The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-08-19

IPPEY NIsHIKAWA, OF KOBE, TALKS
OF HIS COUNTRY's AFFAIRS.
Ii Is Progressing at a Disconcerting
Rate Talks with other
Travellers.

Ippey Nishikawa, a native of Japan and
a resident of Kobe. one of the most flour
ishing ports in the nation of the rising sun.
is staying at the Hotel English. He ar
rived yesterday from Chicago and will be
here for several days. He speaks excellent
English. which he acquired while connected
with a New York business house five years
ago II have come back" said he last
night ito see what progress this Ameri-
can country has made in the last five
years. In Japan we look upon the United
States as a country of marvellous progress
and we Japanese are prepared to find most
any sort of new conditions when we come
here.
1.-The port of Kobe is far ahead of Yoko-
hama in the way of exports and imports.
A number of Americans are engaged in
business there. Japan is becoming
country of progress, and, in fact. we are
doing so many modern things that foreign
ers have expressed the fear that We are
going too far. 1t has been suggested that we
have started too many industries and that
we will run short of money. The indemnity
we received after the Chinese-Japanese
war brought so much cash into the country
that it caused a general boom. L think
the indemnity paid us by China was 2cO,-
100000 yen, which would be 100000 900 in
American money If my memory serves
me right, our debt to foreign countries is
now about s75,OO0,OOO. The most of this
money was procured from England. TWO
years ago our government tried to borrow
money in New York at least this was re-
ported We failed to get the money here,
I.a1
We could not agree on the rate. thlnK
the money was borrowed in London.
Just now in our country the people are
talking about whether it is good policy TO
increase our navy. We have 100000 tons or
fighting vessels, of the most improved type
Two of them were made by United States
ship builders. We consider them the quick
est vessels we have in the navy. Our stand
ing army has about 100000 men, including
officers. Japan is in much better fighting
trim now than she was at the close OF
the war with China Japan is peacefu
nation and We do not want TO be FORCED
into a fight again. However, we have to
be prepared. 1t is the policy of japan to
keep navy that Is equal TO the combined
navies of Russia and France in the Far
East. There is so much talk about Euro
pean ACKNOWLEDGMENT in China that we
feel uneasy and think Ii necessary to be
prepared when the worst comes. An agree
ment exists between Great Britain and
Japan that the eQuanimity of China shall
be protected. There is feeling that should
Japan get into trouble with Russia 1T would
be over Chinese or CoTean questions. In
order to make ourselves better understood
a society has been organized in Toxic with
a view of cementing the friendship of Rus
slams and Japanese. There are some Rus
sian members of the society. There is a
general opinion that Russia is a despotic
country, but so far as / am able 70 discern
this is not much the case as most
people imagine.
AS things were too much doomed in
Japan after the war it was natural that
a depression should come. Substantial
concerns, however, have wtthstood the de-
preston and now the country is again on
a solid basis. The price of labor is going
up and as labor goes up there is greater
demand for labor-saving machines, and in
securing this advantage we look for
ward to America, where labor is
highest and consequently where the
most efficient machinery Is made. Japan
is beginning to use a great many Amer
lean Inventions The telephone is coming
into general use and most cities have ex-
changes. The system is controlled by the
government in Japan. Telephone exchanges
are operated by Japanese girls everywhere.
l suppose they are paid from 10 cents to 80
cents day (gold).
I'VE have newspapers in most cities, but
the residents do not patronize local papers
generously. They rather look for news
from papers published at the capital and
one two other prominent cities of the
country. In Japan people do not read the
papers to get the social news. Outside of
the political and general news the most of
the news is gathered from police stations.
The society columns of a Japanese paper
are rather slim, as there is not much news
Of this kind to report. OF course, the
women give their garden parties and other
functions, but the Japanese costumes are
not of an elaborate character. Hence the
society reporter is not put to the trouble
of describing costumes. The Japanese
woman's dress is a simple garb and about
the only thing she has to be particular
about is the color. The general cut of the
gown and the style of material change very
seldom. The Japanese belle does not have
her troubles with the milliner because she
never wears a hat"