The Hawaiian gazette., 1914-05-22
JAPAN IS now
FACING GREAT
STRUGGLE
With Selection Of Count okuma
as Premier, Forces Of Democratic
and Conservative and Bureau
cratic Machines in Land of the
Mikado Has Been Started
okuma Has Strong Cabinet.

(AssOeiated BIOS correspondence.l

(Assoe1ateh Press Correspondenee.)
TOXIC, May 6.-Everything in ia.
pan today indicates, to use the words
Of leading Japanese newspaper, that
Japan is in the midst of silent but
great struggle between the democratic
forces and the conservative and bureau
cratic machines The return to power
of Count shigenobu okuma, who has
astonished his, hest friends by the radi.
ealism Of his htteranees in the past few
years, shows that democratic forces
have won a,sighal victory for the mo
ment. Hsss not too much to say that
the reeomme ndation of Count ukuma
rs premier by the few remaining elder
statesmen Of the Empire was really out
Of Difference TO the voice Of the people.
The elder statesmen, or genro, had
previously selected viscount Kiyoura in
an attempt to keep the reins of gov
ernmenf' in the hands of the bureau.
Gratis aud reaetionaries, but the protest
from the different groups in the house
of representatives was so strong that
Kiyonrae was forced to abandon his
task Of forming cabinet. At the
same time the genro, who now number
fewer than half dozen very aged men,
were severely condemned by the press
as no longer representing the new ia.
pan which desired that the government
should pass from the hands of few
men into the hands of the people
Count 0kuma himself had been mem
Der Of the genro but his radicalism
made him no longer welcome among the
bufeaucfatsr and he resigned. @ #a
okuma an optimist. p.
The astonishing feature Of this most
remarkable shapter jim recent Japanese
history is sthe shift from man Of the
Kiyoura SEPe toa Npnt okuma. The
latter has Always joyfully preached hi,
belief that lie viii live to be l25 years
old. This gives some inkIing Of tn,
jocnlar democratic nature of the mar
himself,. When he formed his cabinet
he called the rneyspaper reporters ,intc
his ofiiea and said 80 I. !, !, :, ,i4,,,JI !.
Nov / want you to give us "a fail
chance. 4 My mission Is to remove al
the for9atof kuEeaneracy. which hav'
impeded the progress of CONSTITUTIONS
government, especially when it hal
joined hands 9Th lhe so-sailed politiea
parties. AM. koih to DO the captain
The crew and Messengers must trust th,
captains A have q good deal to, do
am an ohlIek cqihmander but iii Keel
aboard TOD long II will have to taxi
back my old declaration about living Il
be 125." The new premier is nov
seventy,six,
Count okuma said he wanted to ge
rid of the evils of clan government
and clan favoritism. He wanted to stol
the friction between the army and nav,
and establish harmony on questions o
national defence. He would stop al
corruption. He was optimistic abou
Japanese finance, believing it to be oil
healthy and sound foundation. H,
would try to make it still. more stable
The people were heavily burdened will
taxes, but this was to be relieved b,
administrative reforms he had in mind
Has Strong Cabinet. -,
The new premier has gathered abou
him striking. corps of ministers. Barol
Takaaki Kato, the foreign minister, i
one of the ablest men in Japan today
He has served in the Office before an'
was once ambassador to Great Britain
He is regarded as forceful diploma
and as the probable heir to the premier
ship. ...., "a. >. III =
But perhaps the most interesting per
sonality, in the new cabinet is Yuki,
OZaki, FORMER mayor of Toxic, and ont
of the leaders Of the opposition in thu
lower house. He has been warning al
ways for more representative govern
ment, aud he is especially opposed Il
the domination of the army and navy
clans. He has just written a series o.
papers on constitutional government
with such headings as I" Clan influences
in law-making, I" e How the people have
been kept under control" and eth,
navy must be cleaned before it is ex
banded.
He declared that the. true eonstitu
tionalists in Japan demand fair fell
and no favor !" At present. he said
"they are bound hand and foot in tn,
iron chains of laws and regulations AM
conventional official ideas, while thei
opponents are quite free under the pro
lection of the same laws and regula
tions. a. ttt..a 3
The reformer concluded: CAN intel
2 ligent observers have recently noticed
T great changes in the political psyehol
ogy of Japan, but few see its tru,
> cause. The mobs, the demonstration
aud all kinds of excitement have bu
one root cause, namely, the strong de
sire and increasing struggle for eqna
opportunities. aa ~..5'. II. g.
" ~ y. r. 3. --------------s.< .s.-------r--- 4
Walter A. Engle, chief clerk in tn