Evening star., 1923-12-10
EAST is EAST
BY FRANK II. HEDGES

Warning by Japanese business men
against the anti-Japansse agitation
in China and their demand that the
Japanese government take firm and
drastic action toward this agitation,
which IS decidedly an act OF violence
and outrage" indicates that China
Is alternating the influence with Japan
that has consistently opposed the
policy that found expression in the
"twelty-one demands" The business
men and the militarist-bureaucra
OF Japan have long been at logger
heads as to Japan's policy IN the
Asiatic republic. Business has been
interested in winning China's friend
ship; militarism has been interested
In winning Chinas resources and
controlling ChIna's activities.
The struggle between business and
bureaucracy to control Japanese gov.
ernmental policy is not limited to
China. Business opposed, militarism
upheld. the, Siberian blunder. Busi-
ness finally succeeded in bringing
about the Withdrawal OF Japanese
troops from the Siberian mainland
and business is now endeavoring to
establish q workable basis for the
hetween Japan and the Russian ori-
ent. Business believes that Japan's
future lies in discarding dreams OF
conquest for the upbuilding OF the
LOT industrial and commercial devel-
opment in order to reach this goal.
The concrete foreign policies advo-
Gated by business in Japan take the
form of liberalism: the internal pol
icies are another matter, As con-
sequence, business finds that IL is
not fighting its battle alone. but has
on It's side the major part of the
Japanese press and the liberal wing
OF political thought.
Except Siberia, it has been with
regard to China that this conflict
between business and bureaucracy
has most often been visible to the
world at large. A study Of Japan's
relation with China, especially during
the past ten years, brings this out
yividly and dra nlatically. Often bu-
| reaucracy has won. as witness the
"Twenty-One Demands" and the oc-
cupation of the former German leased
territory in ShGntung province.
Again. business has been the victor,
but its victories have usually been
less spectacular. for they have con.
sisted of restraint behind the scenes,
or ability to prevent the ennuncia-
tion and enforcement of autocratic
measures. To date. bureaucracy has
controlled considerably more than
half Of the time when Japan dealt
with China, but its control has al
ways been contested. Disregarding
motives and looking at the results
produced, It will be seen that In
| possesses a friend.
Lack OF harmony between Japan
ana China is the result Of the "over-
| bearing attitude" Of Japan toward
to Baron keikichi 1simoto, one of the
liberal leaders of Toxic. "The Jap
anese. including business men," he
said on his return last year from
territorial ambitions Let
Japanese business men as individuals
go out and Cooperate with Chinese
business men in the development Of
the vast natural resources of China.
II they should fall hopeless indeed
relations with China. II Japanese
and Chinese business men cannot
work I'm harmony. the logical con-
clusion is that Japan and China are
/
China may not feel any keen need
for Japanese corporation, but as for
Japan---her very future is n1enaced If
she cannot work in cooperation with
China"
Baron Yoshiaki Fujimura until his
appointment to the house of peers in
1913 engaged In business in China
for many years. acknowledged that
the relations between Japan ana
China ARE now greatly strained, both
politically and nationally. On the
question Of how to improve these
strained relations I have talked much
with representative Chinese and for.
eigners, and in my opinion the peo.
pies Of both nations have been In the
wrong. AS far as Japan is concerned,
! ! make no hesitation in saying that
she has been In the wrong in con-
! Quoting her China policy. The funda-
| mental principle OF our national poll
icy toward China must have it's foun.
dalton on peaceful trade. On this we
Japanese are united. but in the man.
ner Of attaining this object Japanese
| administrators have adopted the mis-
taken policy of coercion and intimi.
dstion, and that" or blunt. ill.man.
| nered nilitarisrtn. instead Of a policy
| Of eonciiiation. cooperation and mu-
| tual heIpfuiness."
| One more quotation, and this from
! a man who has been the instrument
of the bureaucrats ia enforcing their
China policy, from Yukichi Obata,
Peking. hsince have been in
Peking" he said to me two years ago,
my guiding principle has been to
4 h,,iI es1 ia
. with China" Those who really know
Mr.. obata, who know his personal
| beliefs ana inclinations. do not doubt
| that this has been his personal prin-
upon to execute the policies formu-
| lated in the. foreign office in Toxic.
! and they seem often to have been in
direct contradiction to this principle
man, is credited by the Chinese with
| responsibility for the "twenty-one
/ demands"
It is not to be expected in these
days of rapid cable and wireless COM
| munication that a diplomat always
! does as he thinks best, but rather
| that he enunciates the policy which
his home government has decided
| upon The point to be made is that Mr..
Obata, = man on the ground and thor
oughly conversant with Sino-Japa-
nese relations, believes In the guiding
principle that Japan should build up
friendly business relations with
China
| It is because OF this, because Japa-
nese business, regardless OF It's mo-
tives, seeks to substitute friendly
business dealings for militaristic am
bitions in Japan's China policy, that
rs o result Of .ss
anti. i.JapAnese activities In China
| q n spra fli FOR the future ~Aia tfons ~