Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1897-08-21
Aggressive Japan.


power will find itself, before many
years have passed, OF swords
points with Japan, may be judged
from the spirit with which that
country has pushed into the thick
of international events. AT first
blush IL seems extraordinary Ja-
pan should interfere with the
United States in matter like the
annexation Of Hawaii, the more
so because its professed reason is
that policy Of colonial absorp-
ton" on our part might inspire
England, Germany, France and
Russia to follow suit and thus
menance "the INTEREST," of Japan"
This is high talk from power
that was in its bow and arrow
period less than fifty years ago,
and which, but ten years ago, was
mainly associated in the foreign
mind with lacquered fans and CO.
mic opera. We should have ex-
pected it as much, a little while
back, from China or Siam. But
Japan is very serious about its
right to make itself felt in the
worlds diplomacy and it cannot
be denied that nation of 43,O00,-
900 people, with a modern fleet
and army, is, if its motives are
really aggressive, thing to sober.
ly reckon with in framing inter
national policies.
What of these motives? We
have had glimpses of them in re.
cent correspondence over Ha waii
and these have quite prepared the
mind for such explicit admissions
as the ones which appear in this
extract from hitherto unnoct ICED
speech delivered by Count
Okuma, the present Premier, dur.
ing the progress of the recent var
with China: ....
"The European powers are al
ready showing symptoms of de-
cay, and the next century will see
their constitutions shattered and
their empires in ruins. Even if
this should not quite happen, their
resources will have become ex-
hausted IN unsuccessful attempts
at colonization. Therefore, who
is fit to be their proper successors
if not ourselves? What natlou ex-
cept Germany, France, Russia,
Austria ana Itoy Ca" put O,OOO
men into the field inside If a
month? AS to intellectual power,
the Japanese mine is in every way
equal to the European minp. 1t
is true the Japanese are small of
stature, but the superiority of the
body depends more on its consti-
tuition than on it's size. If treaty
revision were contemplated, and
Japan completely victorious over
China, we should become one of
| the chief powers If the world, and
90 power could eng &c in any
movement without first consulting
us. Japan G uld then enter il to
competition with Europe as the
representative of the Oriental
races
These are striking utterances
and they supply the key to the
present foreign policy of the EN-
pire. Japan is not waiting for a
century to pass. She already de-
mands to be heard, or rather
consulted" about the interna-
tional plans of other countries.
She found fault with this Govern
ment because that fact was not
recognized when the Hawaiian
treaty came before the President.
why was not informed?" ask
ed Minister Hoshi of Secretary
Sherman. So sensitive is Japan
upon such points that she even
complained because the European
courts did not g. into mourning
at the death of the Empress Dowa-
ger. The whole spirit of Japanese
diplomacy appears in the mingled
boast and threat: japan is a great
power and must and shall be rec
ognized as such.
!. There is a distinct menace in
this attitude, especially to nations
having interests that conflict in
any way with those of the Japa-
nese. One of these nations is the
United States. In a little while,
unless our naval programme is
steadily extended and pursued,