The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1923-10-31

prepared BY tho National Geographic 80
ciety. Washington. D. CO.
Japan's great catastrophe has servet
TO turn more than ever the attention
Of the world to this country which
from a position of isolation In tn,
Asian seas, has emerged to become on,
Of the dominant factors In the Pacific
and world power overlapping In i'm
portance many Of the old powers o.
Europe.
This island empire might be termed
the narrower and less compact Britain
of the Far East. Like the British Isles
the Japanese islands form the fringe
Of a great continent; both were In the
hands of petty kings and grew into 9
centralized nation; both looked abroad
for expansion; and both have con.
ceived that their safety and future
prosperity depends largely on sea
power.
But there are differences as we'll as
likenesses between these two island
nations. Since she began to grow into
an empire Great Britain has absolute
ly turned her back on Europe In so
far as territorial acquisitions are con-
cerned, and has sent her colonists into
the remote parts Of the world. Japan,
on the other hand, has acquired large
blocks of the neighboring continent,
but has expanded somewhat in other
directions also. Great Britain has be-
come the headquarters Of a scat
tered, distant empire Japan has re-
manned so far the center of her en-
pire with her possessions drawn rela-
lively closely about her.
Though Japan had imperial ambi-
tions even In the early centuries, as
Indicated by the fact that she once
conquered Korea, and laid claim in
the Sixteenth century to Formosa and
even the Philippines, The national life,
when Commodore Perry opened COM
munications with the West in 1854,
was confined to the three main south
ern islands Of Japan proper and the
small islets near their shores Not I'M
til the seventies did the government be-
gin development Of Yezo, the big island
Both Russia and Japan claimed SAX
halin, the fifth and northernmost of the
large islands of the Japanese group,
and there were similar double claims
to the Kurile group, chain Of small
volcanic islands, comparable to the
Aleutians, which stretch from Yezo
northeastward to the tip of Kamchat-
ka. In 1875 Russia induced Japan to
take the Kuriles and relinquish all
claims to Sakhalin.
Beginning of Her Expansion.
These expansions to the north were
of little value, for the cold, bleak
northern lands have never appealed |
to Japanese colonists. Yezo is sparse |
ly settled, and the Kuriles have only a |
handful of inhabitants. Japan's next |
step was to the south. In 1879 she an
nexed the Lu-Chu archipelago, extend
ing from the southernmost of the large
Japanese islands southwestward for
700 miles to Formosa. China laid
claim to these small but pleasant and
populous islands, as she did to For
mOsa, but she finally consented to
Japan's annexing them.
Japan's victorious war with China
IN 1895 gave her immediate territorial
advantage and in addition greatly
heightened her prestige among the ma
ions. China ceded the island of For
nosa (now officially known as Taiwan)
with Its $4,000 square miles Of terri
DRY and it's 100000 inhabitants; and
he Chinese peninsula of Liaotung on
which battle-scarred Port Arthur Is
low situated; and acknowledged the
Of Korea. Russia,
france and Germany forced Japan to
elinquish the Liaotung peninsula, and
Russia later leased 1t from China but
he Russo-Japanese war placed it
sland empire now holds it under
t9-year lease. BY defeating Russia,
Tapan further extended her influence
10Th on the mainland of Asia and
mong the islands. She obtained pro-
ectorate over Korea, sphere of In
luence" in Manchuria, and the ces-
ion Of the southern half Of the island
f Sakhalin.
As q result Of the World war, Japan
las made further territorial advances
orth, east, south and west Her
phere of influence has included east {
I'm Siberia, she took over for time {
he German lease on Kiaochow in
Jhina, and by receiving mandate for (
he three archipelagoes Of former Ger
nan islands in the Pacific north Of the '
quator, she has Jared thousands of
niles eastward into the Pacific
The magnitude Of Japan's present In {