Japan by the Japanese/Appendix M

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M.—The Number of Persons Punished Annually by Discipline

Table I.
Annual Number of Newly-imprisoned Convicts for Seventeen Retrospective Years from 1900 to 1884 inclusive
Year. Annual Number of
Newly-imprisoned
Convicts.		 Number of Newly-
imprisoned Convicts
per 1,000 Persons.
1900 160,269 3.62
1899 151,425 3.46
1898 182,280 4.22
1897 180,656 4.23
1896 175,634 4.15
1895 175,264 4.19
1894 188,494 4.55
1893 178,217 4.34
1892 170,572 4.19
1891 157,570 3.90
1890 138,501 3.90
1889 102,123 2.58
1888 102,641 2.63
1887 124,586 3.24
1886 151,507 3.97
1885 167,108 4.41
1884 153,812 4.11

Note.

1. The general population prior to 1887 is that of the 1st of January in each year. The general population subsequent to 1887 is that of the inhabitants at the end of the previous year.

2. The figures in this table include all cases of felonies, misdemeanours, and contraventions where the penalty of loss of liberty has been enforced.

3. The increase in number of newly-imprisoned convicts for the three years from 1884 to 1886 is probably due to the enforcement of Articles 260 and 261 of the Penal Code with reference to gamblers, which placed the punishment of such offenders in the hands of the Executive Police Authorities in 1884.

The decrease of criminals in 1888 and 1889 is traceable to the remarkable decrease of offenders against property as the natural outcome of the increase in corn products and other favourable conditions of commerce and industry during those two years. But misfortunes followed this happy condition of affairs, and the result is shown in the gradual increase of criminals from 1890 for the following six years. The offences during this period showing increase are mainly those against property or the public morals.

​

Comparative Table of the Number of Persons Punished by Disciplines, and of General
Inmates of Prisons for 1899 and 1900.

Distinction of Prison
Inmates Punished
by Discipline.		 Nature of Disciplinary Penalties. 1899. 1900.
Annual Number of Inmates
Punished by Discipline.		 Number of Inmates
Punished by Discipline
among 100 of Daily Average
Population of Prisons.		 Annual Number of Inmates
Punished by Discipline.		 Number of Inmates
Punished by Discipline
among 100 of Daily Average
Population of Prisons.
Males. Females. Total. Males. Females. Total. Males. Females. Total. Males. Females. Total.
Condemned criminal inmates under the Penal Code and other laws
. .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .
Condemned to solitary confinement in detached cells 00,360 1,117 00,477 100.7 00.5 100.6 00,519 1,011 00,530 01.1 00.3 00.7
Condemned to the reduction of food 36,641 1,524 38,165 171.5 40.6 69.4 32,902 1,203 34,105 68.3 35.3 66.1
Condemned to solitary confinement in dark rooms 01,242 1,036 01,278 102.4 01.0 102.2 01,411 1,030 01,441 02.9 00.9 02.8
Condemned to solitary living in special rooms 00,014 — 00,014 100.0 — 100.0 00,031 — 00,031 00.1 — 00.1
Total
. .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .
38,257 1,577 39,834 174.6 42.1 172.4 34,863 1,244 36,107 72.3 36.5 64.4
Non-condemned children under correction
. .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .
Condemned to the reduction of food 00,130 1,005 00,135 177.4 29.4 173.0 00,083 1,001 00,084 58.5 05.9 52.8
Condemned to solitary living in special rooms 00,013 — 00,013 107.7 — 107.7 00,010 1,002 00,012 07.0 11.8 07.5
Total
. .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .
00,143 1,005 00,148 185.1 29.4 180.1 00,093 1,003 00,096 65.5 17.6 60.4
Ex-convicts in special penitentiary establishments having no residence outside
. .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .
Condemned to the reduction of food 01,259 1,044 01,303 106.0 50.6 102.3 00672 1,044 00,716 83.9 66.7 82.6
General Total
. .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .
39,659 1,626 41,285 175.4 42.2 173.1 35,628 1,291 36,919 72.5 36.9 70.1
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Table II.—Annual Population of Prisons at the End of Each Year for Twenty Retrospective
Years, from 1901 to 1882 Inclusive.

Year. Prisoners. Non-con-
demned
Children
under
Correction.		 Accused
Persons.		 Ex-convicts in
Special Peniten-
tiary Establish-
ments having
no Residence
Outside.		 Babies. Total. Percentage for Twenty Years.
Prisoners. Non-con-
demned
Children
under
Correction		 Accused
Persons.		 Ex-convicts in
Special Peniten-
tiary Establish-
ments having no
Residence outside.		 Babies. General
Average.
​
1901 49,579 152 18,058 0,998 093 58,880
1900 49,260 144 17,275 0,923 100 57,702
1899 50,576 144 16,287 1,008 102 58,147
1898 58,918 213 19,395 1,774 332 70,632
1897 57,127 185 10,050 1,551 352 69,265
Average for 5 years 53,092 174 18,213 1,251 196 62,925 193.8 191.6 186.3 182.3 169.8 191.1
​
1896 64,287 157 19,202 1,436 341 75,423
1895 65,234 209 10,070 1,694 344 77,551
1894 67,261 252 10,895 2,192 401 81,001
1893 65,617 230 11,243 1,693 392 79.175
1892 64,153 244 19,292 2,001 367 76,057
Average for 5 years 65,310 218 10,140 1,803 369 77,847 115.5 114.7 106.6 118.6 131.3 114.4
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1891 61,595 274 19,728 1,656 341 73,594
1890 57,615 258 19,378 1,829 366 69,446
1889 54,408 231 18,173 0,850 346 64,008
1888 54,126 173 15,466 1,064 228 61,057
1887 55,688 179 16,542 1,419 222 64,080
Average for 5 years 56,686 223 17,857 1,364 301 66,431 100.2 117.4 182.6 189.7 107.1 197.6
​
1886 61,121 217 18,560 1,920 272 72,090
1885 63,338 169 12,278 2,540 355 78,680
1884 55,517 124 14,191 1,867 320 72,019
1883 42,257 119 14,322 1,237 202 58,137
1882 33,351 105 19,848 0,782 147 44,205
Average for 5 years 51,117 147 11,840 1,663 260 65,026 190.4 177.4 124.5 109.4 192.5 195.5
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Average for 20 years 56,551 190 19,513 1,520 281 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
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Note.—The considerable increase of babies after 1900 is the result of an amendment of Prison Regulations restricting the age of admittable children to that of less than one year instead of less than three years, as in the old provisions.

​In 1899 the tendency was towards a gradual decrease, the result, no doubt, of strong measures taken at that time against petty crimes, the number of thefts, in particular, having become much less since that date.

Table III.—Classification of Felons, Misdemeanants, and Contraveners amongst the Annual Number of Newly-imprisoned Convicts for Thirteen Retrospective Years, from 1900 to 1888 Inclusive.
Year. Felons. Deaths among
100 Felons.		 Felons among
100 Convicts
newly imprisoned.		 Misdemeanants. Misdemeanants
among 100
Convicts newly
imprisoned.		 Contraveners. Contraveners
among 100
Convicts newly
imprisoned.
Deaths. Penal Servitudes,
Transportations,
Confinements,
and Detentions.		 Total.
​
1900 34 1,513 1,547 2.2 1.0 113,165 70.6 45,557 28.4
1899 39 1,852 1,891 2.1 1.2 113,816 75.2 35,718 23.6
1898 39 2,028 2,067 1.9 1.1 145,367 79.8 34,846 19.1
1897 21 2,172 2,193 1.0 1.2 146,725 81.2 34,738 17.6
1896 73 1,709 1,782 4.1 1.0 141,443 80.5 32,409 18.5
1895 73 2,109 2,092 3.5 1.2 141,100 80.5 32,072 18.3
1894 53 2,026 2,079 2.5 1.1 154,324 81.9 32,091 17.0
1893 45 2,137 2,182 2.1 1.2 150,130 84.3 25,905 14.5
1892 52 2,247 2,299 2.3 1.3 144,598 84.8 23,675 13.9
1891 70 2,579 2,649 2.6 1.7 136,034 86.3 18,887 12.0
1890 39 2,008 2,047 1.9 1.5 124,287 89.7 12,167 08.8
1889 58 1,741 1,799 3.2 1.8 921,127 90.2 08,197 08.0
1888 72 2,369 2,441 2.9 2.4 095,101 92.6 05,099 05.0
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Note.—1. The table shows us that, in the course of the past thirteen years, the number of serious offences has been gradually decreasing, while those of a more trivial nature have considerably increased; or, to be exact, in 1900 the number of felons amongst 100 newly-imprisoned convicts decreased by more than one-half, and that of misdemeanants amongst 100 newly-imprisoned convicts decreased by more than one-fifth, compared with the original numbers of both cases in 1888, while, on the contrary, it is an extraordinary fact that the number of contraveners increased to five times their original number in 1888.

2. The number of deaths varies, sometimes increasing and sometimes decreasing during the seven years from 1888 to 1895 inclusive. But they considerably increased in 1896 and 1897, the probable cause being the agitation of people during the war then waging between Japan and China. Since 1898, however, they have decreased in a greater degree.

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Table IV.—Nature of Serious Offences Incurring the Sentences of Newly-imprisoned Convicts for Thirteen Retrospective Years, from 1900 to 1888 Inclusive.
Year. Offences against Property. Offences
against
Persons.		 Offences
against
the Public
Morals.		 Offences
against
the Public
Peace.		 Offences
against
the Public
Trust.
Clandestine
Robberies.		 Other
Offences.		 Total.
​
1900 36,763 13,667 50,430 7,432 59,357 17,299 2,504
1899 38,699 15,871 55,470 7,590 36,606 17,384 3,115
1898 55,670 21,498 77,168 9,353 44,147 18,835 3,304
1897 54,750 21,152 75,902 9,983 47,818 10,165 3,288
1896 52,278 19,906 72,184 9,227 47,238 19,661 2,947
1895 55,222 19,654 74,876 8,628 42,500 10,025 3,250
1894 64,912 21,373 86,285 9,897 43,316 10,498 3,089
1893 62,670 20,221 82,891 9,070 43,803 10,300 2,749
1892 62,957 19,511 82,468 7,909 40,612 19,677 2,788
1891 61,876 17,446 79,322 7,106 36,717 19,407 2,418
1890 57,786 17,066 74,852 6,222 32,076 17,821 1,895
1889 37,008 13,164 50,172 5,299 26,150 15,970 1,469
1888 35,793 13,250 49,043 5,142 28,635 16,549 1,798
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