The Washington herald., 1919-03-30
By JOHN LLOYD BAIpERsToN.
Copyright, 1919. by The Mcclure Newspaper

By JOHN LLOYD BAIDERsTON.
Copyright, 1919. by The Mcclure Newspaper
Syndicatel
: Paris, March u.-Silent, mysterious,
suave. the emissaries of Japan sue
ceeded in getting themselves ana
their country lees talked about than
any other delegates or nation taking
part in the great conference. The Japs
are playing the publicity game to the
limit-with reverse English. They have
studied hard and learned all there is
to know about ne art Of the press
agent-and they copper every one OF
his tricks.
From what / believe to be q sure
source, from a source certainly as well
informed as any in Paris, have OBJ
tained an outline of the policy and
aims of the Japanese government in
the world settlement. With Oriental
circumlocution and evasion, the Mika-
dos Statesmen have succeeded in be-
fuddling the Western minds of their
confreres. This Is not because there
is anything sinister or disloyal about
the Japanese program. 1t is because
a Western mind, when II wants some
thing, proceeds towards its aim in a
more or less direct line, while the
Oriental mind starts of in the oppo-
site direction from its goal, then
swerves of on a tangent and gen.
orally arrives in the end not by the
straight road but by some devious
path leading in from another point of
the compass.
Follow Eastern Precedent.
East is not West, and 1t is not up to
h. fn rt-ft, ,Nt1 60 MI
macy. but to try to understand It.
Straightforward Western terms what
the Japanese are driving at
Following Eastern precedent, the
Japanese are unostentatiously pro-
ceeding in the direction opposed to
their destination. They are quietly
creating the impression that they are
enormously interested in the immigra-
ton question. Japan's adherence to
the league Of nations, her ratification
of the treaty. is, 1t is intmated, con-
tingent upon the United States with
drawing the bar against the introduc-
ton of japanese labor to the Pacific
Coast. Americans at home are being
skillfully encouraged. by Ambassador
Ishii and other propagandists, to
wonder whether Toxic will not be
able to make trouble for Washington
on the immigration issue on the basis
of the league covenant even as II at
present exists.
So the Jap fixes his eyes on the Pa
cific coast. but II is behind his back
that the Westerner should look to find
the real center of interest for Nippon.
Japan is saying little about Siberia.
Manchurfa, China. But these are her
war aims. and to the present Toxic
government the immigration contro-
versy with the United States is pure
camoufiage. Japan does not expect
and does not care for victory over
America in this old argument.
Japanese Policy Reversed.
Her whole policy has been re-
versed by the war. What Japan
hopes to carry home from Paris is
a virtual recognition of a Monroe
Doctrine of the East. Just as the
United States when it laid down the
Monroe formula recognized Euro
pean claims already staked out in
the Western Hemisphere, such as
British Honduras and Spanish Cuba,
so Japan will now not quarrel with
= - American possession of the Phil
ippines or the British occupation of
Hong Kong.
But. from the year 1919 onwards,
no Western power must seek to in
crease its holdings in the East. And.
it is not too much to infer. John
Hays policy of the open door in
China must gradually under the