The events in China will no doubt pave the way for Japan's shipping activity on its coastal and inland waters. Before the present war, Japan's shipping position in China waters was quite unimportant The Japanese vessels engaged in commercial service in China totalled less than 100,000 tons. Their share of Chinese trade was only 175 per cent. as against 304 per cent. for native ship-has for some time been exhausted. The proposed help for ship construction may be a precursor of what is to follow, for some shipping quarters seem to think that Japan should have ten million tons of shipping. Japan's shipping industry has grown by three distinct stages, each developed under the conditions of war.
The first of these stages of development was seen at the time of the war with China in 1894-5.
"The second was an outcome of the war with Russia ten years later.
The third stage was brought about by the favourable influence of the Great War.
Whether the present war with China will be as ul as the past wars has still to be seen, but that it will mark a definite turning-point in doubted. TE ihe optimism that is seen Japan's shipping trade-can hardly in some quarters is well founded, the shipping industry of Japan is evidently io enter upon a new stage of development upon the return of peace. It some-of the promises held forth are successfully carried out, Japan's shipping is to be a world "factor of even greater importance than it was before the trouble with China began.
About the time of the China war of 1894-5 the cargo carried to and from Japan.by vessels under foreign flags amounted in volume to 7? times as much as that taken by Japanese ships. But this was reduced to 1% times that of Japanese vessels round the time of the war with Russia. In 1912 Japanese vessels carried sixteen per cent. less cargo to and from Japan
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.