The Washington herald., 1921-04-12
japanese Relations.


j ments the United States faces is that of the
Far East-China and Japan. This centers
IN, or hangs on, the relations with Japan China is
involved only on the side Of commerce. inve esn1ent
and that inherent American altrusm which makes
Tins people take the part of the underdog.
There would seem to be Just two policies, very
distinct from each other. which this country may
follow as to Japan A recent issue of the Japanese
Advertiser, an American paper published in Tokyo,
has a very complete statement to the Japanese
navy 1t shows that if the United States rests upon
It's present naval program without authorizing fur
ther expansion the Japanese navy will equal ours in
1923
.,r~. Not only this, but the navy of Japan will be
better balanced and probably a more efficient ma
chine 1t, also, will have the advantage of nearness
to the Philippines, whose quick conquest would
force the naval war to be fought close the Jap
anese, and far from the American base
. This points to one horn of the dilemma. The
United States if it will, expand its naval pro-
gram to double the Japanese navy and that pro-
portion would be needed for safety. Nothing less
would be sufficient under the conditions Our re-
sources and wealth make this possible and the con-
troll by the mailed fist within reach, while bank
rupting Japan if she persists in naval rivalry.
But this way seems that of international insanity
There is the other broader-visioned friendly frank
policy which would seem far more American. This
IS to consider Japans natural handicaps her ambi-
tons, her needs and the character of her people
who with all their faults, as Joseph L. Nc
SPanen, who for years has lived in that country
and m recent interesting article says: an short
the Japanese in their elemental qualities are simply
.shuman-neither better nor worse than the rest Of
us. Their differences racial and temperamenta
I They mixed race. From the original
Anu stock come the straightforward, hne-formed
examples found mixed with Mongolian and Malay
( stock. They are whole excessively egotistic,
secretive and suspicious, but with motives and OBJ
!. jectons quite the of other peoples. Over
\ 100000 Of them confined in small quite
sterile, hsrd-feaured country lacking in tllabe soil
and in such raw materials iron and other metals
cotton and wool
e By their training their history, their natural
virile aggressive, ambitious qualities they are mill
tarists. Their governmental control has been OF
that character. They are but generation from the
Quite primitive. They have had rapid industrial
and wealth expansion. Their country is so packed
. that it must spill over somewhere. The economic
needs are such that they must find resources in raw
materials somewhere.
/; Why should not the United States recognize
both condition and situation? Why not in its re-
lations to Japan try get the Japanese viewpoint
and cooperate sympathetically and by wise dscre-
tion in the fulhllment of its economic needs
Americans will not have them as citizens and CO.
residents. That is fixed fact. But this is big
world and there is plenty of room left on the
Asiatic mainland
There is a rapidly growing Japanese opinion
Nhiehs.is breaking away from militaristic control
II -Ss evidenced in several Japanese newspapers.
VIZ mot encourage and work with this element
wlfirff rebels at Japanese methods in Korea, China
and Siberia2 Japan more needs political control
for her spillways and for economic expansion than
does the Limited States Unhappily she has rather
followed the example. without its wiser method of
EUROPEAN countries.
Bun the United States does not have to be the
saviour of all other peoples, nor their regulator and
mentor. On the other hand, this government en-
tangled the world over by its buttinski nature
and by the inevitable of economies, can have a
great influence in guidance for humane methods for
justice in all international relations, in fair play and
the square deal Why not try this policy, instead
OF the mailed fist and naval rivalry with Japan