Evening star., 1923-06-25
EAST is EAST
Article No. III
BY Frank H. Hedges

Il L
l The Fnan on the streets OF Toisio.
| whether he be a 'rickisfa cooiie, ven
| der OF raw fish or war millionaire In
his newly bought ana Imported alto
| mobile, no longer carries In the back
of his mind the thought OF war with
| the United states. He no longer
takes it into consideration in making
his plans. Here and there d jinEo-
istic Journal Of 4 sensation rnonger
| tries to revive the discarded bogey
for personal ends, and 1T may Be that
| a few such newspapers and persons
| are quite sincere In a belief that in
SO doing they are serving their Rome
land. But the important fact-vitally y
important to Japan ana to this coun-
try and OF considerably more than
passing moment to the ~rest of the
| worid--the Important Fact Is that the
| hue and cry of waf with America
| when raised by japan today no
longer strikes responsive note In
the thoughts OF the average Japanese.
This was not always 80. Less than
two years ago most OF the 57,000.oo0
Japanese believed war to be on Its
way and were psychologically pre-
ing for it. The belief. attitude and
plans Of the Japanese government
were and are fairly well known to
THE government OF this country, and
the reverse is quite as true, but this
article, Is concerned with the thoughts
of the people of Japan, the over
wh Ginning mass of non-officials, those
who. would have entered the army or
navy or those wives who would. nave
remained at home-waiting,
Two years and more ago Japan as
whole believed war with America
approaching. The policies of the two
governments were moving along con-
verging lines like the sides of a tri-
lines would meet loomed war. This
was the belief of all Japan, and 1t
may have been of most of America,
but: where one American gives a
Thought. to his nations policies and
Japanese give serious consideration
to Japan's relations with us. The
position of the empire. makes foreign
relations, especially with America;
China and Great Britain, or para
Of Toxic, Osaka and other great cities
constantly discussed the forthcoming
war. The government taxed the peo-
pie to the limit. and nearly nifty sen
of every yen collected taxes went to
the army and navy, but the Japanese
bore the burden uncomplainingly, for
they preferred to pay for war pre-
paredness rather than to meet war
indemnity.
/ do not intend for one minute to
say that the average Japanese wanted
war with us. AS in any. country,
more in Japan than in most countries,
for her rapid and phenomenal rise
has, naturally, brought with 1t vast
amount Of conceit, a vast amount of
''cockiness." do not believe, how
ever, that most Japanese wanted war,
date to be Inevitable, and SO were
preparing.
There was a curious mixture in
the attitude, OF the, individual Japa-
nese toward the United States at
that time. He believed America his
United States, but he was antagonis-
tic to an abstract idea. He admired
and respected most things American,
just as he has done for a half CEN
tury. He was friendly to the Ameri-
can citizen resident in Japan. Realiz-
ing that he was conscious of the
approach of war, IT is remarkable
that only on the rarest occasions was
any hostility shown, either by word
or act, to the American In Japan.
At the time of the adoption of the
anti-alien land law in. California by
popular referendum, feeling against
this country was running high in
Japan. The press talked constantly
of war and of the injustice and
hypocrisy of the United States. The
law! was adopted by a tremendous
majority. that November. The news
reached Toxic in the early AFTERNOON.
Extras, telling the story and contain
ing inf1ammatory and denunciatory
editorials, were on the streets almost
at once. By nishtfall every man and
Gs11fan; woman in the empire knew what
in Japan had felt certain of Califor-
MAS action, and we had expected
mobs to gather and perhaps to throw
a few bTickbats and oaths at the
American embassy and. the Japan Ad-
vertiser, the two greatest centers of
Americanisni In the empire
l was curious to see how Japan
would react, and that evening / went
into the front grounds OF the imperial
palace. The spirit of the late EN-
peror Moiji was being enshrined in
the capital with full Shinto rites Just
then, and the city of nearly 5000, coo
was flooded with another million vis-
itors from the country. A lantern
procession was weaving along the
banks of the inner moat of the pal
ace, and the grounds were thronged
by thousands. The crowd was so
dense that l could not make my way
against 1t, but had to move with it.
There was no other foreigner to be
seen, and, although most Japanese
cannot distinguish between an Amer
ican and other westerners those near
me could see the American Army but
ton in my coat lapel Not one ugly
look was given me, not one untoward
gesture made, not one murmured in
suit did l hear. I was an American
The crowd was unfriendiy to nv
country in the abstract; to me as an
individual American 1t was all cour-
tesy and kindness.
The change that has come since the
close of the Washington conference
in the attitude of the Japanese toward
war with the United States is clearly
shown by what a Japanese told me
three months ago. He was a college
graduate, a man of some wealth. and
held an important semi-business,
semi-political position. II am SO
glad he said, "that no longer have
to think about fighting your country
For five years have been telling nv
wife that when (not eff" but "wfen''9
the war with America comes, she
must kill herself and the children SO
that thoughts of them would not
bother me on the battlefield. Now
all is changed. 4 no longer have to
think about it, for we are not going
to fight"