acreage.
Table 19. Prices of Commodities
1912
1914
1916
1917
1918
1919
Rice
IOO
77
66
95
156
219
Wheat
IOO
99
IOO
124
203
203
Soya Beans ....
IOO
IOO
99
124
162
198
Salt
IOO
93
90
103
1 2O
135
Soy
IOO
97
88
9i
106
1 68
White Sugar
IOO
99
no
"5
129
1 80
Sake
IOO
93
IOO
in
130
179
Tea
IOO
1 02
104
in
139
213
Beef
IOO
97
98
141
202
248
Eggs
IOO
IOO
95
"3
163
224
Milk .....
IOO
95
89
i5
134
174
Cut Tobacco
IOO
101
101
1 02
"5
127
Cotton Yarn
IOO
81
101
191
253
371
Raw Silk ....
IOO
98
124
136
162
220
Hemp
IOO
85
90
107
126
I8 7
Silk Tissues ....
IOO
94
1 08
155
172
215
Cedar Square Timber
IOO
97
123
146
212
240
Pig-iron ....
IOO
IOO
244
569
I, OO6
425
Petroleum ....
IOO
104
141
140
217
277
Coal
IOO
H5
132
276
399
416
Firewood ....
IOO
95
97
103
165
241
Charcoal ....
IOO
107
in
120
209
2 7 8
Seed Oil ....
IOO
92
108
I6 4
216
227
Paper
IOO
103
107
II.3
170
197
Average ....
IOO
97
107
I 4 6
208
237
Railways. The first railway line in Japan was opened to traffic in 1872, subsequent developments of the railways being chiefly in the hands of private companies. In March 1906 the Railway Nationalization Law was enacted, and in the next two years the Government gradually assumed control of some 17 of the leading railway companies. On the completion of nationalization, the Government possessed 4,371 m. of railway, representing a capital of 700,000,000 yen. By the end of 1917 the process of absorption was practically complete.
The decade 1910-20 witnessed an increase of over 31% in the mileage of the State railway system (from 4,624 m. to 6,073 m.), and in the same period the number of passengers carried was more than double (from 128 millions to 288 millions). A marked advance in receipts was seen in the years 1917-9, partly owing to increased fares and partly to the large number of additional passengers carried under war conditions.
Tramways. The number of electric tramway undertakings, both owned by municipalities and by private companies, showed a remarkable increase in the decade, from 34 in 1910 to 74 in 1919. The mileage rose from 367 to 1,059; an d passengers carried from 328 millions to 1,225 millions. Further progress should be seen when it is possible to realize some tentative schemes which were being dis- cussed in 1921 for utilizing hydro-electric power to a greater extent. iapan is well endowed by nature with waterfalls, many of which ave already been harnessed.
Posts. The postal service of Japan has developed steadily, both in extent and efficiency, since 1908. There are three grades of post- office, known as first, second and third class: the first class is confined to the larger cities, such as Tokyo and Osaka, and these offices not only act as supervising offices for those of lower category, but also control maritime affairs in their respective districts. The
