The Irish standard., 1912-03-23
TAKES RIGHTFUL PLACE
JAPANESE MERCHANT RAISED IN
eoclAL SCALE.
Heretofore Only the Soldier Has Been
Looked Upon az Following
Worthy caIIIng-Emperor Has
Changed Thls Idea.

Japanese business methods have
been widely criticised, especially in
the last few years, as lacking those
standards Of commercial honor which
prevail among Occidental nations. A
writer in the Atlantic says that the
question most frequently put to him
since his return from the Orient has
been:
why Is It that the Japanese are so
dishonest that they cannot even trust
themselves, and have to employ China
men at the head Of all their great
business concerns?"
He explains this almost universal
impression by saying that the average
tourist usually has business relations
only with the branches Of the three
great banks established In the treaty
ports. When he cashes his letter of
credit he observes the singular fact
that the money is being handled by
Chinaman instead Of by native.
"The simple TRUTH" says the writer,
"is that these three banks-all OF
them, by the way, foreign concerns
are the only business houses in the
entire empire so conducted. When
Japan was opened and these foreign
corporations in China sent their
branches into the new field, they sent
their Chinese compradores with them.
Eyes, while all this can be said,
and should be said. in the interest of
simple justice. 1t is nevertheless unde-
niable that in Japan the ideals of
commercial honor and the methods
adopted in the conduct of business
are not what they are in the west.
and there is much Of which the Occi-
dental may Justly complain.
There is a historical reason for
this. The fact that in the olden days
In Japan the merchant was placed at
the bottom Of the social scale and the
soldier at the top, while in China ex-
Rctly the reverse was the case, fully
explains why Japan has produced q
splendid soldiery. and has woefully
suffered In her mercantile life, while
the army in China has been the sport
Of the nations though her merchants
have attained a high place in the
world or business credit.
"But even though the cake of cus-
tom 10 the hardest to break, its pow
er Of resistance has been already ma.
terially weakened by the wise policy
of the emperor; and the merchant is
no longer the pariah of the realm.
Prominent among those who by the
emperor's favor have risen from the
social dust into places of highest
honor is family whose history is sig
nificant.
"The Mitsui family Of Japan have
been called the Rothschilds of the
east; but while the fame OF the lat
ter has gone abroad over the world
the Mitsuis have remained practically
unknown except to a few western
merchants who have had extensive
dealings with the Orient. The Euro
pean family owes its great renown to
the fact that for century there has
been no slightest stain upon Its COM
mercial honor.
"But it's career, It should be remem-
bered, has been passed in a world
where business itself has been held in
honor; while the Mitsuis, engaged in
a. pursuit utterly condemned by pub
lie sentiment, for three centuries, In
spite of the demoralizing influence Of
the social ban. have been trusted by
government and people alike. and
have kept the honor Of their name I'M
stained. Now, thanks to the new
spirit animating the nation, they no
longer stand so conspicuously alone"