The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1921-11-13
Disarmament Conference
Problems Should Not Be
Difficult Says Shidehara

to attack your country without bring
ing grave distress upon itself. For
more than 100 years you have lived
without hostile foreign soldier
within your borders, and today no
nation In Europe would dare attack
you even if any had the win to do so.
Yet Europe is only 1900 miles away
while Japan is twice as far.
But the baiters of Japan are not
content with that argument They
declare that Japan could take the
Philippine Islands. In the same cate
CORY they would include Hongkong
and the extensive British possessions
in East Asia, and also French Indo-
China and other European possess
sions of western nations could be
considered by Japan a far greater
menace to her than she is to them.
Japan, however is confident that no
western nation has any designs upon
her independence.
These facts, though, do not end
the argument against Japan Her
persistent detractors. in their pro-
cess of 'pfling on the agony inform
their hearers and readers of the plan
of militarist Japan to take control
of China and organize that country's
millions into yellow Peril The
phrase was first launched by the
Kaiser Wilhelm and was used subse-
quently in the United States by his
agents in an effort to distract Amer
lean attention from the war in Eu
rope. No one realized more clearly
than the Japanese themselves that
such project is utterly unattainable.
Not Seeking War
I'm the first place, we Japanese
should come in conflict with the sew
eral European nations that hold es-
tablished positions in China We
should then be required to dominate,
control, and ultimately organize the
Chinese. This would be an achieve
ment such as no country has yet been
or will ever be able to accomplish.
Human nature isn't that way sub
ject race is generally a greater bur
den than help in time of war: and ia
pan is not looking for war Japan
needs peace, is willing to pay price
for peace, and believes that price win
be not only morally but profitaly
paid.
But from China we Japanese be-
lieve we have a right to ask the
privileges of equal opportunity and
the open door. We are not so richly
endowed as America with wealth,
territory. and raw materials. Here
you have everything You are self
sustaining. But we are like the
British Isles We have a population,
approximately of 10000, 900, with ter
ritory the size of one of your medium
sized states. Our supplies of raw ma
terials must come from abroad, and
the markets for the goods we manu-
facture must likewise be foreign
countries Without supplies from
over the seas and without markets at
the ends of our steamship lines. we
cannot live The neighboring unde-
veloped Asiatic mainland has an
abundance of the necessary raw ma
terials and also affords an important
market We desire the rights and
privileges Of trading on this MAIN
land on equal terms with any nation,
near or remote; and In turn, we are
willing that any other nation shall
enjoy, in fair competition, equal
rights with ourselves. There Is trade
for all in these vast territories, more
extensive and probably as richly en-
dowed as the United States
But here is an interesting point:
To the United States the materials
and trade of the Asiatic mainland are
only source of added wealth, while
to Japan they are a necessity of ex-
istence. We ask only an application
of the policy of live and let live.
Would Benefit East Asia
ut is contended by the relentless
opponents of Japan that in develop
ing East Asian resources we should
deprive the continental people of
what is rightfully and exclusively
theirs. The reverse is the truth: we
should benefit them. The Japanese
would be superhuman beings if
among them there were no traders
who tried to exploit the native peo-
pie. There are always in backward
countries foreigners who seek only
their own selfish ends. and these for
eigners are not only Japanese In
seeking their own advantage western
have often been able to
teach the Japanese tricks. But on the
whole the continental people, now
generally poor and unfortunate, are
greatly benefited by any Develop
ment of agriculture or mining, any
of railways or organ
lzation of steamship lines that more
progressive people undertake.
In what condition, for instance,
would China be today without the
enterprise of European and Japanese