The future of Japan depends upon its MANUFACTURES, but these also are
not without their difficulties. The mineral wealth of the country is
very great, principally in COAL and IRON. On the northern island alone
(Yezo) the coal deposits are two thirds those of all Great Britain.
Unfortunately, however, owing to the mountainous character of the
country, railways in Japan are difficult to construct, and the
transportation of coal or of ore is difficult and expensive. As the
coal deposits and iron deposits are not near together charcoal has
been used for smelting purposes. Iron, therefore, so far, has not been
produced profitably, and its production has decreased. But silver is
mined abundantly, and also KAOLIN, or the raw material used in the
manufacture of the beautiful porcelain of the country. Copper and
antimony are also large articles of export. The principal manufactures
of Japan as yet are the TEXTILES, especially SILK and COTTON. In
these modern methods are used, although so far the productions of the
native domestic looms are superior to those of the factory looms. The
production of textiles by machinery has increased fourfold in ten
years, and now amounts to about $40,000,000 annually. This, however,
is not a large amount, being less than the textile production of any
important state in Europe, even Switzerland, or Sweden and Norway, and
is only one twentieth that of the United States. Until recently the
factory owner in Japan has had the advantage of cheap labour. But the
Japanese artisan is also becoming "modernised," and is now demanding
higher wages, and enforcing his demand by "strikes." And for all their
deftness in domestic manufacture Japanese workmen are not yet as
skilful in machine labour as British or American workmen. It follows,
therefore, that textile manufacturing in Japan, especially the
manufacture of cotton and wool, is not yet out of its tentative or
probationary stage. But Japan, having the advantage of an extensive
home market for cotton goods (like the Chinese, the Japanese common
people wear cotton garments all the year round, in winter padding them
for warmth), and having the raw material at her own door (she already
grows a large proportion of all the raw cotton she needs), and having,
too, an abundance of coal at hand, must needs become a great
cotton-manufacturing country. The same conditions hold with regard to
the possibilities of Japan's silk manufactures.