The Washington weekly post., 1899-06-20
AMERICAN TRADE IN Japan.
Kentaro Kaueko Here to Tell Us About
His Country.
rra-. a. S-- vsrt Trihrns.

His Country.
Fso= re Ss- ysrk Tfissss-
Kentaro Eaneko. a life member or thc
japanese House Of Peers and Minister OF
State for Agriculture and Commerce IN
the Ito Cabinet. was IN New York and
vas the guest Of the Japanese Consul
General at 1unchgOn at the LAWYERS
Club. Mr.. Kaneko was graduated from
Harvard University in the class ol is
and came 10 this country TO be present al
the commencement exercises of Har-
ward. when be wiIl receive the Ii. ID.
degree. lie is a small man. who looks
many years younger than he II. SPEAKS
English fuentiy. and Is an ardent eham-
p.Cn of close commercial relations De-
tween his country and the United states
Il have ID settled plans" he said, but
il Is nv intention to do something during
nv visit here toward enlightening the
American 1eople as TO the Importance OF
our countr.- as a commercial held To
some extent this is already kno'sn but
the majority of the Americans are unin-
formed OF the subject. just as our people
are ignorant of the true conditions that
prevail here. There are still thousands
of JaDauese who are otherwise well IN
formed Wto look upon the United states
as a PuriianicaI country, which Is De
hind European notions in the matter OF
business, and still the American trade
is growing wonderfully. Four years ago
we imported from the United States Sle'-
90 worth of cotton and last yaar we
imported 8. $4,000 worth. English steel
and machinery were used exclusively IN
JaDan until d few years ago, but the
imports last year from the United States
in these articles amount to upward OF
8. 600 coo. American -four 10 the amount
Of s.. 100000 came TO Japan last year, ana
so | might name many other important
items Of commerce. but this is only the
beginning.
America and Japan are coming clos
er and closer into commercial contact.
and the United States is already the
best customer for our raw silk and teas
All this has taken place despite the tact
that the nations are strangers, and DO
not understand each other. The Japanese,
when he talks about machinery. has Man.
chester, England, in mind, and Germany
is his model of commercial matters; but
we shall endeavOr to make the true
coalitions known 10 our people and our
conditions TO the people of this country.
''The treaty of 1853 ends this month, and
on July IT the new treaty with the Unit
ed States and Europe goes into effect BY
the conditions of this treaty Japan will
be admitted to the family of nations with
sovereign power and with former re-
strictions removed she will stand on an
equal footing with the great powers OF
the world At the threshold of this
transition / am glad 10 be here so that
l may tell the people of this country
hot foI- hao Wi
me information about the United States,
which, by the occupation of the Philip
pines. have become our close neighbors.
We should be friends, and by working
harmoniously there is no reason why the
two countries should not control the
Asiatic commerce within a few years.
We want Americans TO visit our cOun-
try we want them to study our re-
sources, and invest their money there.
There are large sums of money locked up
here which could be invested to mutual
advantage in our country. This will be
understood better when travel TO Japan
increases, and why should it not in
crease? Europe and America are SO
nearly alike that they are less interest
ing to the traveller than our country
True, the European has no Niagara Falls
and no East River Bridge and America
has no ruined castles or antique church.
es but in neither part of the world can
one see what is presented in Japan. where
nation is now waking up from a tWen-
ty-fiVe-hundred-year slUmber grasping
willingly the ideas and the customs of the
most enlightened peoples. Free schools.
religious liberty, good government mod
ern army regulation, and progressive
commerce are some of the features Of
Japan of to-day. Whatever money can
purchase, no matter if it is armies, ships,
or schools. Japan may have, but the
economic questions. a thorough under
standing of which is essential, can be
mastered only by Investigation. This is
as true of the United States as it is of
Japan, and | hope that our affairs will
be investigated and studied by the peo-
pie of this country, to the end that they
will appreciate the value of Japan as a
commercial ally in the struggle for the
ASiatic trade"