Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1902-07-04
ISLAND EMPIRES
FOREIGN TRADE
4 Wonderful Development Of
japan's Industries
The Imports and Exports Amount to
Twelve Times as Much as They
Did Thirty Years Ago-Who the
Mikado's Chief Commercial Neigh
boris Are.

Washington. July "A japanese
view Of the commerce OF Japan is pre-
sented in . publication just received
by the treasury bureau of statistics,
entitled The Foreign Trade of Japan"
II is forwarded to the bureau of statis-
tics by distinguished Japanese Off
cial who recently visited this country.
and presents in condensed form a state
ment Of the commerce of Japan in 1904
and its growth during the last thirty
years. and especially the commercial
relations of Japan to the United States
and to the various great commercial
countries and sections of the world
The foreign trade CT Japan it says
/ lis progressing year after year owing
to the rapid development of her agri-
culture. commerce. industry and navi-
gaton. In 1901 the total value of i'm
pcrts and exports amounted to S24 300
/ Coo. This amount is twelve times Iare-
er than that Of thirty years ago EIGHT
times larger than that of 1881. and
three and one-half times larger than
| that of 1891. This is all the more re-
/ markable since it owes but little to the
increase in poulation, which is LITTLE
ever 10 per cent in every decade: 81
iGS.j47 in 1879. 40.072 020 in 1889 and a.
260G04 fn 1899
1t scarcely need ne said that the
cC2tinent Of Asia holds the most in
| timat relations with the foreign trade
of Japan. The total value of the arti-
cles exported tc that continent amounts
to over two-fifths OF the total export:
/ of Japan, and the value of articles i'm
ported from Asia into Japan amounts
! likewise to over tWo-fifths CT her total
/ imports. The amount of exports to
America scarcely reaches one third. ana
that to Europe is only one-fifth of the
fetal exports. while the import from
America into Japan is little short of
cne-fffth, and that from Europe is near
ly twc-ffths of the total imports I'M
ports and exports in the case of Asia
however. include these from and to
HOngkOng, which have naturally Il
character of transit and consequent
ly if proper allowance be made for
! HOnGkong trade we ~,.y safely say
that the products Of Japan are equally
J distributed in Asia, Europe and Ameri-
ca. and imports from Europe to Japan
ere nearly equal to these from Asia.
The principal articles exported from
Japan are raw silk, habutai. cotton
yarn, cCttcn tissues. matches. floor
-i-i - ia. 'Sl-4itiAlSi- IloltIN llICuCtlS.
copper. coal. OF these raw silk is pre-
:; dominant. aad the Increasing demand
fer il is yearly extending the area OF
lands devoted to the cultivation OF null
berry trees the present acreage being
90 Gee acres
The manufacture Of habutai is at
present sclely by hand. but there are
pl respects Of the manufacture being
done by machinery and on more ex-
tended scales in the near future. when
the defect Ct inequality Of qualities
shall be got rid of,
"Cctton yarn is mainly exported 10
china and Korea. There are in opera
ticn in the country 95 cotton mills with
100000 spindles and a 900 wOrkmen.
The power loom weaving Of cotton is
now progressing. there being g, O0C
power looms and 7cS. eco hand looms.
The number of match factories in
Japan is 27S with 1900 workmen en-
r,oyed.
"Bezides the above. the production
and expectation Of various other arti-
, cles are also yearly increasing Tea is
the only article the expectation Of
which is declining owing to the levy
, ing Of war tax in the United States
The countries to which Japan's
products are exported in large quanti-
ties in Asia are Hongkong and China.
and the demands for japanese articles
are also rapidly ncreasing in the Phil
ippine Islands. The United States Of
America is the largest consumer of Jap
2nese exports, her share being over
Cne-fOurth Of the total exports The
principal articles bought by that coun-
try are raw silk. tea, floor mats and
Ir-{,. Y
dominant. as she consumes a great deal
of our habutai. silk tissues and the like:
the expectation to Italy has increased
during the past two years owing to the
Increased demand for raw silk UNI
l.. elias. fans and other articles made
OF pauer. Of the nXD9rtT tO Greet Brit
ain. though the return of the trade does
rot indicate any remarkable increase,
it must be remembered that the ex-
ports to Hongkong are in many in
. stances re-eXpc: ted to Great Britain.
THE articles of which Japan demands
the supply from foreign countries ara
l mainly ma chineiieS CT various sorts.
l iron. petroleum, sugar. cotton. tissues
wcoIen fabrics and some others. The
2 largest items CT import in the matte.
Of machineries are spinning machiner-
les. mining machineries. locomotive en-
e ofnes and metal working m&chineres
iron and steel are chiefly imported from
Great Britain. the United States. Ger
manV and Belgium. The demand for
. meet Of the articles above enumerated
= is due to the recent rapid progress OF
[ our Industries and to sudden advance
+ r7ent Cf the standard Of living among
tHle people III large. However, il is nov
I eynected that most OF these articles
g anufactured or produced in Japan
c The machine tools are being already
g manufactured in Japan: the iron indus
$ try is now in course CT inception, pc
troleum mining is already in working
e order. and the production OF sugar is
to be increased in Formosa. On the
q whole. the trend of Japan's foreign
trade is promising; the imports viii il