New-York tribune., 1919-07-30
When Japan Enters
Her Methods of Penetration in the Philippines

established the fine hacienda of cocoanuts
and hemp at Talomo. His subsequent
operations involved many of the natural
resources of the Philippines. One of the
most notable was his cultivation of the
pearl-producing oyster, utilizing the dis
covery of scientist fellow countryman
OF method of forcing the oyster to pro-
duce pearls.
In Pearl Fishing
"At the time Of his death the corpora
tion over which Mr., Ohta presided oper-
ated one Of the most modern and extern
sive pearl fleets in Philippine waters,
fishing on all the pearl fields of the ISL
ands in addition to it's owr leased waters
and shore area, where its cultivated oys-
ters were produced.
The method of Japanese penetration by
means of bringing in Japanese labor is thus
described by "The Philippines" of Octo-
Der, 1918:
To-day, Filipino and American capital
is being kept out of the most fertile re-
gions of the undeveoped domain of the
islands by lack of sufficient labor in those
regions to operate on paying scale in the
cultivation of abaca rubber, copra, sugar
and tobacco; while japanese capital, as in
Davao, for example, is coming in rapidly
and taking possession of the most fertile
tracts, because this japanese capital is
allowed to bring with it Japanese labor
without restraint of any kind"
Fihpinos themselves recognize the aggres-
sive nature of Japanese financial penetration
compared to that of Americans. "The Philip
pines" of February, 1918, says editorially:
Aggressive Finance
"In spite Of this friendlness toward
American capital exhibited by Filipinos of
every class, the great productive industries
OF the Philippines are obliged to turn to
alien capital to q large extent for develop
ment. Within the last few months Jap
anese money has taken control of large
areas of sugar and copra lands in various
sections of the islands. For some time
the Japanese have been acquiring hemp
lands, but it is only recently that thew
have turned their attention to the copra
and sugar industries. The purchase within
the last few months of several cocoanut
plantations by Japanese capitalists and
the taking over OF the Calamba sugar es-
tate for ST 100000 by group of Japanese
indicate that the shrewd business men of
Japan appreciate more keenly than do
Americans the value of getting control of
the staple commodities of modern COM
merce at the point of production
An interesting view of Japanese penetra-
tion is that of Maximo M. Kaaw, secretary
of the Philippine Mission to the United
States. Writing in September 1918, Mr..
Kalaw said:
Cup to the passage of the Jones act lin
1916 there was practically no Japanese
emigration to the Philippines, and Japanese
Interests were negligible.
"The Philippines were included under the
so-called gentlemen's agreement by means
of which the Japanese government promised
to prohibit emigration to American terri
tories. That was the solution to the Jap
anese emigration problem in America In
the Philippines the Japanese adhered faith
fully to the agreement. Up to 1915 there
was practically no Japanese emigration to
the islands.
That Centlenen's agreement
an that year only 993 were admitted 724
other Japanese Departed leaving only an
addition of 259 Japanese. But in 1916 or
thereabouts an alteration must have been
made to the gentlemen's agreement, for in
that year fully 1,574 Japanese were admit
ted, while in 1917 the number of admis-
sions given by the Bureau of Customs
swelled to 3,7S9. Likewise, We see almost
every day the establishment of Japanese in
terests in the islands, an example of which
is the acquisition of the Calamba estate by
a Japanese concern.
WAS the gentlemen's agreement or any
other unde e~standing with Japan altered to
mean that, inasmuch as the Philippines are
to be independent, America would no longer
put any restrictions to Japanese activities
in the islands? If there was such an al
teration, what was it?