The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-08-30
JAPAN IN THE WAR.
Duty and Interest Alike Prompt Her 70
Attack Germany in Spite OF Her Ur'
gent Need OF Peace for Incorporation

| been somewhat sharply questioned III
the United States. but they are not far
to seek. Her treaty obligations to Great
| Britain would DO a sufficient answer,
were there none other. Each OF the
contracting Powers is obliged TO come
| to the assistance Of the other in case OF
war in the Far East. presumably upon
| invitation of tho Power first involved
We have the assurance of Count Okumd.
| the Prime Minister of Japan, that
| Japan's aid was asked for. and that ali
Japan's steps in the direction OF war
were taken with the warm concurrence
Of England. In time all such official
statements can be documentarily
| tested. but the acquiescence of the
British Foreign Office in Count Okuma's
statement would seem for the present
to dispose OF the idea that Japan's
declaration of war on Germany was
"unwelcome" in England.
No doubt the inclusion OF the Orient
and the waters OF the Pacific in the
war area was unwelcome to all lovers
OF peace, but the aggressiveness of
Germany had not been confined to Eu-
rope and indeed was widely IN action
in Asia, and IL she was to curbed at
home she should be curbed abroad .
and England, nervous for years over
the growing German menace to her
trade and her prestige, above all TO her
trade. would without any doubt welcome
heartily the sound OF japanese cannon
of the harbor Of kiao-chow. Let Eng.
lands desire for Japanese" help in the
war on Germany be conceded.
To Japan a call to war must be far
from welcome. She is still burdened with
the effects Of the war with Russia.
Powerful as she may be on land and
sea- 1t is largely at the expense OF her
inner development. She wants nothing
so much as cash for her Industrial
advance, the cash that can only be
coaxed from foreign sources with the
prospects OF unbroken peace. The pro-
longed opposition in her Parliament TO
the addition OF two extra divisions to
her army demanded by the War Depart
ment is significant of this desire for a
fructifying peace. Normally / have
no doubt that Japan would in this year
Of grace have preferred not to have
taken up the sword. But England
dangled great opportunity before her
while calling Japan TO her colors. namely
the driving out OF China OF their com
mon competitor. Germany.
The trade OF China is the Far Eastern
question now. Great as 1t has been, rs
future is incalc ulable. Three hundred
and sixty millions of people with new
wants. new aspirations and new knowl-
edge are making the great market Of
the coming years. China is awakening.
The old conservatism is forever broken.
The advance will not be as sudden. as
well ordered as the advance Of Japan.
but it will in time be as complete. When
China ba ha ms -
eminent, republic or absolutism, It may
not matter which. the advance will be
accelerated. Who. then, will get this
trade?
England has the largest slice al pres
ent. Her exports to China reached
s2l0.000.000 in 1912 Germany since
1905 has increased her exports to China
80 per cent. with a total in 1912 f
$3.50 900. Japan made a similar ~
crease OF percentage in the same period
and exported s7O.5O0000 to China IN
1912. The United States, with extraordi-
nary fluctuations, exported to China IN
1912 no more than she did in 1906.
namely, s27000.000. The opportunity
OF celebrating commercial rival IN
China had. therefore its attractions 20
the japanese mind.
There is still another point from
which her action should be viewed, and
one in which the United States has
deep concern, namely, preserving, re-
storing II you will, the territorial IN
tegrity of China. Only two great
Powers really have this at heart, the
United States and Japan. France. Ger
many Great Britain are all tarred with
the same brush, the division OF China
by spheres OF influence" or actual
seizure of territory. Since Germany
seized 1913 square miles at kiao-chow
with a fine harhor, a town Of $4,000
Chinese inhabitants and a highly de-
feasible hinterland Gas a punishment for
killing TWO German missionaries },
there has been no limit to her CONNER
cial aggresslveness. Wherever you 60
in China you meet the advance guard
OF the industrial and commercial Ger
mans. They hustle competitors aside
and swaggcr along the trade lines vita
the airs and graCes of their august
master. little commercial Kaisers in
way. The japanese themselves main
tain an advance guard along the
trade lines az China. and German
aggressiveness meets them at every
turn. These Germans are largely to
blame for the lies told about Japan's
business methods; one in particular es-
pecially annoying to the Japanese, to
the effect that in Japanese banks no
japanese are employed, all the officials.
AT least the cashier. being Chinese. II
is an absolute untruth, as l can per-
sonally testify in a score OF cases. such
as the Bank OF Japan, the Yokohama
Specie Bank and many others. The
president of the Bank of Japan de-
nounced the lie to me with heat.
No. leaving greed aside altogether the
policy OF Japan Is and must be to pre-
serve the integrity OF China. There Is
no reason to doubt that when she has
driven the Germans at Klao-chow to
surrender she will restore the territory
to China, just as the United States
would do II acting in her place, some
thing no other Power could be relied
on TO do.
one thing more in this cursory note:
Japan has learned her military art
from Germany Her officers speak Ger
man and do everything in the German
way; and little better than the Ger
mans. The situation recalls that in
the play OF THE Dukes Motto" where
the hunchback with drawn sword saws
to Ldgdrdere. II gave you your first
lesson in fencing" to which J101rdcrc