POPULATION. The first really reliable census of the whole country was taken in 1872. This showed 7,107,841 houses, and a total population of 33,110.825—very nearly that of the main island at the present time. Al the end of 1898 the number of houses (including a slight gain through the annexation of the Loo-choo Islands in 1879) had increased to 8,281,708, and the pop ulation to 43,703,153, of whom 22,073,896 were males and 21,689,357 females. Of this total number the Imperial family claim 53, the no bility 4551, the gentry •,105,696, and the com mon people 41.050,568. In these figures (which do not comprise Formosa, with nearly 3.000,000 inhabitants) are also included 17,573 .lino dwell ers of Hokkaido. 70,801 Japanese residing abroad, and 12.664 foreigners frem 29 different countries —the diplomatic and consular service claiming 128. The population of the whole Japanese Em pire (including Formosa, acquired in 1895) at the present day does not fall far short of 50,000. 000. As will be seen from the table of fu and ken given higher up, Hondo. the main island, with 381 to the square mile, is the most densely popu lated part of the Empire. especially in its south western portion. having there 475 to the square mile, as compared with 220 in the northern third.
Since the centralization of modern industries there has been a large concentration of popula tion in the cities and towns. In 1S9S there were 78 towns with a population of 20.000 and over.
Entr.vrioN. Since Japan was opened to for eigners much attention has been given to educa tion, and for a time foreign teachers and advisers were in demand, both by the Government and by private persons. The present Department of Education was established in 1871, but much organizing had been done before that time. The advisers were m3stly from the United States, and as regards the public school system which the Government had determined to establish, United States models were largely followed. Later Ger man influences prevailed, and the system now in vogue is largely patterned after German models. It includes the following grades:
(1) Kindergarten work or infant schools, which originated first in 1876 in connection with the normal school, hut has since been extended. The age is from three to six. in 1899 there were 230 such schools, employing 618 women, with 21,861 infants in attendance, of whom 11,764 were boys, and 10,007 girls.
(2) Elementary schools. attendance at which is compulsory, as far as the lower division called 'ordinary schools' is concerned. It is for children from six years to ten: the school year is 32 weeks long. and the children are taught morals. reading, writing, composition. arithmetic. and sometimes drawing, and music are provided. The higher grade is optional for chil dren between ten and fourteen. The course of instruction includes geography, history, English, agriculture, and commerce.
(3) Middle schools, in two grades, ordinary and higher. The ordinary covers a course of five years. and includes ethics, Japanese Ian gunge, English (then French or German), agricul ture, geography, history, mathematics, natural history. physics, chemistry, etc. In the higher grade the course covers two years of Latin. zo ology. botany. geology, mineralogy, dynamics, surveying, philosophy, etc.
(4) The university crowns the witch.. Besides these there are normal schools special schools.
Instruction is not gratuitous, and the local school boards, whirl are elected by the people, have to provide for those too poor to pay. The school age is from six to fourteen. In 1898 the number of children of school age was 7.709.424. In 1899 the public -and private primary schools numbered 26,097, with 88,660 leachers, and 4,302.023 pupils in attendance (2,672.372 boys, and 1,63(1.251 girls), or an average of 48.53 to every teacher. These figures do not include For mosa. where there is a special educational sys tem. In that year public school property was valued at $25.06:1.960, including land, buildings, books, instruments, etc.