Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1939-09-11
Jopun's Opportunity

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and France estopped by the ex-
igencies of their own defense from
lending substantial aid to the
Chinese Nationalist government Of
Chang Kai-shek, Japan is in posi-
ton to solve her Chinese question"
free from European interference.
Fully aware of the opportunity
which Europe's troubles provide,
Japan has given speedy indication
that she intends to take full adj
vantage of the new conditions. Even
before the conflict began the Ger
man-Soviet non aggression pact i'm
PEELED her to revamp her govern
ment on an isolationist basis, and
when war actually started Toxic
promptly announced its intention to
remain neutral.
Furthermore, Japan's preparations
to consolidate her position. in China
by means of a unified Chinese ad-
ministration under former Chinese
Premier Wang Ching-wei have ad-
vanced, and Wang is reported salts
fed with japanese assurances re-
garding the final peace terms. 1t
is even said in some japanese quar-
tiers that war in China may be at
an end in six months.
Although Japan is committed to
neutrality in the European war and
isolation from European politics
generally, this does not mean that
Japan has ASSOCIATED herself from
European affairs so completely that
she will not reap the profit of
Europe's conflict.
Exploitation of European politics
is an old japanese policy, and en-
abled Toxic to profit immensely from
the war of 1914-1918 with a minimum
of participation in that conflict.
Although Japan and Britain had
military alliance in 1914 Japan
came into the war independently.
With Germany fighting the Euro
pean entente Japan saw her oppor-
tunity to seize the leased territory
of Kiaochow, which Germany had
carved out of the Province of Shan
tung in the earlier scramble among
the powers for Chinese loot. August
IA, 1914, Japan sent an ultimatum
to Berlin, demanding withdrawal
of German warships from the Far
East and cession of Kiaochow to
Japan. When no reply was forth
coming within eight days Japan de-
clared war on Germany, and in a
subsequent siege of Tsingtao con-
quered Germany's holdings in China.
Thereafter japanese warships, OPP
Grating with British fleet, took
the German Marshall, Pelew, Caro-
line and Marianne Islands in the
Pacific, and at the peace conference
these islands were awarded to Japan
under mandate, in which condition
they remain to this day.
But Japan's biggest profit from the
war was the establishment of new
and expanded rights in Shantung
Province, outside of KiaochoW, and
in Manchuria and Eastern Inner
Mongolia as the result of the Twenty
one Demands in 1915. China, unable
to oppose Japan with adequate mill
tary and naval force, and unable to
call on Britain, France or Russia,
Japan's allies in the war, for as
sistance, was forced to capitulate to
Tokio's demands.
The Manchurian invasion in 1881
and the march through China, in
progress since 1887, were merely ex-
tensions of the japanese penetration
during the war of 1914-1918 The new
war brings Japan the possibility of
completing the task which she has set
for herself for a generation-eco-
nomic and political subjugation Of
China-and Japan aims to complete
that program before the European
war ends and Britain and France
are enabled to turn their attention
eastward again.