The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-07-16

Especial Dispatch to The Reformer.)
Copyright 1921.
WASHINGTON, July 16.-Japan's
hesitancy to accept unreservedly America 5
invitation to discuss Far-Eastern prob
lens is thoroughly understood here,
though, of course, officially nothing is
said about it.
Briefly, Japan does not wish to reopen
questions which she considers closed, and
eventually Japan will consent to a dis
cussion of some Far Eastern questions,
but just now she is particularly anxious
to know what the scope of the Washing
ton conference will be. 1t Is the usual
japanese caution whenever the Far East
| is mentioned in conference of powers.
The same wariness was exhibited by the
japanese at the Versailles conference. 1t
is a matter of record that the Japanese
were most careful not to commit them
selves at Paris on anything that seemed
to limit JapanS opportunity sto dominate
the Far East. The Versailles treaty
granted to Japan certain privileges in the
Pacific which they are unwilling to sur
render. and it is well known that Japan
has felt sensitive about the criticism in
the United States at the provision in the
peace treaty which gave Shantung to
Japan.
Free TO Suggest Any Question.
Japan realizes that the United States
has not ratified the Versailles treaty and
| is. therefore, in a position to bring up any
questions in the Far East, including
Japan's relations to China. The thought
| that President Harding invited China to
| sit in the conference was in itself notI-
| fication that Japanese-C Chinese controver-
! sizes would be aired, in an effort to estab-
possible reasons for military or naval in
| Prevention i'm the future on the part of
European and American powers. Japan
NATURALLY does not ike to have China sit
| in an international conference which
would give China a chance to reopen mat
4 ters which Japan holds az settled.
Another thing that is worrying the
Japanese is whether the conference will
Fmake- an agreement that will superSede
existing understandings. Japan. for ex-
ample. feels that she has derived certain
benefits from the Lansing Ishii agreement
which, while not specifically repudiated
/ by the Harding administrations is not eS-
pecially liked, and probably will be
treated as many of the. acts on foreign
lpolicies of the Wilson administration has
Ebeen-namely. will be ignored. The
same is true of the Anglo-JapaneSe alli-
! ahce which has not been renewed. al
Though it continues temporarily in effect.
FNill the Japanese find the Lansing Ishii
Il greement and the Anglo-Japanese alliance
| set aside in favor of Il new convention.
or will the new understanding preserve
Japanese supremacy in the Far East
Will Reserve Certain Questions.
i 1t is due largely to the inadeeuacy Of
cable communication between Japan and
the United States that all the circum-
stances surrounding the call of the dis
armament conference have not yet been
lmade plain in Toxic, but when the issues
fare finally defined the foregoing funda-
mcntalS will be uppermost in the Japan
csc minds. no matter whether the Japan
csc delegates are empowered to come to
4 Washington to dicuSS limitation of arm
aments alone or Far Eastern questions as
well. The prevailing view here il that
the japanese never will specifically refuse
to discuss Far-EaStern questions. but
will always reserve the right to restrict
the scope of such discussion purely TO
its bearing on the armament problcm
In other words. the folks in Washington
haven't any doubt that the japanese will
ultimately come into the conference on
the same terms as the other powers. but
that the Japanese government will hest
il tate to permit Japanese public opinion to
II believe that Japan enters such a confer
ence ready to open up matters that are
fcOnsidered by the japanese to be con-
~ iudSu' IN par tlcuiar' no JapaneSe caDi-
met could survive which proclaimed it
self ready to open up with China the mat
ters covered in the famous Twenty-one
Demands.
Some Of the Problems.
II There are many problems pending be-
tween the United States and Japan. such
as the charge of the japanese that the
/! people of California discriminate against
the japanese race. The British domin-
ions. including Canada. Australia and
New Zealand. have the same race problem
to solve as California. The influence of
the japanese immigrant has been so
/, plainly denounced by the English speak
!, ing peoples living on the shores of the
----------------------------
II