The Imperial Japanese Navy

by Fred T. Jane

Kuré.

At Kuré, no great distance away, the Japanese armour-plate plant is being laid down; but at the time of writing things are still in an elementary stage, and it will be some years yet before Japan is able to armour plate her own battleships. Probably, as Russia did, Japan will begin by building her own battleships and importing the armour plates.

KOBÉ HARBOUR.

XII
THE MERCANTILE MARINE

The Japanese mercantile marine is of a steadily increasing character. Quite a few years ago it had no existence, and though in past centuries Japan had a very considerable merchant fleet, few people are aware of it, and fewer still realise that the present fleet of merchant ships, instead of being a wonderful new development, is merely a return to what previously existed. In this matter Japan is rather reasserting herself than striking out a new line.

The principal trade ports are—

Yokohama.		Nagasaki.
Kobé.		Hakodate.
Osaka.		Ni-igata.

There are twenty other ports which have some export trade.

The principal imports are: cotton and seed, sugar, rice, wines, food, etc., wool, manufactured cotton, drugs, dyes and paints, petroleum, manure, iron and steel manufactures, arms and machinery.

The principal exports are: manufactured silk, copper, food, rice, drugs, and colours, matches, mats for floors, coal.

The principal import trade is from: Great Britain, the United States, British India, Hong Kong, Korea, China, Germany, Russian Asia, France, and Belgium.

The principal export trade is with: United States (72,000,000 yen), China and Hong Kong (about 40,000,000 yen each), France (about 27,000,000 yen), Korea (11,000,000 yen odd), Great Britain (11,000,000 yen), and British India (9,000,000 yen).

The following (from the Statesman’s Year Book) are the shipping statistics of the Japanese ports (without Formosa), exclusive of coasting trade, each vessel being counted at every Japanese port it entered:—

		Entered.		Cleared.
		No.	Tonnage.	No.	Tonnage.
Japanese	steamships	3,042	3,861,659	3,064	3,883,782
”	sailing ships and junks	1,344	67,139	1,408	68,902
Foreign	steamships	2,998	7,018,077	2,990	7,016,357
”	sailing ships	105	104,505	102	95,910
Total		7,489	11,051,380	7,564	11,064,951

Of the total foreign ships entered, 1644 of 4,080,583 tons were British; 385 of 1,192,153 tons German; 284 of 455,243 tons Russian; 188 of 240,906 tons Norwegian; 175 of 404,724 tons American; 154 of 303,690 tons French. Of the total shipping in 1901, 1094 vessels of 2,050,201 tons entered Nagasaki; 770 of 2,001,233 tons Yokohama; 1446 of 2,998,955 tons Kobé; 207 of 85,952 tons Shimonoseki; 1683 of 2,870,640 tons Moji.

In 1901 the merchant navy of Japan (without Formosa) consisted of 1321 steamers of European type, of 543,258 tons; 3850 sailing vessels of European type, of 320,572 tons; and 911 native craft above 200 “koku,” of 415,260 “koku.”

In 1901 the total ships for foreign trade entered to the ports of Formosa were 2017 of 184,192 tons, of which 140 of 125,222 tons were steamers, 1877 of 58,970 tons were sailing vessels.

The total ships cleared the ports of Formosa were 1946 of 174,814 tons, of which 139 of 118,912 tons were steamers, 1807 of 55,902 were sailing vessels.

The principal steamship line is the Nippon Yusen Kaisha, the ships of which are usually white with black funnels, and a white house-flag carrying two red horizontal lines in the centre. It has a dozen good steamers and many smaller ones. None are very swift, and so there are none of any account as “armed liners,” supposing such craft even to be of value. On the other hand, all are very useful as transports. Both in the Chino-Japanese war and in the war with Russia they proved very valuable.

XIII
THE JAPANESE ADMIRALTY

The Japanese Admiralty is modelled closely on the British one.

The supreme command is vested in the Emperor.

The Minister of Marine—the present holder of this office (1904) is Admiral Yamamoto Gombey—is a member of the Cabinet, and superintends administration. He is selected from the admirals on the active list, and responsible under the Emperor for everything.

The coast is divided into four naval districts:—

Yokosuka.		Sassebo.
Kuré.		Maitzuru.

A fifth district, that of Muroran, is in process of formation.

Each district has its headquarters at the arsenal from which it takes its name, and barracks, etc., are at each of these places.

The men belonging to any district wear the name of that on their cap ribbons, not the name of the ship in which they serve.

ADMIRAL GOMBEY.