The Hawaiian gazette., 1904-05-06
OUR TRADE WITH JAPAN.

The rapidly growing share of the
United States in the commerce OF Japan
is Illustrated by statement just pre-
pared by the Department of Commerce
and Labor through it's Bureau of Statis-
tics. This statement is compiled from
an official document of the japanese
Government, just received, entitled
. Financial and Economical Annual OF
Japan" II shows the commerce of
japan with the principal countries OF
the world FOR a long term of years. end
ing with 1902, while from another docu-
ment, Just received, the Bureau is able
TO obtain figures of the commerce of
Japan with the United States, the
United Kingdom, China, and India for
the calendar year 1903.
These tables show that the United
States is the largest customer of Japan.
The value of exports from Japan to hef
most important customers in 1907 was;
TO Germany, 4,737.0GO yen tyen=49.S
cents; Italy. 13,2S7OOO yen; British In
da, 13,33700O yen; Great Britain, H.
3i6. eco yen: Hongkong, 25.SI6OOO yen;
France, 27.2S3,0OO YEN China. 46,S3s,OCo
ven. and to the United States, SO,233,OOp
ven. Thus the United states takes as
much of the products of Japan as an
of Europe and nearly twice as much as
China, Japan's second largest customer.
In imports the United States stood
second in 1902 and at the end of loO3
was but $1,227,OO0 below Great Britain
which still holds the lead. For lso2'
the latest year for which the import
figures of Japan are available with
reference to all countries, the imports
from leading countries, stated in the
order of magnitude, We're: From Brit
ish India. 5O,977,0O0 yen; from Great
Britain, 5O364, 900 yen from the United
States. 4S,653,OOO yen; China, AO,59l,ooo
yen: Germany, 25Sl3,0OO yen. and from
France, 4,7a6.0O0 yen. In 1903 the I'M
ports from the four principal countries
were: From India, 70,O95,0OO yen; from
Great Britain, 4s,737,OOO yen; from the
United States. 46273,O0O yen, and from
China. 45,45S, 900 yen.
The feature of this official statement
which is of especial interest in it's re-
Iation to the growth of American ex-
ports to Japan is the fact that the
United States has made much more
rapid gains in the imports of Japan
than any of her principal rivals. Com
pairing conditions in 1902 with those
of 1890, for example, the United, States
shows a gain from 6,S74, 900 yen in 1890
to 4S,653. 900 in 1902, while the figures
of imports from Great Britain are, in
1890. 26. .619 ,OOO and in 1902, 50,364,0OO yen.
from Germany. in 1890, 6,S57,0 yen,
and in 1902. 25,S13,0O0 yen; from China,
in 1890, S,S5O,OOO yen, and in 1902, 40
591 900 yen, and from British India, in
1890, S,911 900 yen, and in 1902, 50,9I7,0Oo
yen.
Considering only the five principal
countries from which Japan's chief inn
portations are obtained the United
States has made much greater gains
than any of the others. 1t will also be
seen from these figures that the chief
rivalry for the classes of merchandise
for which the United States is seeking
a market in Japan is between the Uni
ted States and the United Kingdom,
the class of goods imported into Japan
from China being chiefly noncompeti-
tive so far as relates to the United
States. while in the case of india the
sole competitive article is cotton, of
which Japan takes freely from India in
years of large supplies in that country.
owing to the fact that prices of Indian
cotton are lower than those of cotton
from the United States.