New-York tribune., 1918-01-27
Will Japan Send Army
To Fight for Entente?
Europe Answers That Every Nation Not PLEDGED
to the Prussian Military Ideal Should Battle
Against 1t lt-Nippon Has Helped With Her
Navy and by Loans to Russia and Franc.
By Herbert Fitch

BY Elerl
.,ss-.snt leis hv Tie tribune Association,
Nara. Japcn.
~UouLD Japan send millions OF
n,en to Europe" The Western
~ answer Is emphatically "Ycs."
,,pss, like every other great nation
"a. piedged to the Prussian ideal.
should send her picked men to the
western front and should employ her
rssourccs to make the world safe for
democracy
BIT what has Japan to do with de-
s,ocracy. Under the almost auto
cratic rule Of her elder statesmen, the
eenso ste has made astounding prog
ress since her Emperor graciously gave
h;s subjects their very limited consti~
.u.ion in 1889. He retained most Of the
rights to which any true impcrator is
entitled, including the ancient privi-
lego OF sending Parliament home and
proceeding to make his own laws when
ever be and his statesmen might have
cause 10 fear opposition tendencies.
Why should Japan, then, wish to help
10 make the world safe for democracy .
10 US Western people it appears that
there are fully as many reasons why
she should throw her wonderful army
into the balance as why America
should have done so: and we are apt
to think that she should also supply
great credits to the Allies, as we have
done. We cannot understand how she
can see her duty except as we see it.
It seems too plain for CONTROVERSY
No matter how convincing our argu-
rlents may seem, | am quite sure that
Western nations can hardly expect to
control the vital policies of a great
Eastern nation which is quite as in
dependent IS we are. Too many people,
seeing affairs solely from their own
passionate standpoint, attempted not so
long ago to regulate our course in doal-
ing with the depredations Of the
Hun-yet we went our scdatc way, and
finally made the great decision in our
own American manner
Understanding
Japan Viewpoint
Japan also can be depended on to do
what is right according to her own
independent interpretations
To understand Japan's view of her
LOT TO
var We must first realize what few
Of US may have forgotten, namely, that
The islands Of Japan lie, roughly speak
ing. half way around the earth from the
conflict on the Western front
Toxic and Gibraltar are in about the
same latitude. Now, I wonder if we
Western people can imagine Parlia-
ment sitting at Gibraltar and voting to
send million or more men to japan
10 fight against any Oriental Huns
which might be threatening her from
the northwest. In the absence Of trea-
ties expressly agreeing to send our
armies VIC might dispatch cruisers at
once to help our Japanese allies: but
~e should. perhaps, decide that. after
sli' the Far Eastern imbroslio was not
o, our choosing, and that, because of
our remoteness, We had little to fear
from the Eastern Hun, even if he
should chance to subdue Japan, which
would seem highly improbable. Fur
'hermore, we might conclude that,
should such an event transpire, it
~oui4 be better for US to have our
plckcd troops on guard at home. quite
ready for the world destroyer if he
dared to come our way.
II this hypothesis is tenable, it NAV
help us more dispassionately to con-
slder that the Japanese, in dealing with
'he subject of their duties as related
70 the European situation. ight rea-
'onaby follow their own ideals and
consult their own paramount interests,
as other nations have usually done.
Has Contributed
A Great Deal
80 far as / know, few have been so
rash as to claim that Japan has not
Hvcd up strictly to the letter OF her
agreements with every nation. Some
hhghshmen resident in Japan say
mat she has done much more. She
mas contributed to great degree the
naval force which has kept the Pacific
and even the Indian Ocean-opcn to
'ranlc. She is reported to haze fur
h'shed important munitions TO the
Allies; to have subscribed fully 12O,-
VVV,V00 yen to Russia, 100, 100000 yen
TO Great Britain and 5o,o00,0oo yen to
France, and to have made large pur-
enases Of Allied bonds through her
banks. Her naval service in the
Nedlterranean are understood to have
pecn Of great help at the time it was
most needed The extent Of her sacri-
hccs will probably be fully known only
dfIcr the war.
recently. in the Orient, have heard
many covert remarks deroeatory to the
amy Of Japan. Those who gave voice
10 The aspersioAs are the very ones
VINO ought to know better. Therefore,
'uage that there may have been an
e'ement OF spite behind the talk-quite
uncOnsclouSly | assume A Euroncan