It was in 1858 that Japan was forced to open up the country, under pressure from the powerful Western industrial nations. But it was after the Meiji Restoration of 1868 that Japan set up consulates in foreign countries. The first consulate was opened in Shanghai in August 1870, and in the same year embassies were established in the U.K., Germany, France and the U.S.A. Since then Japanese consulates have not only increased in number, but also spread to various other countries.
The Consular Reports from foreign countries were most valuable for Japanese merchants in the early stages of industrialization: they had never engaged in overseas trade before, and were eager for information about foreign markets.
In 1878 the Government gave every consul instructions to send commercial information for the purpose of Japanese trade expansion. The first Consular Reports were printed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the title The Commercial Reports in 1881. They were printed as periodical publications.
The Japanese Consular Reports which were printed and made available to merchants cover the period from 1881 to 1913.