The daily times., 1921-07-16
jAPAN'S WARINESS
HELD RESPONSIBLE
FOR HER ATTITUDE
COUNTRY STANDS PAT
The Nation Would Not Re-
open Questions Which She
Considers Closed, However
it Will be Eventually Recog-
nized that Japan Cannot
Stand in the Way of Peace.
(By David Lawrence) .

(By David Lawrence).
Copyright, 1921, by Daily Times) =.
Washington, D. c., July 15.-
iJapan's hesitancy to accept unreserv-
edly Americas invitation to discuss
Far Eastern problems is thoroughly
understood here though, of course,
officially nothing is said about it.
Briefly, japan does not wish to re-
open questions which she considers
closed. Eventually Japan will consent
to discussion of some Far Eastern
questions, but just now she is par
ticularly anxious to know what the
scope of the Washington conference
will be. 1t is the usual Japanese eau
tion whenever the Far East is men
toned in a conference of powers. The
same wariness was exhibited by the
Japanese at the Versailles confer
ence. 1t is a matter of record that
the Japanese were most careful not
to commit themselves at Paris ON
anything that seemed to limit Japan s
opportunity to dominate the Far East.
The Versailles treaty granted to Jap
an certain privileges in the Pacific
which they are unwilling to surren-
der, and 1T is we'll known that Japan
has felt sensitive about the criticism
in the United States at the provision
in the peace treaty which gave Shan
tung to Japan.
Japan realizes that the United
States has not ratified the Versailles
treaty and is, therefore, in a posi-
tion 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 notification
that Japanese-Chinese controversies
would be aired, in an effort to estab-
lish peace in the Far East, and to re-
move possible reasons for military or
naval Intervention in the future on
the part of European and American
to have China sit in an international
conference which would give China a
chance to reopen matters which JAP
VsM holds as settled.
Another thing that is worrying the
Japanese is whether the Washington
conference will make an agreement
/, that will supercede existing under
standings. Japan, for example, feels
I -Lo TO; ~,
from the Lansing-Ishii agreement
which, while not specifically repudi
lated by the Harding administration
is not especially liked, and probably
Twill be treated as many of the act.
! on foreign policies of the Wilson ad
ministration has been-namely, viii
be ignored. The same is true of the
jAng1o-Japanese alliance, which has
!. not been renewed, although it con
tinues temporarily in effect. Will
the japanese find the Lansing-Ishi
agreement and the Anglo-Japanese
alliance set aside in favor of a new
convention, or will the new under
standing preserve Japanese suprem
acy in the Far East?
It is due largely to the inadequacJ
|of cable communication between
Japan and the United States that al
the circumstances surrounding the
call of the disarmament conference
have not yet been made plain in To
kio, but when the issues are finally
defined the foregoing fundamental
will be uppermost in the japanese
minds, no matter whether the Japan
ese delegates are empowered tt
come to Washington to discuss limi
tation of ornaments alone or Fal
Eastern questions as well. The pre-
lvailing view here is that the Japanes'
never will specifically refuse to dis
cuss Far Eastern questions, but viii
always reserve the right to restric
the scope of such a discussion purel.
i to its bearing on the armament prob
. lem. In other words, the folks II
CONTINUED on page 81