this
territory, that is of Japan before the acquirement of Formosa, Korea,
southern Saghalien and part of Manchuria, is about 142,000 square
miles in area, which is that of Great Britain in possession not of one
Wales but of four, or nearly 1 per cent. of the area of Asia. But
there are several million more people in Japan than there are
inhabitants of Great Britain and thrice as many as there are Britons
in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and India. (See also
Appendix XXX.) Japan, which lies between the latitudes of Cairo and
the Crimea, may be said to consist of mountains, of which fifty are
active volcanoes, with some land, either hilly or boggy, at the foot
of them. It is nowhere more than 200 miles across and in one place is
only 50. A note on the ocean currents which exercise an influence on
agriculture will be found on page 195. The protection afforded to the
eastern prefectures by mountain ranges is obvious. Generally the
summer temperature of Japan is higher and the winter temperature is
lower than is recorded in Europe and America within the same
latitudes.

"The mild climate and abundant rainfall," says the Department of
Agriculture, "stimulate a luxuriant forest development throughout the
country which in turn provides ample fountain heads for rivers. The
rivers and streams run in all directions, affording opportunity for
irrigation all over the country. The insular position of the country
renders its humidity high and its rainfall abundant when compared with
Continental countries. The rainy season prevails during the months of
June and July, making this season risky for the harvest of wheat and
barley; on the other hand it affords a beneficent irrigation supply to
paddy-grown rice, which is the most important crop. The characteristic
feature of the climate in the greater part of the islands is the
frequency of storms in the months of August and September. As the
flowers of the rice plant commence to bloom during the same period,
these late summer storms cause much damage."

The weather in Tokyo in 1918 was as follows:

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|Jan.|Feb.|Mar.|Apl.| May|June|July|Aug.|Sept.|Oct.|Nov.|Dec.
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Rain and | | | | | | | | | | | |
snow (mm.)| 10| 65| 163| 108| 123| 149| 82| 78| 202| 135| 142| 80
Temp. (C.)