The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-05-04
OUR TRADE WITH JAPAN.

United States in the commerce of Japan
is Illustrated by a statement just pre-.
pared by the Department of Commerce
and Labor through its Bureau of Stats
tics. This statement is compiled from
an ofHcial document of The Japanese
Government, just received. entitled
FINANCIAL and Economical Annual OF
Japan 1T shows the commerce of
Japan with the principal countries Of
the world for long term of years. end
ing with 1902. while from another docn-
u.ent, 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 her
most important customers in 1902 was:
To Germany, 4,Ts7,Ooo yen (yen-49.s
cents); Italy, 1927. 900 ven; British In
dia, 10, 49,, 900 yen; Great Britain. IT,
a46, 900 yen; Hongkong, 25,876,Ooo yen:
France, 27,2SS. 900 ven; China, 46,S3S.00o
yen, and to the United States. sc. 233.00o
yen. Thus the United States takes as
much of the products of Japan as al
of Europe and nearly twice as much as
China, Japan's second largest customer.
In imports the United States stood
eaoox,5 -, 1000 and at tho end of 1903
was but 81 20, 600 below Great Britain,
which still holds the lead. For 1902.
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, 900 yen; from Great
Britain, 1864, 900 yen; from the United
states. As, 65S, 900 yen; China, 1851 600
yen; Germany, 25.s13, 900 yen and from
France, 4,746 900 yen. In 1903 the i'm
ports from the four principal countries
were: From India, 7O,095,o00 yen; from
Great Britain, AS, 737, 900 yea, from the
United States, 46.273 900 yea, and from
China, 45, 600 yen..
which is of especial interest in its re-
lation 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 6S74 600 yen in 1890
to AS, 653, 900 in 1902, while the figures
of imports from Great Britain are, in
1890, 26,619, 0e0, and in 1902, 50,S64 600 yen.
from Germany, in 1890, 6,S57000 yen,
and in 1902, 25,s13,OO0 yen; from China,
in 1890, $3.50, 600 yen, and in 1902, 49,
SCI 900 yen, and from British India, in
1890, 1911, 900 yen, and in 1902 50,977,00 /
yen.
Considering only the five principal |
countries from which Japan's chief i'm |
portations are obtained the United
States has made much greater gains
than any of the others. It 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 tk;it country.
owing to the fact that prices of Indian
cotton are lower than those of cotton
rom the United States.