Los Angeles herald., 1908-04-11
OF WORILDW INTEREST
POLITICS IN JAPAN
BY FREDERIC J. HAskIN

were made mainly at the capitol. and
the congressional caucus ruled, just as
the parliamentary caucus rules \ in
Japan today. Then came the EZRA of
good feeling" resulting from a strong
foreign policy which united all fac
tons. In Japan this era came imme-
diately upon the heels of a war; in the
United States 1t was some little time
after the second war with England.
The greatest event Of that era in Amer
lean history was the PRONUNCIATION of
the Monroe doctrine, America for
Americans In the same era in Japan
the Japanese Monroe doctrine of Asia
for the Asiatics' made its appearance.
In the United States the peaceful era
of no parties was followed by the
most bitter political battles of our his
tory. and under the administration of
Andrew jackson political parties came
into being as they are known today, the
party convention was Invented, and
since that time the voter has not asked
"Who Is he?" but What is he?"
Therefore Japan is just now at the
point in its constitutional evolution
that the Americans reached in Old
Hickory's time. Here the analogy
ends.
The American constitution is the re-
suit of meeting of business men called
to consider ways and means of improy-
ing trade conditions between the states
The very foundations of the nation were
laid upon the rock of commerce. This
disposition to foster business resulted
in the Bank of the United States. To
destroy that bank and to take the con-
troll of politics away from the CONNER
cial interests was the work of jack
sons great political battles. In Japan
the constitution was not ordained by
the people, but was granted from above
| by the emperor. The lowest class of
those people were the merchants, and
they have not been considered. The
literary and military men rule the ma
ton, and the merchants must shift for
themselves. Now comes Japan's great
est political battle in which the COM
mercial interests are trying to obtain
representation.
| If predictions made by close students
of political affairs here are borne out
by events the country will divide along
the same lines that have divided all
peoples. The party now in power will
receive the conservative strength, and
the Progressist, or Shimpoto, party will
gather the Radicals and Democrats to-
gether. The business men are trying
to capture both parties, but are receiv-
ing much more encouragement from the
I
In Japan the unit of the state, so far
as the people are concerned, is not the
individual, but the family. Family"
means a. whole clan of ancient lineage,
and it's organization Is as perfect as
piece of delicate machinery. The rights
of the individual are never considered
as against those of the family. The
Shimpoto is attempting to break down
this clan system. Its venerable leader.
Count Okuma, Is an individualist and
a Democrat He is also something of a
| Thereafter, and 1t was he who stirred the
radical Japanese on the subject of the
| San Francisco school question and the
immigration restriction agitation. While
it is not proper to doubt his sincerity,
there is excellent reason for the belief
that his radicalism on these questions
was more directly the result of his see
| ing an opportunity to take a shot at
the cabinet, than because he really
wanted to make trouble with America.
Party feeling is already running high.
and the newspapers attack the leaders
of opposite parties with as much Bit
terness as the American press has ever
shown. Back of all the party spirit,
however, is absolute unity In loyalty to
the emperor. If the emperor cuts off a
mans official head, criticism is not
directed toward him, as Americans
| sometimes cr1t1ClSe the pTeSlueHI, Dul
rather to the minister "who screened the
eyes of his imperial majesty" The
mikado is a real ruler, and many things
done in Japan are his direct acts. For
this reason the influence of the elder
statesmen, who have direct access to
the throne, is of such great weight in
affairs.
But the elder statesmen will pass
away, a new emperor will come who
will gradually resign himself to that
position of innocuous desuetude which
so many constitutional monarchs occu-
by, and then will come the party rule
in fact. The beginning of that era is
at hand, and from the elections in June
will emerge the two organizations
which will in time bring Jeoan actually
! into the circle of the great nations
which derive their powers from the
people, which are responsible to the
people, and which win endure as long
as it is true that 1.-THE voice of the peo-
pie is the voice of God"
TOmorrow--The Yellow Peril.