Evening star., 1925-06-28
kato Says Japan Has Room
And Need for Her Own People
Continued from Third Page.)

tfuln. nat lne Japanese IN lne
United States are disloyal to that
country, or that they are capable of
desiring evil in any form to overtake
it, | cannot believe. And one thing
| know: 1t is unthinkable and i'm
possible that any Japanese govern
ment should support, or should fail
to condemn, any sentiment or agita
ton by the Japanese in America un
favorable to the institutions or the
welfare of the American people. Such
sentiment or agitation would ruin
those benefcent relations which
Japan is resolved to nurture between
America and herself
"On the question of so-called dual
citizenship, | am in agreement with
American thought. In terms and in
fact. dual citizenship is an irrecon
cilable contradiction. Citizenship en-
joins singleness of allegiance and
fidelity. 1t is perfectly patriotic, of
course, for the citizens of one coun-
try to be of service to the citizens
of another, for benefits flowing across
frontiers are world benefits, and every
nation is part Of our interdependent
world What / am trying to say is
that we all can be good world neigh
bors and at the same time good
single allegiance citizens But, as
the world stands. it is impossible to
practical political principle. Japan
has abandoned her law in conflict
with this view. Japanese born in
America, so far as we are concerned
may elect Japanese citizenship; they
may not elect both Japanese and
American.
Love for the Homeland.
AS regards the question of emf.
grafton, our whole attitude-the at
titude of the Japanese nation-seemS
TO be misunderstood in many quarters
abroad. 1t seems to be supposed that
millions of our people are eager to
leave home. 1t seems to be supposed
that our population is 50 great, and
is growing so rapidly. that spacious
outlets must be found for it in foreign
lands. There is no justification for
this belief. 1t falsifies both the feel
fngs of our people and the conditions
in Japan. If any nation loves its
homeland, the Japanese love Japan
love it in general, and love their own
special parts in particular. They not
only do not want to emigrate, but do
not want to migrate from spots where
they were born to other places within
their own country. Japan's terri
tory. home and colonial. is sufficient
for her needs for at least a century,
and probably two
Does this mean we have a sparse
ly peopled country? On the contrary,
we have a densely peopled country,
and our population is increasing at
the rate of perhaps 700, 900 a year.
In respect of population as related to
territory, our position is like that of
England, Wales or Belgium. Japan
proper, with an area of one-twentieth
of that of the United States, is the
home of half as many people-56.-
600, ,000-aS inhabit your immense con-
tinental territory, and the total popu
lation of our empire is close on So,
1000 That our national problem,
our problem of food, clothing and
shelter. is momentous one requires
no statement.
Able to Support It's People.
But we are not appalled, by it.
And we are not driven by 1t to cast
covetous eyes upon other peoples
territories-still less to dream of war
as a means of solution. We are
crowded in this island and colonial
empire, but we are far from the end
of either our room or our resources.
1t is not altogether a question of how
much arabic land you have; it also
is a question of how you cultivate It,
Japan cultivateS her acres intensive
ly. She makes one tan, or a quarter
of an acre, feed one mouth; she makes
an acre feed four. Congestion ex-
lists principally in the southern and
southwestern areas. People can mi
CRATE from these areas to the north,
where there is more room, and they
will do so when they must; they will
not do so before.
There is ample, If not abundant,
opportunity for agriculture in Hok-
kaido, Korea, Formosa and japanese
Sakhalien. To any one or all of these
territories our people can and will
move when the pressure of popula-
ton and economic need becomes
strong enough to induce them to
leave their homes. We also hope
there will be opportunities for Jap
aneSe farmers in Siberia-a conttn-
gency dependent upon the settled re-
lationS that may come about between
Japan and Russia. Aside from these
agricultural prospects. Japanese Skill
and labor have much to anticipate In
the way of productive occupation. We
can become more highly Industrial
ized We can extend our commerce.
Our textiles, for instance, already are
selling in a wide Asian market, and
we have our fisheries, forests and
mines-all capable Of expansion.
Conserving Strength of Nation.
MY point is that those observers
who represent Japan, because of her
relatively small productive territory
and her large and growing popula-
ton, as a peril to world peace either
are ignorant of both human and nat
ural realities in Japan, or are actuated
by studied injustice and enm1ty
toward this country. Our people, as
to the vast majority, do not and
never will want to emigrate. If they
ask the United States and other coun-
tries to deal with them on a plane
of equality with other civilized peo--
ples-and the Japanese would not be
Japanese If they did not ask this
it is not with any purpose of mum
dating foreign lands with a Japanese
flood. Our people live a simple, hard
working life, but n self-respecting
life not devoid of joy. and they prob
ably are as well satisfied as is any
other division of the human family.
Emigration. We have been dis
cussing it from the Japanese point of
view-discussing it In the concrete.
Now let us look at it in the abstract.
What does emigration mean? Does it
mean in the integration or the disin-
tegration Of a people? Does it mean
consolation or a dissipation Of ma
tional strength? On what theory can
nationality perpetuate itself and
augment its power by scattering Itself
over the world? To me, in such a
conception, we have a strange idea of
strategy. 1 am against emigration.
Only the more daring, enterprising
and capable persons are apt to emf
crate. To encourage an eff1uX of its
best blood is, to my mind an extraor-
dinary way of building up a nation
ambitious to play a splendid role in
history. l wonder If we sometimes