The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-03-05

American Japanese relatio quite seri- ously. In the midst of this great world war, with all it's ramifications leading to America, the possibility or Japan biting herself aganst the United Stat is all ways considered. And there is growing evidence that Japanese ideas of impeDial expansion are being developed along lines which do not run parallel to the lines Of American policy, but they cross and recross and serious conflict of self-in- terest is bound to occur. This conflict may easily lead to actual war.
 Those who scoff at the Japanese menace, who are doubtless fewer in num- Der because of the preposterous upset of civilization in August, 1914, usually de- clare that Japan is too poor to fight; that her finances would never stand the strain. B. F. PutmanW Weale, one of the greatest Of far eastern experts, reported in a London newspaper the other day, tele- graphing from Picking, that since the beginning of the war the Japanese had laid away $300000,000. Japan has been making money in much the same way as America Her expenditures for her minor participation in the actual war have not been great, while her income from the manufacture of munitions has been enormous. She has been selling large quantities of war supplies to all of the allies, while> industries of other sorts have profited by the disappearance of German trade Her exports have be- come far greater than her imports; all records have been broken. It was even suggested sometime ago that a French loan would be made in Japan. It was not wholly true, but the mere, sugges- ton, seriously made in the press here, that Japan should lend money to France, that paragon of thrift shows that Japan's financial condition is no longer what it was.
 IT. l.. oTI IA %l,ot land would not permit Japan, her ally, to attack America, and that Japan would be obligated to follow England's instrup- tions. It is still true that if England can stand between the two and pre- vent hostilities there will never be war between Japan and the United States. But England may not be able to do so. She is at the moment very much engaged otherwise, and from the very commence ment of the present great war Japan has shown consistent disregard for the de- sires of the British government. There is evidence that England was not really keen to have Japan in the war at all. Japan's famous demands on China of a ear ago were distasteful to the British government, for not only did they direct ly and adversely affect British interests in China, but they were made in such a manner as to place EnglandS S ally m the position of taking a dominant posi- ton in China when all others concerned were too busy to protect their own in terests I have been told that it was only through the intervention of England herself that Japan was finally induced to modify her demands on China.
 BROKEN PROMISES
 Before now have told the story of Japan operations in the Pacific ocean since the beginning of the war. It is a story of broken promises. It is still hazy, but some points are wholly clear. When Japan participated in the war an official announcement was made in Lon don that Japan would take no territory except on the continent of Asia, and her operations in the Pacific would be only for the purpose of protecting Japanese trade routes. Japanese cruisers went