Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-07-15
Japan's Hope for Peace

member of the Council OF the League as
one OF the great powers but 1t has had
an important share in the membership
of the secretariat at Geneva.
Japanese Participation.
At the present time the director of
the political section Of the secretariat
Is a distinguished and experienced jap
anese expert who is also underSecretary-
general of the League. Throughout the
formative period of the work at Geneva
the director of the division OF intellec-
tual cooperation was Japanese
scholar. known and loved throughout
the whole world of scholarship. DR..
Inazo Nitobe The fact that DR.. Nj
tobe's chief contribution In the past to
Japanese thought had been In the in
depreciation of American literature did
not prevent his devoting himself with
equal enthusiasm to the upbuilding of
an international mind through the
agencies of Geneva.
From the very beginning OF the dis
cussions in the peace conference in
Paris it was evident that Japan was
studying the new world order that
seemed then to be taking shape in a
more detached way than was the case
with the European powers. For a ma
ton which had just emerged from
feudalism and had In single lifetime
passed from the Middle Ages TO the
scientific era of today the conceptions
of new world order were not so revo-
lutionary as they were to the estab-
lished and deeply rooted state system
of the older Western world. For in the
history of politics Europe is much Older
than tho ntdaxt YSaAnla nf tho
Orient Japan had already made a re-
adjustment of its internal structure
which was at least as revolutionary as
any called for in the acceptance of the
League of Nations. The result was that
the League of Nations acquired reality
in Japanese foreign policy which must
be recSoned with in all our dealings
with it.
Conference ON Labor.
This was evident in the earliest Of all
experiments at international legislation.
In the very first year after the treaty
of Versailles the International labor
Office held its first international confer
ence at Washington. The American
political world. being at that time in
the midst of its great fight over the
covenant OF the League, did not know
quite what TO do with this body and
officially gave 1t no recognition what
ever.
Japan. however. sent delegation of
its most notable representatives OF both
capital and labor, as well as of its gov
eminent, and many observers and ex-
perts as we'll for it was taking seriously
the proposed reform which was to pro-
hibit the exploitation of children in in
dustry, safeguard the conditions of
NnfN -.
acceptance OF the eight-hour day
When the conference was over the
Japanese government was the first to
take seriously its recommendations
and. If the resolutions which it drafted
are not yet fully in force in the laws of
Japan, 1t is chiefly because the Euro
pean nations have failed to keep step
with that very country which in 1919
seemed most behind the rest in the
laws and conditions of labor. In short,
In both internal and external policy
Japan has been deeply affected by its
membership in the League of Nations.
If we had only the single sentence in
the reply to Mr.. Kellogg the mention
of the covenant OF the League would
hardly call for any OF this general dis
cussion OF the place OF the League in
Japanese policy, but the Japanese dis
NhaoAhbo vi plOROoGA VI LCtlOuAtSS
war as an instrument Of national
policy began to appear in the Japanese
press some time before the Kellogg Of
fer was made. and survey OF that dis
cuSsion shows very clearly how the
League Is constant preoccupation of
Japan.
Treaty Is Discussed.
The articles in the japanese press
60 back to M Brands original pro-
posal OF April. 1927; but there was
no intensive discussion OF this proposal
in the public press until draft treaty
in reply to It was published in the
early Summer OF last year by Prof,
Chamberlain and myself. This draft
treaty had been given considerable
publicity In this country and was dis
cussed in the month of August at the
Honolulu conference of the Institute
of Pacific Relations. The news OF this
discussion received wide comment in
the Japanese press incidentally, some
OF those present AT Honolulu who
were most experienced In Japanese
politics were rather disturbed at q
publicity which they regarded as pre-
mature, for Ii was distinctly new
thing to have ma jor question OF for
eign policy initiated in unofilcial con-
ferences and in the press instead Of
waiting for the initiative TO come from
the government.
1t Is further sign of the new day
which Is dawning in the Orient that
the publicity did not prove to be pre-
mature and the public discussion APP
parently merely prepared the way for
governmental action. Already by the
month of December last there were
whole columns of editorials In the
greatest papers of Japan and articles
In the popular as we'll as the tech
meal reviews discussing the informal
proposals made known to them through
the Pacific conference. and the out
standing fact In this discussion was the
practically unanimous approval OF the
general principle which had been set
forth by NJ. BRAND There were. how
ever. divergent opinions as to the ways
and means for realizing 1t and apply
Ing 1t in definite treaty form.
Not Taken by Surprise.
When the Kellogg offer OF the multi
lateral treaty appeared Japan was there
fore by no means taken by surprise. 1t
accepts the general principle OF the re-
nunciation of war as an instrument OF
national policy, but suggests that the
application OF this principle should be
studied In an international conference.
This suggestion of conference had
been made before, especially by the
British
But Washington stated clearly that 1t
was not In favor OF meetings by either
experts or diplomats In whose minds the
original purity and simplicity OF the
great principle OF war remuneration
might be lost In the confusion OF prac-
teal politics. The State Department
holds TO the opinion that the applica-
ton Of the principle is secondary TO the
acceptance OF the general formula and
should follow H.
The negotiations are to be carried ON
as they have begun. by the exchange OF
notes and the continued discussion In
the public press. Japan may, therefore.
have TO yield, as Great Britain has done,
and state It's case more fully In public