Total revenue Total Army and navy Ratio of the of the expenditures expenditures last two Government of the Government 1894–5[139] 98,170 78,128 20,662 26.4% 1895–6[139] 118,432 85,317 23,536 27.6% 1896–7[139] 187,019 168,856 73,248 43.4% 1897–8[139] 226,390 223,678 110,542 49.3% 1898–9[139] 220,054 219,757 112,427 51.1% 1899–1900[139] 254,254 254,165 114,212 44.9% 1900–1[140] 295,854 292,750 133,113 45.4% 1901–2[141] 274,359 266,856 102,360 38.3% 1902–3[141] 297,341 289,226 85,768 29.7% 1903–4[142] 251,681 244,752 71,368 31.7% 1904–5[143] 229,855 223,181 69,433 31.1% Footnote 138: To take only a few tangible instances, Japan’s national budget grew more than three-fold during the ten years before 1903, her foreign trade in 1903 was 263% as large as it was in 1894, her private companies increased from less than 3000 in 1894 to 8600 in 1902, with a corresponding growth of their authorized capital from less than 200 million to 1,226.7 million _yen_, and her population itself has increased perhaps by 12%. A decisive development has also taken place in both the internal politics and the international relations of Japan. Footnote 139: An attempt has been universally made during the present war to explain the apparent contempt of death of the Japanese soldier as due to his low estimate of human life, or else to his fatalistic view of the world. It may be seriously doubted whether these explanations are tenable. At least it may be said that in no other case would the sons of Japan so fearlessly and cheerfully face death. It is impossible to discover in them a less fear of death than in other nations. Life is dear, but it is sacrificed to a cause which is considered higher than life. It was the primary lesson in the education of the _samurai_ to choose death when it saved honor and when life was selfish. This view of life has now been transferred from the narrow sphere of the individual person or fief to the large field of the entire nation, whose cause, it is believed, represents the best postulates of human progress. It would, perhaps, be legitimate to criticise the incidental abuse of this feeling, or to question whether the same loyalty might not be transferred to a still higher region than the state, but the subject must first be understood by the critic. Footnote 140: See our Introduction. Footnote 141: Actual account on October 31, 1903. Footnote 142: Settled accounts. Footnote 143: