The sun., 1919-08-03


born in Japan, educated there and in this
country, married an American lady resi-
dent in Illinois, and has devoted much of
his life as an author to the study and ex-
position of the international relations Of
his native land.
His new book, Japan and World Peace,
is his fourth work on international prob
lens concerning Japan. Its publication
just now is particularly seasouable in view
of the prominence which has been given to
the Shantung question in the Senate de-
bates over the Treaty of Versailles. The
reader viii hardly fail to appreciate that
there may possibly be two sides to that
question.
As to the authors loyal Americanism,
the dedication of the book leaves no doubt:
'To the memory of our beloved nephew,
Sergeant Alfred Kristoferson, who died
a heroic death in the battle Of the Argonne
Forest, October Is, 1913" These words
tell the story of the living as well as the
dead.
II.
It will be remembered that early In the
Paris conference Japan experienced a
humiliating rebuff In the abrupt rejection
of Baron Makino's proposal that the cove
nant of the League of Nations should con-
tain an article forbidding racial discrin-
ination in future international dealings.
This request, Mr.. Kawakami asserts, did
not proceed alone from the diplomatic
representatives of japan at the peace
table; it came from the Japanese people
themselves, who were stirred to believe
that it would receive American support by
their reading Of the eloquent utterances
of our President in favor of an equality Of
nations founded upon an equality of
rights"
"Only peace between equals can last"
had President Wilson said on April 2,
1917. "The equality of nations upon
which peace must be founded, if it is to
last, must be an equality of rights; the
guarantees exchanged must neither reeog-
nize nor imply a difference between big
nations and small, between those that are
powerful and those that are weak" When
the American apostle of freedom who had
spoken thus and thereby acquired the con-
idence of the Japanese people suddenly
turned deaf ear to their prayer at Paris
for racial equality, no wonder the people
of Japan were deeply disappointed.
According to Mr.. Kawakami, however,
the japanese ENJOYS were not surprised
Notwithstanding the broad spirit of hui
manitarianism that characterized the Pres
ident,s public addresses on so many &C.
casions, they did not accept his utterances
at their face value. "However cogent and
convincing the reasons might be In favor
of the proposal, the japanese leaders
could not but recognize that the people Of
those great western countries who had
long Disseminated against the Asiatic
races had not undergone a change Of
heart. On the contrary, they saw that
even the baptism of blood and fire, from
which the world had Just emerged, failed
to consecrate mankind to the ideals Of hu-
mainly and universal brotherhood"
They felt that they must needs submit,
though with lessened confidence in the use
fulness Of league (which refuses to ac-
cept the obviously just principle that no
race in the league shall be Disseminated
against in any of the countries bound by
the covenant" The ENJOYS Of Japan
tacitly abandoned their request for a
declaration against racial discrimination,
and turned their attention to the adjust
ment of the territorial rights which Japan
acquired by the successful but costly cam
paign against the German military forces
in the Chinese port of Kiau-Chow and the
surrounding province of Shantung on the
western shore of the Yellow Sea.
III.