The ports of those cities with settlements developed rapidly during the settlement period; Kobe, in particular, leapt ahead of Shanghai and Hong Kong to become the largest port in the Orient.
居留地が置かれていた都市の港は居留地時代に大きな発展を遂げ、特に神戸は上海・香港を凌ぐ東洋最大の港へと飛躍していた。