Evening star., 1917-01-21
Understand Japan But Little.

Understand Japan But Little.
'there Is one thing for which the
American people are crying insistently
with their wonted impatience and ear
nestness. It Is a frank. comprehensive
and clean-cut statement of Japan's at
titude toward the United States. That
statement must come from your ex-
cellency to do any good. for it must
come from the very highest authority"
To-day America understands Japan
but little. She Is too busily engaged
with her ever-multitudinous affairs to
seriously study our aspirations or In
vestfgate the tangled affairs Of tho far
east. She does the most natural thing
under the circumstances: she suspects
Japan In her activities and in her pro-
testations.
"On what particular benighted points.
for example?" asked the ambassador.
quietly.
"There is our Terauchi cabinet.
which has just come to power" said !.
anything at all about 1t think that it
IL q militant cabinet-in a more or less
striking contrast with the Okuma
regime. Why? For no other earthly
taan anas eIa AMER
cans are afraid that his foreign policy
especially toward the United States
and toward Chfna-is OF the mailed fist
and hts general attitude a chip-on-the-
shoulder type"
One Of Fundamental Tenets.
ITO maintain the relations of utmost
friendliness and amity with the United
States" said the ambassador. slowly.
"fs not a mere incident or a matter of
epediency with the foreign policy of
Japan. It is one Of its fundamental
tenets. It is one OF the foundation
rocks upon which the whole structure
Of our diplomacy stands. It does not
change-it cannot change-because one
cabinet goes out of power or every time
a new ambassador takes the place OF
his predecessor"
american people have heard so much
Of late, your excellency. that war be-
tween the United States and Japan Is
inevitable-that it is a mere question
of time"
The ambassador must have heard Of
this before. from the way he smiled
GAS far as I know" said the ambas-
sador, America has never fought ia
pan. AS far as am aware. there never
was between America and japan 1rou-
to the friendly relations between the
two countries. History. I believe. VIII
say the same. II you were to ask IT.
The sky is clear and fair at present,
and the future. as far as peer into 1t,
holds nothing SO black and threaten
ing. Oh, well. trouble-makers We have
always with us. It is important that
the people both here and in japan
should guard themselves against the
clamors of sensation mongers."
Immigration Question Settled.
But, your excellency. there is the
Immigration question"
'.The governments Of both Japan and
the United States are dealing with the
question Of the Japanese immigration
into the United States with utmost sin
cerity and candor. Every phase of the
question has been treated with care
and serious consideration. From the
immigration bill before Congress all
the discriminatory provisions against
Japan and the Japanese have been re.
moved now. I have not the slightest
hesitation whatever to say, therefore,
that the immigration question as
living diplomatic issue has been set
tied"
"If the Japanese immigration is set
tied and is now a matter of history,
there still remains the question of the
treatment the Japanese who are al
ready in the United States today are
receiving; Are they receiving the an,,t5st Just
clearly under treaty stipulations? Our
people in California do not seem to
think so. They seem to think that they
are discriminated against in many
things. There is that notorious alien
that the people Of California them
selves frankly admit that they are try
ing their best to discriminate against