In addition to these the auxiliary fleet numbers some forty steamers, for the most part vessels belonging to the Nippon Yusen Kaisha.
The present constitution of the Japanese Army dates from 1873, and the Military Forces consist of—(1) the permanent or Regular Army, with its Reserves and Recruiting Reserves; (2) the Territorial Army; (3) the National Militia; and (4) the Militia of the various island centres off the coast, &c. Military service is obligatory in the case of every able-bodied male from the age of seventeen to forty years of age. Of this period, three years are passed in the permanent or Regular Army, four years and four months in the Regular Reserves, five years in the Territorial Army, and the remaining liability in the National Militia. The permanent Army, with its Reserves, conducts operations abroad, and the Territorial Army and the Militia are for home defence. These latter are equipped with Peabody and Remington single-loading rifles. The up-to-date strength of the permanent Army, on a war footing, which does not include the Reserves, is as follows:
| Officers | Rank and File | Horses | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infantry, 52 regiments of 3 battalions, 156 battalions | = | 4,160 | 143,000 | 52 | |
| Cavalry, 17 regiments of 3 squadrons, 51 squadrons | = | 400 | 9,300 | 9,000 | |
| Field and Mountain Artillery, 19 regiments of 6 batteries, total 114 batteries of 6 guns = 684 guns | = | 800 | 12,500 | 8,800 | |
| Fortress Artillery, 20 battalions | = | 530 | 10,300 | 70 | |
| Engineers | 13 Sapper battalions | = | 270 | 7,000 | 215 |
| 1 Railway battalion | = | 20 | 550 | 15 | |
| Transport, 13 battalions | = | 220 | 7,740 | 40,000 | |
Total = 684 guns, 6400 officers, 190,390 rank and file, 58,152 horses.
The Reserves comprise 52 battalions of Infantry, 17 squadrons, 26 Engineer and Transport companies, and 19 batteries with 114 guns, yielding a total of 1000 officers, 34,600 rank and file, and 9000 horses. Therefore, on mobilisation, the grand effective strength of the Army available for service beyond the seas would amount to 7400 officers, 224,990 rank and file, 798 guns, and 67,152 horses. Behind this, there is the Territorial Army, comprising 386 Infantry battalions, 99 squadrons, 26 Engineer and Transport companies, and about 70 batteries, or 11,735 officers, 348,100 men, 1116 guns, and 86,460 horses.
The Infantry and Engineers of the Regular Army have been recently re-armed with the Meidji magazine rifle. The following particulars show that the Japanese small arm is a superior weapon to the Russian, which dates from 1891:
| Japanese “Meidji,” model 1897. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calibre. | Muzzle velocity. Ft.-Sec. | Sighted up to Yards. | Weight with Bayonet. | No. of Rounds in Mag. |
| .255 in. | 2315 | 700 | 9 lb. 2 oz. | 5 |
| Russian “Three-Line,” model 1891. | ||||
| .299 in. | 1900 | 2500 | 9 lb. 12 oz. | 5 |
The Regular Cavalry have the Meidji carbine. The Reserves are armed with the Murata magazine rifle, model 1894, calibre .312 in., muzzle velocity 2000 feet-seconds, sighted up to 2187 yds., and weight with bayonet, 9 lb. 1 oz. The equipment carried by the Infantry soldier in the field weighs 43½ lbs.