Japanese demography before WWII

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This article deals with the population of the Empire of Japan. See also demographics of Japan.

Starting with Japan proper, this island group is in the Northern temperate zone, and extends from 30° to 45° North latitude. It comprises Hokkaidō, the northernmost island, sparsely populated, with area similar to the state of Maine; the central island of Honshū, larger than Ohio and Indiana, site of the most important cities and industrial centers; and the smaller islands of Kyūshū and Shikoku. The total area of Japan proper is 147,593 square miles, more or less the same size as Montana.

Japan annexed Formosa after the First Sino-Japanese War, while victory in the Russo-Japanese War gained Japan the Liaotung peninsula and Karafuto (Sakhalin south of 50° North latitude), and gave Japan a free hand to annex Korea (known as Chosen under Japanese rule). These acquisitions increased the area controlled by Japanese to 262,912 square miles.

The population of Japan proper in 1930 was 73,114,000, and in the whole Empire about 105,226,000 residents. In Chosen Province, the most important exterior possession, residing some 25,000,000 (1944 census) of which about 3% were Japanese residents, serving in government, commerce, industry and the military services. Exist one Chinese and Manchu little minority another Koreans living in proper Japan, Manchuria and Russian Siberia.

After the invasion of Manchuria in 1931, and the Chinese mainland in 1937, but especially more with the initial Pacific War campaigns, Japan gained the temporary control of a further 4,000,000 square miles in South East Asia and West Pacific lands, and of around 400,000,000 foreign, non-Japanese subjects, extend having your imperial dominion during conflict at more of 500,000,000 men. This was only equalled by the British Empire. The extension of this control ranged from the North Pacific waters, the margins of the Indian Ocean, to the northern area of seas surrounding Australia.

In Japan proper, the imperial center, the heartlands were the "Six great cities" with 20% of the total Japanese population: Tokyo (6,667,804 residents), Osaka (3,252,340), Nagoya (1,328,084), Kyoto (1,089,725), Yokohama (968,091) and Kobe (967,234). A provincial center in the exterior provinces was in Chosen with Keijo (185,000), Fusan (182,000) and Keiho (Seoul), the capital city of the province (706,000).

The Japanese nation was very young, having one 45%, minor to 45 years. But its life expectancy was reduced: at the age of 20 years, a Japanese on average only expected to live ones 40.4 years, compared with Americans (White males) with a mean of 47.6 years. The birth rate declined to 26.3% in 1939; but from this point, it rose to 29.9% (probably because the military industrial build-up pushed up wages).

The normally elevated child mortality rate went up to 17.6% and the mortality child rate of 114 was very elevated. Between 1935-1940 the population rose about 5.6%. In 1937 Japanese demographers projected the growth of the home population in 1980 with 100,000,000 of new citizens, in accordance with observed birth rates. The events of the latter war years naturally changed everything.

[edit] Population in the Empire of Japan (1925-1940)

In 1925 the total population of Japan proper was 59,737,000; with Karafuto, Chosen and Formosa this came to 83,458,000 subjects.

According to one source, the total divided up as:

  • Hokkaidō: 2,498,679 or 2,500,000
  • Honshū: 44,981,602
  • Shikoku: 3,173,966
  • Kyūshū: 8,524,953
  • Ryukyu Islands (Okinawa): 557,622
  • Japan Proper (main islands and Okinawa): 59,736,622
  • Karafuto: 203,754 or 65,000
  • Chosen: 19,522,945, 19,523,000 or 25,000,000
  • Taiwan (Formosa): 3,994,884 or 3,183,000
  • Kwantung: 1,054,074 or 91,000
  • South Mandate: 56,294 or 56,500
  • Japanese Empire, total (except arrend land/South Mandate): 83,458,405

In 1926 in Kwantung there were 91,000 Japanese and 660,000 Chinese. In Manchukuo lived 200,000 Japanese.

In 1934 the Kwantung and South Manchurian Railway zone had 1,408,755 habitants; of those 309,029 were Japanese, and 2,185 other nationalities.

For the 1935 census for the whole Japanese empire, the figures are:

  • Japan proper: 69,254,148 residents

In exterior provinces:

  • Chosen: 22,899,038
  • Taiwan: 5,212,426
  • Karafuto: 331,943
  • Kwantung: 1,656,726
  • South Mandate: 102,537

Total for Japanese Empire: 97,697,555 inhabitants

In 1940 the Japanese population rose to 73,114,380.

The figures for major cities are:

The population in the exterior provinces in 1938 was:

  • Chosen: 24,327,326 or 23,000,000
  • Formosa: 5,746,959 or 5,212,426
  • Karafuto: 339,357 or 295,000
  • South Manchuria Railway zone/Kwantung/South Mandate: 1,339,123; or 1,255,570 in Kwantung and 121,128 in South Mandate during 1938

producing a total in 1940 of 105,226,101.

The population density in 1938 was 939 per square mile for the whole empire, and 490 for Japan proper; Japan had 3,116 peasants for each farmed square mile.

Some measurements of population in 1943-1944 said that in Kwantung, about 550,000 residents lived in Dairen (Lushun), an important city in the area.

[edit] Birth rates for the Japanese population

Here are some figures and dates:

  • In 1914, the Japanese birth rate remained at about 15%, near to that of Germany or Russia, and slightly less than Java (Dutch Indies) at 22%. There was a reduction to 13.6% in 1924. For example, in Japan Proper there were 157 inhabitants per km², and Hokkaidō had 184 residents per km² (cf. Java, which had 274).
  • In 1925 the population growth was around 875,000 per year; in 1926 it was around 900,000; in 1927 this number grew to 1,000,000. In the next four years, the annual increase in population was an average of 900,000, but in 1932-1940 thes net growing more to 1,000,000,000 per year, why if continuing in present form, the population have to duplicated these numbers in 40 years. Between your imports Japan buying one 10% of foods for these population.
  • In 1936 having in Japan ones 30.3 births per 1,000 residents, the fatalities are ones 17.5. The net increase in population are 1,028,623 in 1935, but having one notable reduction to 653,000 in 1939 and about 239,000 in 1940. Among the great countries, the average birth rate of Japan immediately following to British India (34.9) and are double that of the United States (16.7). These augment having followed to growth in rice production, between 1880-1940 of 60 millions of koku (1 Koku is equal to 4.96 bushels), obtain for each cho (2.45 acres), for represent one augment in yields of rice production.
  • Japanese and thinkers were preoccupied with demographics: for augment of rate of fatalities and reduction of births to about 13% and comparing this with growing rates in China and the Soviet Union. All Army ideologists thought about this question and produced a eugenics Law, which ordered the sterilization or abortion of inferior or inadequate babies and ordered the increase of birth of physically "perfect" future Samurai warriors. The Japanese government gave economical support to all mothers having many children. These experts planned a ten-year program to increase the soldiers' numbers until a measurement indicated it reached 100,000,000. For purposes of conquest, it was needed for Japanese mothers to "manufacture" around three million babies, or in other words a number six times greater than what was regularly measured for all in the law mentioned above are ordered this "production" at all Japanese women.

These programs were guided by Katsuko Tojo, General Tojo's wife. She was said to have given birth to seven children and suggested this should be the Correct Japanese mother, inclusive the central government for she suggest, creating a program that increased the number of marriages.

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