The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1918-07-04
JAPANESE PERIL
Is GERMAN-MADE
DR.. YamamOto Pleads for Better
Understanding Between his,
Country and America

Japan cOHu4ierCidi lie uepeuuS
upon her friendly relations with
America, and war with this coun-
i try would result in Japan losing for
centuries her hard won place in the
worlds trade today" declared DIR. NJ.
T. Yamamoto at the Chautauqua Tues
day afternoon. DR.. Yamamoto is an
international political economist and
was one of the most earnest and en-
tertaining speakers at the Chautau-
qua. He made a strong plea for a
better understanding between his peo-
pie and the Americans and warned
against letting the jingoism of the
Hearst newspapers upset the common
sense and sober judgment of the peo-
| pie.
81 know it is hard for Americans
and Japanese to understand each
other, because our ways and manners
are different" Dr.. Yamamoto said.
eve have been separated for many
centuries and our friendship as ma
lions is only sixty-five years old. But
feel assured that we can understand
each other if we let our minds and
hearts meet and talk frankly about our
relations. / am glad that America
and Japan today are at least anxious
to understand each other.
Germany is the only country that
does not care to understand any other
country. Her heart is poisoned by
the wrong principle. We all under
stand that Americans are free to be
Americans; that Japanese are free to
be Japanese. If Germany says Ger
mans are free to be Germans, we can
understand her, but she doesn't. By
using her well-prepared army and her
navy she wants the whole world to be
Germanized. That is the thing we
cannot and must not let her do; we
must and will fight on until final vic
tory is ours and the kaiser is humbled
to his knees.
! Americas enemy is Japan's enemy;
our enemy is your enemy; we are fight
ing for the same cause. Any needless
fear and doubt which Americans and
Japanese entertain about each other
will help neither people. But it will
help Germany. In fact the story Of
the yellow peril and the Japanese
menace was originated by the kaiser
for the purpose of separating the two
friendly nations. The story of the yell
low peril was imported into America
and has been preached by yellow news
papers ever since the close of the Rus
so-Japanese war and has created a
bad atmosphere in regard to our re-
lations. This undesirable atmosphere
should be purified once for all, and
the two nations brought to better
understanding so that we will stand
united in hearts and purposes in this
stupendous war.
Germany is Germanizing Russia,
but she will not stop there. The Ger
man menace is spreading to the east,
to Japan and China and she is as much
menace there as she is to America.
IF the German activities become too
great, Japan may be forced to defend
herself, even by sending her army to
Siberia. But I assure you that even
in that case Japan will not take any
action that will grieve America or any
of her allies.
"In Russia today there are two
kinds of Russians-the real Russian
and the pro-German Russian. Japan
is interested in the true Russians who
stand for the allies just as much as
America is interested in them. My
country has stood for them and helped
them from the very beginning Of this
war, and she will continue to be their
friends. It is absurd to think Japan
will tread them down by sending her
army to the Russian territory. With
the prof. German Russians, we Japan
csc have no more sympathy than you
Americans have"
Speaking of the commercial rela-
tions between the two nations, DR..
Yamamoto said that both America
and Japan were much interested in
China. It is big country and full
of the needed natural wealth to supply
the worlds markets. Japan seeks to
establish trade relations with her sis
ter nation in order to sell her the
products of Japanese industry and to
buy from China the things needed in
Japan.
"The American and Japanese trade
today is steadily increasing, and more