Republican farmer., 1919-09-26
JAPAN MUST HAVE OUTLET FOR HER
 SURPLUS PEOPLE
Population Increases At Rate of 6OO,00O a
 Year.

i London, Sept. 17.-In England or | in America any discussion as to the l future development of Japan seems | inevitably, sooner or later, to turn
 to the racial question. or, rather. to one isolated phrase of that question. When the race problem is refererd to in connection with Japan. it is
 almost invariably simply the Labor, problem that is meant. This phrase is merely what we regard as an es- sential portion of the matter.
 The population of Japan is increas-
 ing at the rate of 6OO,OOO year, and, l as the country is already overcrowded 1 it is obvious that we must obtain some outlet for our surplus popula-
 tion As a nation, however, we have | absolutely no desire to interfere in | the domestic politics of any other
 country. We would fierCely resent any imputation of race inferiority but live frankly recognize that every 1 country has a perfect right to order 1 its own affairs in it's own way. If l organized labor in America objects l to the Japanese working in their country, we do not feel we have any | cause for complaint. We do contend, however, that, apart from displacing labor we have the right to develop
 our future in our own way. So far as I know, no serious proposal has ever been made that the Japanese should be excluded from any cOun-
 try simply because they were Japan csc That would be quite a different
 matter. The whole question has been
 confused by confounding the side line
 of labor with the fundamental prin-
 ciple of race equality.
 Colonies Not Wanted.
 We Japanese do not wish to inter- : fere with Capital and Labor in any
 country. We have had our own la
 bor troubles and our food difficult
 ties in Japan, just as you had in Eng
 land, as the recent race riots showed.
 On broad lines. I take it. American
 capitalists desire to employ Japanese labor, while American labor is de- 1 termined that it shall not do so, and
 for the present the latter view has ltriumphed.
 Luckily for us the problem of ex-
 pansiOn is not an immediate one.
 Korea and Formosa are both thinly populated, and a great work of devel-
 opment lies to our hand there. This
 task will absorb our energies for some considerable time to come.
 | Japan does not particularly want , more colonies We recognize that
 all the availab territory has already , been taken up. What we do desire , however, is to be regarded as equal i competitors in the markets of the world, and it is because of this that emphasize the difference between
 the general racial problem and the mere side line of cheap labor.
 ) Reverting to the labor aspect again for a moment, I am convinced that great fields of activity are open to
 us, where there is no possibility ot , clashing with local prejudices. The ] value of labor is stadily being recog- nized. When South America comes l to be really opened up, there will bt $ an enormous demand for our men. . Great industrial development has 7 taken place in Japan during the war 3 and wages have risen very materially
 though not to the extent as in Eng - land. Since the armistice some de l pression has taken place, but thi! : is only a temporary phase, and wheI ! conditions become settled again oul 7 industrial prosperity will continue or a scale undreamed of before the war
 
 r couse, will our powers of absorbing I our own surplus population. Poliu 8 caIly, events have been moving verl
 rapidly in Japan. Already there f. = a very wide movement for universa n l suffrage. On theoretical ground. 9 this innovation receives a large meas ] ure of support, but. personally, I d. e not think the time is yet ripe foI l 1 such a move. As it is our suffrag' k which is based on a property basis ] has recently been greatly widened D Our upper house has a majority O s hereditary noblemen, but, in addition
 is a certain number of scientists, au a thors, and civil servants to 1t on tn . nomination of the Crown
 , The Democratic Movement.
 The democratic movement is mak
 ing rapid progress, but I do not thinl f that Socialism, as the term is under
 | stood in Europe, will ever make head
 way with us, through some adaptation . of the system to meet Oriental re . quirements might prove popular.
 The decisions come to by the Peac G Conference are generally acceptabI . | to Japanese ideals and ambitions ' The solution of the Kaio-Chau prob o lem, in particular, is very satisfac = tory. Our future development mus n of necessity, be very closely associa . ted with that of China, and it is ou - sincere desire to establish amicabl
 relations, based on a mutual under . standing, with that country.
 + In conclusion, I would say that tn
 future of Japan should lie in coop , eration with the nations which hav . been her Allies to the common de = velopment and advantage of all con = cerned, and not in any narrow at = tempt at segregated advantage CT ra '. cial advancement.