The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-01-06
JAPAN PREPARES
FOR HOSTIL|T|ES
Member Manchuria Party Sees
Signs of it in Trip About
Mikad0's Domain.

passengers VINO were mere az Inc Iiit'N
of the wreck, and who went on to Jap
an has returned to his home in Santa
Barbara and been interviewed by the
Daily Independent He says that Jap
an is undoubtedly preparing for war
with the United Stat s. Speaking of
his outward trip fir IN here on the
Hongkong Maru he $ VS.:
Among the passe gers aboard the
Maru was a Mr.. Mitsuhashi. who had
been the japanese minister to the
Netherlands and was returning home
by way of the United States, and, by
the way. since his arrival in Japan
he has been appointed mayor of Yok-
ohama, or the governor general of that
province. We had a number of con-
versations about the relations between
Japan and the United States and he
spoke in the most friendly manner or
this country. While he was diplomatic
in all his utterances, however, he did
not fail TO leave the impression that
it was Japan's determination to be the
master of the Orient. And while am
on this subject / may say that back
of all the outward expressions of good
will to the United States, the convfc-
ton is steadily growing that the next
japanese war will be with this coun-
try.
For one thing the Japanese people
have never been reconciled to the Uni
ted States stepping in and taking Ha-
wall There are three times as many
Japs on that island as Americans, and
they feel that in some way they have
been euchered out of that important
possession. Furthermore they want
the Philippines, for they believe that
with the control of the Philippines and
Hawaii they will control the Pacific.
They do not hesitate to say that that
is their ultimate object. Since the war
with Russia their bump of self-esteem
has increased to a prodigious size and
with England back of them they are
ready to undertake anything. The
army is being kept up to its efficiency
and the navy is being increased as
rapidly as possible. They are building
one ship at the present time which is
to be one of the largest and most eff
fective was vessels afioat. 1t is to be
called the Satsuma, after the fighting
tons, or about the same tonnage as the
battleship Dreadnought of the British
navy. The Japanese government has
also spent a great deal of money In
Notifications and every point of their
sea coast is fortified in the most effici-
ent and modern manner. AS an in
stance of this determination to be the
rulers of the Orient l may say that at
a banquet 1 attended, at which were a
number of the public men and officials
Of Japan, one of the speakers unhesitat-
ingly said among other patriotic utter
ances, Japan is the greatest nation in
the Orient, if not in the world, today.
We must control the Pacific. We must
be the England of the Orient" Those
may not have been the exact words,
but that was the subtance of it.
The feeling of resentment in Japan
because of the refusal of the San Fran
cisco school authorities to admit the
japanese to the public schools I found
to be very decided, and however the
matter may be arranged it will not be
forgotten. Personally took care to
steer clear of any discussion of the sub
ject in a general way. 1t was brought
up several times, but / simply smiled
and turned the conversation in other
channels. The Japanese are a very
excitable race of people and if I had
allowed myself to have been drawn
into any argument on the subject the
probabilities are L would have been
pelted with the first article that came
handy. On one occasion, however, L
did talk over the matter with a MEM
Der of parliament whom l knew very
well, and who is broad-minded and lib
eral in his views. / explained to him
the sovereign power OF each stale as
apart from the Federal power and the
situation as it really exists in San
Francisco. Now, my friend I said
to him, suppose, if you can, thousands
of emigrants of the lower class from
America We're to land here in Toxic
and give their labor at much cheaper
rate than the coolie labor here, and in
addition insist that adults ranging any
where from IS to 30 years of age be
admitted to mingle in the same classes
with young children, how would you
like it?' Well, he had nothing to say,
for the simple reason that he could not
imagine such a condition.
Naturally this controversy over the
school question has tended to in
crease this growing feeling against the
United States as the future enemy of
the Japanese. Other questions will
likely rise from time to time and they
will have to be met. Japan did not
wait for Russia when she had made up
her mind to fight, and she is likely to
act just as suddenly with the United
States if events shape themselves that
way. The only thing that will hold her
back is the fact today she is practically
busted financially, and she would find
it difficult, if not impossible, to borrow
money with which to wage such a war.
That the United States would win in
the end no one doubts, but it is not
pleasant to contemplate the state or
our unpreparedness at the present and
what il would mean before that result
would be accomplished
SPEAKS wETT OE, CHAMBER