Evening star., 1941-09-15
Monchuriun Anniversary

Monchuriun Anniversary
1t is Just ten years ago this week
since Japan invaded Manchuria,
thereby precipitating a chain OF con-
sequences which has kept the whole
Far East in turmoil and which also
raised q diplomatic controversy be-
tween Japan and the United States
that has never been settled. This
sinister anniversary offers a good
occasion to survey the background
OF present Japanese american nego-
tiations, In order to estimate their
true value.
When Japan took her fateful step
4 decade ago she realized Its serious
ness, yet felt impelled by what her
leaders deemed stern necessity. The
enduring basis Of japanese foreign
policy must be her relations with
China. So long as China remained 4
decrepit Oriental empire, 1t could not
menace Japan's ambition to domi-
nate the Far East. In 1912 the de-
cadent imperial regime was over
thrown by q revolution led by men
who aspired to transform China into
nation state on the Western model.
much as Japan had been trans
formed half 4 century before. This
deeply alarmed japanese statesmen,
because China so vastly outweighs
Japan in size, population and nat
ural resources that, If transformed
along Western lines and endowed
with national spirit, it would auto
matically dwarf the Island Empire
into second-class power. thus end
Ing the Japanese imperial dream on
which its heart was set and for which
so much had already been sacrificed.
For while, Japan's first fit OF
alarm was appeased by the fact that
the revolution did not 1T once pro-
duce national unification, but rather
. welter of factional quarrels and
civil wars which threatened TO reduce
China to anarchy. During the Great
War which convulsed Europe after
1914, Japan tried to get a grip on
anarchic China and guide its evolu-
ton to its own profit. This attempt
was baked mainly by the opposi-
tion of the United States, which
stood firmly on its traditional policy
OF supporting Chinese sovereignty
and insisting on the open door" for
foreign trade. That was the real be-
ginning Of the Japanese American
controversy over China which per-
SistS so acutely today.
After = long period OF domestic
turmoil, the seeds of national re-
generation sown in China by the
republican revolution began to bear
fruit. BY 1880, China was clearly
finding herself, and a strong, unified
national government was only mat
ter OF time. Furthermore, Japans
attempts to interfere in the process
tended to make Chinese nationalism
anti-Japanese in character. Japa-
nese statesmen were thus confronted
with the hard choice of either ad-
justing themselves to an increasingly
powerful Chinese nation state or OF
imposing their will on China while
it was still possible to do so. The
invasion of Manchuria marked the
choice for policy Of force.
1t is possible that Japan might
have succeeded, at least for a time,
II America had not again stepped
into the breach. Washingtons reso-
lutte stand encouraged the League OF
Nations to its condemnation of the
Manchurian invasion and likewise
heartened China's leaders to resist.
That resistance led, in turn, to ia
pans invasion Of China proper in
1887, which has begged down the
Island Empire so disastrously. That
frightful war has done more than
anything else to hammer China into
q national unity inspired by hatred
OF Japan and relying on America for
aid and inspiration. But this rem
ders America. in Japanese eyes, the
ultimate obstacle to the success Of q
policy which Is considered vital to
Japan's national future.
Such is the background against
which current negotiations between
Washington and Toxic can be evalu-
ated. Unless Japan scraps her ira
ditional foreign policy or we abandon
our traditional Far Eastern policy,
it is hard to see how genuine settle
Y,nant non ka orriuol