The New York herald., 1921-04-25
FIGHT TO CURTAIL
JAPAN'S ARMAMENT
Business Men Point Out DAN
gers of Present Strong Trend
Toward Militarism.

TOXIC, April -i.-lus movement
among business men in southern Japan
for armament curtailment, the strength
OF which Is understood to have created
perturbation in army and naval circles,
is also finding vigorous expression I'm
Toxic through the leadership OF Rihei
Hyuga, managing director Of the Orien-
tai Sugar Manufacturing Company
man OF progressive and liberal ideas
Mr. Hyuga has astonished the Jap
anese people by publishing paid ad-
vertisement in the leading metropolitan
dailies labelling militarism and exces-
sive armaments as Japan's greatest
folly. The letter is really an indict-
ment OF Prince Yamagata, head or the
military party, to whom il is addressed.
The writer contends that foreign preJu-
dice against Japanese is due to the be-
lief abroad that '1lidebound militarists
like you interfere with the affairs of the
nation" He continues:
IF you sincerely wish TO see yourself
loved and revered you should put aside
your sabre. IF Japan wishes to see her
self liked by other nations, the only way
is to cut down armaments." Mr. Hyuga
declared that the United States was de-
termined 10 reduce prices at home and
to promote exports, and that meant
serious menace to Japanese industry and
commerce Yet the Government had
taken no counter measures and was
strangling industry by expending the
national funds for battleships.
Mr. Hyuga like the former Minister.
Yukio Ozaki. and Sanji Muto the fore
most industrial leader of Osaka, is at
tracing national attention in the arna-
ment campaign, which is noticeably
gathering force. He has been twice TO
the United States and speaks English
easily.
What Japan needs Is fewer dread
noughts and more education" he said
to the correspondent. do you realize.
he went on, that SO per cent. OF the
boys who want to study in our middle
schools, wnich correspond TO your upper
grammar school grades. are unable 70
do so because there Is no room anu
that in the higher schools conditions are
even worse? How can Japan hope to
enter into commercial competition with
the people Of the West when her teem-
Ing new generations are not, and can
not be, sufficiently educated? This Is
so fundamental q truth that It is
scarcely worth dwelling upon. yet Japan
is ignoring it, hoping to succeed with
out the essential fundamentals.
DO you know why universal suf-
frage would not, perhaps. solve the
not educated up to the responsibilities
OF suffrage. And our elected Diet does
not represent the will of the people.
DO you know why in northern Japan
the disarmament campaign has aoc
gone forward so much as in the south?
II is because so many firms and indi-
viduals in and about Toxic depend for
their very existence upon the building
up of the Japanese navy which means
contracts to shipbuilders and dock
companies and profit to the thousand
and one interests which fatten on a
swollen navy and on increased arma-
ments generally.
To-day my young son wrote out the
following, which he calls ar appeal TO
the american children from Japanese
boy" and Mr.. Hyuga gave the corre-
spondent the following letter:
Il am glad to hear from papa you
now have a very good and kind Pres!-
dent Papa says your new President
can really do lots OF good things FOR
the world.
Before | saw the Polish orphans /
liked TO see big guns and battlsshipe
But when hundreds OF Polish children
came to Japan from Siberia went to
see them as they stayed in the Red
Cross Hospital near my house. They
looked very unhappy, tery thin and
dirty and had no boots and proper
clothes. OF course our people gave
them all things they wanted and they
are all right now.
Papa told me their fathers were
killed BY guns and battleships and that
their mothers died of sickness because
they had no doctors and medicine.
Since then L do not like guns and
battleships any more and / chucked all
my toy guns and tin gunboats away.
think you viii do the same il you Only
saw these Polish children yourself
Papa told me our people are build
ing very big battieships. | asked him
why they make them now that ;ne
Kaiser is no more. But here papa
cannot make me understand. Only he
says America started building them
and Japan must do the same. / think
this is very foolish, as the guns some
times 60 off by mistake and hurts lots
of people. Is 1t not better not to have
them built?
III you think just as | do. will YOU
ask all the boys OF your class if they
think the same way and IL they do.
viii you tell your mamma that YOU do
not want new battleships? Then your
mamma will talk to your President and
he will stop II all, and Japan will help.
too. and the whole world viii be ovely