The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1916-11-18
ANGL0-JAPANESE
ALLIANCE

In the present world war, as during
the preceding decade, the Anglo-Jap.
! anese alliance has proved to be of
i mutual advantage to the high con-
tracing parties. Will it survive the
great upheaval which is shaking Eu-
rope to it's foundation? With Kiau.
chow restored to Chinese sovereignty,
and with Russia becoming more and
more friendly towards Japan, has the
raison d-etre of the Apglo-Japanese
alliance ceased to exist? In a word,
what will be the future of the alliance?
That the future of the Anglo-Jap-
anese alliance depends largely upon
Russia's attitude after the war seems
inevitable. If, at the peace confer
ence that is to follow the war, Russia
is given what she has been coveting,
she will continue to be friendly with
Great Britain and will keep Germany
at arms length. In that case there
is no reason why Japan would not
renew the alliance with England,
though perhaps in more or less modi
| fed form. She has already entered
into an entente cordiale with Russia.
BY renewing the. alliance with Eng
land, she will become a party to a
triangular combination and thus Sc
cure herself against the improbable
revenge of Germany. England, too,
| will be anxious to participate in such
a combination, for she knows that
| she will have to bear the brunt of
Germany's bitterest enmity for many
years after the war.
If, on the other hand, Russia is dis.
satisfied with the outcome of the peace
| parley, and shows herself inclined to
be reconciled with Germany, Japan
will of necessity hesitate to continue
the alliance with England on the same
| basis as hitherto. For it is fore
gone conclusion that Japan will avoid,
if she can possibly do so, another dis
| astrous war with Russia, knowing that
her resources are too limited to cope
with Russia's potential power. Japan's
| present relationship with Russia is
one of entente cordiale. and not
one of alliance, in it's present form,
provides no mutual obligations of
the high contracting parties to
! extend armed assistance to each
other. On the contrary, the Anglo
Japanese alliance, in it's present form,
obliges either high contracting party
to render armed assistance to the 9TH
er in case either is involved in war,
defending its territorial or special in
terests mentioned in the treaty.
Should Russia and England cease to-
be friends as the result of the peace
conference and eventually become in
volved in war, into which Germany
| might easily be drawn as Russia's
ally, England, upon the strength of
the present alliance, would oblige ia
pan to open hostilities against Rus
STA and Germany. The instinct of self
| avoid such a disastrous course.
1t is not unthinkable that Downing
| Street views with some little uneasi-
| ness the growing friendship between
Toxic and Petrograd. 1t is rumored
that soon after the fall of Tsingtao,
Marquis Yamagata, dean of the "elder
statesmen" of Japan, expressed him
self in favor of entering into an ALI
ance with Russia. His idea in urging
such an alliance was, of course, to
prepare against Germany's possible re-
venge. He entertained no thought of
superseding the Anglo.Japanese alli-
ance with Russia. In official circles,
however, it was feared that Great
Britain would be by no means pleased
If Japan were to take steps towards
the conclusion of an alliance with Rus
STA. This was undoubtedly the cir
cumstance which caused much delay
in the contamination of the new con.
vention with Russia, which was to
have been signed almost year before.
Count (now Marquis) Okuma. in a
statement for the press, made it plain
that the delay was due to the nego-
tiation which had to be conducted with
the British government
There is no room to doubt that ia
pan has been fastidiously considerate
of the susceptibilities of the British
government-so much so, indeed, that
a Toxic newspaper sarcastically quer-
les if Japan's foreign department is
on Downing Street. Yet the alliance
terminates in 1921. Will it be re-
newed or will the two Powers have
come to the parting of the ways? The
key is in Russia's hands. 1t does not
take a prophet to foresee that Russias
attitude and disposition will be the
determining factor in the realignment
of the Powers in the Far East-Jap.
anese American News. i.
IS .:IRELAND
- M. ~