Evening star., 1931-12-27
BY CONSTANTINE BROWN

lllele Is any DlOOQSlleQ at CIllU-
chow the Chinese can blame no.
body but themselves This is the
Il official Japanese point of view.
According to Toxic reports, some
three weeks ago the then Chinese for
eign minister, Wellington Koo, had
agreed in the name of his government
70 the withdrawal of the Chinese troops
from the Chinchow region to inside the
Chinese wall. The negotiations had
been carried out in Toxic mainly
through the intermediary of the French
Ambassador and resulted in this agree
ment, which the japanese consider suffi-
ciently satisfactory to determine them
to give the League Of Nations and the
United States Government the aSSur-
anCe that there will be no further active
military operations in China. Now,
Toxic charges, the Chinese have broken
that pledge and the japanese general
staff finds it essential to round out the
Manchurian campaign by eXpelllng
forCefully whatever veStigeS Of Chinese
authority may be found in Manchuria.
The official excuse for these opera
tions is that some 10000 Chinese
bandits are harassing the japanese
forces and apparently the japanese
general staff has positive proof that
these bandits are Offered and supplied
with arms and ammunition by the
Chinese military commanders at Chin
chow The real reason, however, Is
well known-the Japanese want to have
actual control Of the entire Manchurlan
territory and wish to appoint their own
governors throughout Manchurla.
Need Room to Expand.
What is there behind this stubborn
determination of the japanese govern
ment to occupy foreign territory? is
there any plausible argument on which
the Japanese can base their claims on
Manchuria?
The japanese government and the
Japanese people feel the need of find
ing room for expansion. The japanese
are clamoring for a place in the sun
exactly in the same way the Germans
were clamoring for it before the World
War. or the Italians would like to ask
for it now if political conditions would
allow them to do so.
Before the war Germany, with
population as large as the japanese,
but with about twice that much ter
ritory, had started colonial policy IN
surplus population which, German
statisticians said. We I'D reach some
eighty millions within two generations.
Hence the formation of a German
colonial empire in those regions OF the
uncivilized world which had not been
already occupied by the British and
the French.
The japanese, on account Of their
color. were net able 20 claim any
colonial possession in regions inhabited
bv other races they are limited to
places where people of the yellow race
lve The Japanese people are sitting
in their small islands: they think they
have the same right as the other civ
ilized nations to coloniZe; that is to
say to grab some portion of a country
which is either weak or backward.
They chose Manchuria, which only 40
years ago was a frontier country,
almost uninhabited, but immensely
rich in all kinds of raw materials. An
ideal place for expansion. 1t belonged
to China an immense empire which
under the corrupt administration OF
the Manchu dynasty was quickly fall
ing to pieces.
eliminated in War.
A semi-Asiatic nation. Russia had
Its eyes on the same rich province,
Manchuria The japanese were lndlg-
nant, Russia with the immense empty
spaces did not need any more ter
ritory
The duel between Japan and Russia,
for the possession of Manchuria began.
1t eliminated in the Japanese
war which was won by the japanese
Yet the japanese did not see their way
clear to fulfil their long desired am
bition of attaching Manchuria to the
empire until Russia as a political com
petitor collapsed, after the establish
ment of the Bolshevist government.
Previous to the Japanese Russian
hnl RI
between the Chinese and the Japanese
in 1895. The war ended by the defeat
of China, and the japanese obtained
then their first foothold in Manchuria
by forcing the Chinese government to
Cede to Japan a portion of Southern
.Manchuria; about third of the terri
tory of that province. The japanese
victory was Of short duration; the
powers, melted by Russia. forced Japan
to return to China the juicy slice they
had just bought at the price of a
war The German emperor, always
worried about the yellow peril" Joined
with France and Russia to coerce
Japan to return that section of South
ern Manchuria which was almost i'm
mediately leased by the Chinese to
the Russians for period Of 25 years.
On that leased territory the Russians
started building thc important port
of Dairen and constructed the power
full Notifications of Port Arthur.
A secret offensive and defensive
treaty alliance was signed between
China and Russia. a treaty so con-
fidential that even the keen Jpanese
intelligence officers knew nothing about
until 1921 when the agreement was
disclosed during the Washington Naval
Conference. In any case, treaty or no
treaty, the japanese did not like the
presence of the Russians in Southern
Manchuria and managed to eXpell them
after the war of 1904-1905, war that
cost the japanese nation 100000 lives
and a billion gold dollars. The most
important result of that war was that
the Russians were forced to evacuate
Southern Manchuria and cede the lease
of Port Arthur and Dairen to the
Japanese.
Under japanese Influence.
Ever since, the japanese economic
penetration in Manchuria increased; ;
railways were built either by the Jap
anese or by the Chinese with Japanese
capital; japanese companies endeav-
ored to penetrate in Manchuria and
establish permanent contacts. South
ern Manchuria became definitely a
japanese sphere of influence" tacitly
recognized by most natlonS, inclusive
OF the government of China itself.
1t is on account Of these develop
ments that the japanese government
claims the right to deal with the Man
churian situation without outside in
reference. They express this point of
view by stating that Japan has a
Monroe doctrine as much as the United
States; that the japanese Monroe doc
trine has never been publicly formulate
ed, but it is nevertheless just as strong
as the American; the world chan
celleries know it, and have known 1t for
years"
1t is because of this alleged Monroe
doctrine that the Japanese have never
and will never permit any foreign in
tervention in the Manchurian question
and it is for this reason that the much
advertised neutral commission of in
vestigators to be appointed by the