The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-02-03

puJ Lnere SClll is lOLS OF room IN Cne
undeveloped hinterlands.
1t draws from, feeds on and sells
to the vast, weak land that is China.
The Chinese fearful of being COB
bled up by this modern and ag-
gressive little neighbor, declared an
economic boycott against Japans
goods. That act cut at the very life
blood of Japan. The warfare that
followed was inevitable.
With Gandhi-like passiveneSs,
China's uncounted millions delt
Japan a body blow. If you want to
cast aside all considerations of JUS
tice, ETC., and get right down to the
cold economics Of things, you must
admit that there was nothing else
for Japan to do but fighter starve.
= II
A T the same time, they are cocky
"A and ruthless. Their history
has made them so. In a little over
seventy-fve years-within the life
time of many men who are living
today-the Japanese have pro-
crossed from a nation of Semi-bar-
barians to world power.
There is nothing comparable to it
in all history.
Since 1853, when Commodore
Perry and his American gunboats
entered Uraga harbor, and demand
ed that the empire trade with the
world-ceasing forever its policy OF
isolation-Japan has progressed
farther than America progressed
between the days of Christopher
Columbus and Theodore Roosevelt.
Only the motion of a skyrocket can
be ikened to that of this ancient
race which, after sleeping centuries
as a hermit empire, finally rose with
screaming suddenness to find its
place in the sun.
THE story goes back long, long
L way.
Centuries before Christ, the fore
bears of these islanders crossed
from the Asiatic mainland. They
conquered the savage island tribes,
but-like the Danes and others who
invaded ancient England-were alb
sorbed by them. Thus, a new race
was born.
Through long dead centuries they
lived practically unmolested by the
rest of the world. They had their
own civilization.
In the seventeenth century, the
galleons of Europe began to seek
trade in the remote Pacific. In the
wake of trade, came Christian
missionaries. Emperor Iyeyasu en-
couraged foreign trade, but viewed
the missionary enterprise as a
political danger that would pave
the way of foreign aggression.
TTPON the emperor'S death in 1916
~ his son issued an edict against
Christianity. He ordered expulsion
of all foreign priests and made II
an offense, punishable by death by
burning, for any Japanese to become
Christian, or to deal with Chris
tian missionaries.
Many missionaries refused to leave
japan. Many japanese refused to
give up their newly acquired Chris
tan faith. Ancient japanese his
tory speaks mysteriously of 100000
persons being punished" Catholic
church records list 1,400 to 1900
martyrs; there are definite records
that eleven foreign priests were
burned to death and 300 others be-
headed.
Intermittent trading, principally
with the Dutch and Portuguese, con-
tinued. but in 1886 came an impe-
rial decree that no japanese vessel
should leave Japan'S shores and nc
Japanese subject should go abroad
under pain of death.
1.-TWO years later even the Portu-
i guese were barred - on the
claim that they brought missiona-
ries. Four Portuguese ENJOYS, bear
ing costly presents for the emperor
we're sent to explain. The ENJOYS
with fifty-sever of their compan-
ions, were peheaded by the jap
anese. The emperor spared thir-
teen survivors and sent them back
with this message:
Think no more of us. just as il
! we were no longer in the world"
! In the flush of Americas expan-
sion that followed victory in the
War of 1912, American whaling
ships began to penetrate the fal
Pacific. When they attempted tc
enter Japanese ports for water anc
supplies, they were driven away by
! clarntirn Cl,irnrrrroclrca cniln.-. &C.