Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-07-05
HOW ABOUT JAPAN?- X
EMEDEKIC l.
ny FREDERIC J. IiASkIN

WASHINGToN. L. c.. July 4-why
IS Japan strainins all her resources in
the building OF battleships o-day? WHY
has she increased her army by two
| divisions, with the prospect OF further
increasing in ths near future?
Long ago the European experts point
Ell the impre snabiiity of Japan's do
nestle position. No nation on Garth
| can even threaten her supremacy In
| Far Eastern waters, with tho sole OK
! ception of her ally, Great Britain Her
nome territory is absolutely unnssail-
aDle. III TIE words Of the experts, "by
| any power or combination Of powers"
yet she appropriatcs $lo0.O0".000 to-
wards carrying out her naval program.
Yet she increases her army
of all hrst-class nations. Japan can
afford such expenditures least. Her
taxes are already staSgcringly heayv--
,ncy nave been Increased six times in
inc last twenty years. She has no
wealth OF natural resources to draw
on Life for her cougcstcd ropula,,on
IS Il Tar sharper struggle than in, Tho
occident. even without tho added bur
oct OF great militurism. /, 10 in
'ohcci'it g th"' nation in such cir
cuins,ances would plunge into reckless
military expenditures without som. ru-
mediate and definite purpose in view
IVA the case OF Japan. that PURPOSE can
not be home defense she has more
than enough already.
Vet Japan's miiltar!sm does not nee
cssariiy mean war. Militar!sm has ON
CT uses. Japan Is a believer I'm tho
doctrine Of force, in the principle that
ma IONS IoSi.ion and influence arc
dependent oh its military strcngtn. Her
belief. &c tho natural fruit o. her
c"n experience. When she was weak.
sh" "a. a toy IN tho hands or Euro...
- M
her by foreign r;ti0nS. The SPOT. OF
IN" thtno-Japnncse War were snatched
from her 1t nc NON, mt OF victory le-
cause She WAS rcw rlcss To resist.
Th"n Sh" became .,:ong. As her v;n
statesmen ioint out. rer real il.Iu,,.cc
Backed b. the rr"si &c of her victory
over Russia. BY tn. fact that Iiro:e
knew tho st-HErtiI ~ her arm" AMI
nav AMI their orir:sncy. she BECAME
a world po-:o". the dominant figu(a ~
IN" or'"ct She all.cd herself on equal
terms WIN me wofio's greatest aaval
power. Great E"'iaia. Unoppos,d. 'ac
has "rtnrh"d from uefenScless nina
4 set OF unjust concessions. II is no
wonder she believes in the value OF a
great army and navy.
Would Destroy Our Commerce.
Now her policy Is on the eve Of
running counter to the policies of tho
China IL clearly Indicated By her past
course in Korea and Manchuria such
Il course VIII result in the cutting off
OF American commerce and Industry
from the immense Chinese field at "a
time when that field is more valuable
than ever before IN our cXpandiuc in
dUSirial Developments .Japau needs tho
chinese market, and She proposes to
take IT. More than that she proposes
70 use the United states as her means
OF rcarinS its benefits. Unable to cope
with The task of developing China
alone, She wants TO do the work by
employing the financial strength of tho
United states. American capital will
tie forced TO apply Itself through
Japanese channels If il is to be APP
pied at all. Japan is compelling China
TO put the rights Of entry and develop
ment INTO Japanese hands. The open
door is being turned into a toIl-eatc
with Japan behind the wicket.
tier ends ARC not confined TO qucs-
tons OF cNpcdency alone She has
high ideals in the matter OF her des-
tiny. She believes that she Is the
chosen mediator between East and
west Alone among Eastern nations
she has assimilated Western culture
ana western civilization without, for a.
moment. losing her Oriental individual
ny. She was the first Of Eastern ma
lions TO vanqush a Western foe. Her
blows at Russia pu, II now complexion
on the relation of half the world to
the other half. They destroyed at one
stroke the old belief i'm the innate
superiority of the Occidental. Japan
gained new status for every Oriental
and for herself the place Of leader and
representative of the Oricnt--and she
gained 1t by force.
Thcro is the matter Of Japan's ma
tional pride to be considered Theo-
rctically at least. and to very large
extent practically. the individual jap
anese puts the glory Of the empire and
the semidivne Emperor above all per
sonal considerations Of profit or we'll
being, even above his life. Such a
people can i'll swallow arbitrary dis
tinctions drawn against them by other
nations. especially distinctions which
cast an imputation of infcriority. The
Japanese are kccnly alive to this as
pcct OF the situation. They have be-
gun to tell us that the time has come
FOR US to stop declaring how much we
admire them. and do something to
prove it, They have given form Tn
in violent press campaign directed
against us that has filled tho nation
with hostility to America
Japanese statesmen have never for
moment lost sight OF tho opposition
thoy may meet from the United States
in dominating China and In cmiEratinr
across the Pacific. They arc preparing
to meet that opposition. No other
possible object can be found for ia
pans great military and naval pro.
gram.
Japan has learned tho lesson OF MOD
erm diplomacy. She has seen tho law
demonstrated to perfection I'm tho last
few years OF her own history-that the
weight of diplomatic utteranca. nnd l