Japanese women of wealth and women of the nobility support these
educational efforts; they also support the "Charity Bazaar Society," the
Orphans' Home, and the Red Cross Society. The Red Cross Society trained an
excellent corps of nurses, as the Russo-Japanese War demonstrated.

Women are employed as government officials in the railroad offices; they
are also employed in banks. Japanese women study medicine, pharmacy, and
midwifery in special institutions,[121] which have hundreds of women
enrolled. Many women attend commercial and technical schools. Women are
engaged in industry,--at very low wages, to be sure; but this fact enables
Japan to compete successfully for markets. The number of women in industry
exceeds that of the men; in 1900 there were 181,692 women and 100,962 men
industrially engaged. In the textile industry 95 per cent of the laborers
are women. Women also outnumber the men in home industries. Women's
average daily wages are 12-1/2 cents. Women remain active in commerce and
industry, for the workers are recruited from the lower classes, and they
have been better able to withstand Chinese influence. Chinese law (based
on the teachings of Confucius) still prevails with all its harshness for
the Japanese woman.

The taxpaying Japanese becomes a voter at the age of twenty-five. The
Japanese woman has no political rights. Hence a petition has been
presented to Parliament requesting that women be granted the right to form
organizations and to hold meetings. Parliament favored the measure. But
the government is still hesitating, hence a new petition has been sent to
Parliament.

The modern woman's rights movement in Japan is supported by the following
organizations: two societies favoring woman's education, the associations
for hygiene, and the society favoring dress reform. The _Women's Union_
and the _League of Women_ can be regarded as political organizations.
There are Japanese women authors and journalists.

Since Korea has belonged to Japan, changes have begun there also. The
Korean women have neither a first name nor a family name. According to
circumstances they are called daughter of A. B., wife of A., etc. It is a
sign of the time and also of the awakening of woman's self-reliance that
the government of Korea has been presented with a petition, signed by many
women, requesting that these conditions be abolished and that women be
granted the right to have their own names.

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