The Washington times., 1902-05-04
THE JAPAN OF TODAY.
Marquis Ito on the Present and Future
of His Country.

As all the world knows. Japan has seer
great changes within the last thirty years
! Many Of these changes are so obvious that
! the most cursory reader of contemporary
history must have noticed them. Among
/ these are the development Of an army, a
navy, a diplomatic and consular service
and Of a constitutional monarchy, with a
Diet in which the whole people have rep
resentatives. None OF these things existed
/ in 1870. They have come into being with
a rapidity that is startling even to the
Japanese themselves. Furthermore. In
spite of this rapidity, the development has
been normal. 1t has been in harmony with
Yamato Damashii-the spirit Of the jap
anese people.
But there have been other developments
in Japan-the new Japan-which, though
by no means SO obvious as those i have
mentioned, are of great Importance. jap
anese commerce, for instance, has devei-
oped rapidly in the past six years. Since
the war with China the tonnage OF the
merchant marine has increased from S0,<
600 tons to over 100000 tons, while the
total capitalization Of stock companies
and other commercial enterprises has ad-
vanced from $25 900 600 to something like
ten times that amount.
Such increase is significant. II shows
the sincerity on the part of Japan to es-
tablish herself in a secure position COM
mercially that she appreciates the
achievements Of peace as thoroughly as
achievements b. force of arms-prefers
them in fact-and particularly that she
has come to realize the value OF credit
in business affairs: she could not have in
creased her business operations so con-
T.
sible to do business in Japan without
credit than IL is in the other countries
of the world. This is fact of great i'm
portance to Japan, and It is one that has
not vet received due recognition.
The old-time merchant is gone. il not
forgotten and in his place is a new sort,
trained and experienced, with the honor
Of his country and his profession at heart
and an adequate idea Of the value Of in
tegrity in commercial transactions. Tn
der the new treaty the restrictions of the
treaty port have passed away. Foreign
ers may trade as freely in the interior
as the japanese themselves. They no
longer require passports. they may lease
land. put up factories. form companies,
and buy railway or government bonds.
They thus have opportunity TO acquire
more generous views Of the native char
acter and TO wear away the old prejudices
acquired IN the treaty ports. with the
Interchange OF ideas that travel within
Japan ON the part of foreign merchants
and travel without on the par; of native
merchants. relations between the two
have improved vastly and public opinion
in Japan has made notable change of
front
Among other points in recent CONNER
cial developments in Japan one may men,
tion that the merchaLS marine is now en-
tirely in the hands OF the japanese them |
selves, many OF the vessels indeed, being
built in japanese shipyards by japanese !
under the direction of Japan's 1
engineers and paid for by japanese capt. I,
tai Generally this has been done by pri- !
yate companies. The paternalism that !
critics have referred 10 is no longer pop !
ular. The government does not go into /
with promoters of new enter /
prises. II lets them quite alone so long /
as they keep within the law. They are
nut of swaddling clothes and many of
them are learning to walk as erectly as
similar offspring in ether lands. The op-
position 10 foreign capital has disappear
I'd and by government arrangement ade-
luate security can be bad where formerly
public opinion would have discounten-
inced looking for money beyond the bor-
lers of the empire. The reports of for
eign consuls In Japan indicate that decis-
CTS Of the Japalcse courts are just, and
Is xtra-territoriality r thing of the
past. this should be an evidence of ia
pans good faith and determination to
a place high and honorable In
he comfy of nations.