The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-04-24
Know the Enemy
These DdyssSt' e Ggo 3'i Z. soHo2sxr

So little is known in this country
about Japan and the japanese that
/ wish to call particular attention
to the April issue of Fortune maya
zine which is devoted entirely to
that subject The editors OF For
tune have unfortunately chosen
not to permit the signing OF articles
by the authors, a habit which often
leaves the reader in doubt as to
the authen 'icity of the material.
Whoever wrote the article, The
Way OF the Gods deserves bet
ter fate for his work as this Is
the most understanding and cour-
az 'ous introduction OF japanese
psychology that 1 have read in
quarter OF century OF interest
in that rltry.
Americans are too ready to be-
lieNe that because they do not like
people, there is nothing to them.
Americans also, even the most in
tenstionalistic of them. are like
ly TO assume that it is unnecessary
to know too much about other peo-
pies. Perhaps that is why We are
such poor linguists. Yet. We need
10 know the Japanese. We need to
know them we'll, for We are just
really beginning To fight them.
We need TO understand why they
among the smallest Of Asiatic coun-
tries rose to he the mightiest and
now face destruction.
There is a piece in this issue en-
titled The control OF H. Fuiino".
as | read it. could coniure up the
image OF him-for | knew this FIJI
iino by whatever name he went,
in the period nearly ten years be-
fore this war came TO us ! knew
him when he belonged to a polite
al party. believed in parliament
and thought that he was some
thing OF democrat knew him
when he was happy TO speak Eng
lish and to think well OF America
but yet was doubtful OF Uncle
Sans intentions. have not seen
him in the years that led up to
the war. but the anonymous auth
or of this article has seen him and
knows him and understands him.
And that is important, for this Flu.
limo is like our John Smith and Joe
Doakes and George Spelvin and
whether II will be shorter or
longer war depends upon how we'll
his nerves serve him and how
compel ntly his government can
control him. When he cracks, ia
pan will crack.
| have seen thess little men
drunk and sober, at home. in bust
ness. in restaurants. | have dane
ed with their wives Gin China
rather than in Japan and have
flirted with their Geisha girls. But
have never known one OF them TO
be tense. not to be all wound up
tight like top that is about to
spin. One wonders at the swift
changes in personality among any
people. but never have | encount-
cred such swiftness as with the
Fortune writer's prove, an inscrut
able people, but they are different.
was particularly grateful that
tn fortune articles avoid all the
silly racial ideas which usually
creep into discussions OF orientals.
There is nothing in all these pages
10 which any student OF the Far
East can object. particularly the
unusually judicious account OF the
position of the emperor. | glimpsed
the present emperor OF japan twice.
And. OF course, 1t was difficult TO
understand the deep, religious re-
spect that his people have for him.
but il Is necessary 10 understand
that. for no one can know what
people do in defeat And We need
TO know as much as we can about
il. II we are TO deal with de-
feated Japan There are those
who believe that We shall have 10
use this emneror as the powerful
cliques in Japan now use him: