The Daily Alaska empire., 1945-08-16

WASHINGTON Whether we like it or not, the American people are going to hear lot more about the Emperor of Japan. In fact during the next several years that we govern Japan we ought to make it our job to know almost as much about Tokyo's governmental system as we know about our own--if we are to build a Japanese democracy which we won't have to fight again.
 This writer happens to oppose the views of certain emperor appeasers in the U. s. State De- partment. Nevertheless, it is only fair to examine the facts on their side carefully.
 About 20 years ago, when Hiro- hito was only Prince Regent, this columnist made several trips to Japan, got acquainted with one of Hirohitos intimate aides, and heard many complimentary things about the young man who was to be- come "the Son of Heaven"
 Actually, the recent history of the Japanese Emperor is closely interwoven with the history of Am erican troops in Japan. We helped give the emperor new start in life when Commodore Perry first opened the doors of Japan in 1852 and if it had not been for the landing of Perry, there might be no Royal Family of any potency in Japan today.
 Now, 93 years later, American troops, once again landing in Japan, are scheduled to operate through the emperor-perhaps also giving him a new lease on life.
 It was not an atomic bomb, but an invention almost as- s-reyolut.en- ary. the steamship, which opened up Japan to U. s. troops the first time. When Commodore Perry and the U. s. s. Mississippi, first steam propelled Man O.War to circum- navigate the globe. arrived off Japanese waters, the Government of Japan was split between Elm peror Osahito, then the weakest of weak figureheads, and the Shogun, or Premier, then the real ruler of Japan. Perry, knowing who the real ruler was, signed a treaty with the Shogun, no. the Emperor whereby the hated foreigners were permitted to come ashore and en- joy commercial privileges.
 Thus started wave of resent ment against the Shogunate. The merchant princes and feudal lead CTS, already down on the Shogun because of high taxes, rallied round the Emperor as he led verbal attack against Perry.
 A virtual prisoner in Kyoto, the aged Emperor broke forth in verse
 Perish my body meath the
 cold clear wave of some dark
 well,
 But let no foreign foot
 Pollute the water with it's
 presence here"
 And with a child's misconcep- ton of the tremendous power ot Perry's "big, black fireships," the Emperor issued an order that nc foreigner could set foot on Japa- nese soil wearing hats or any article of "barbaric" clothing.
 This was the cue for the feudal lords to build up the Emperor at the expense of the Shogun, and a few years after the Shogun signed his treaty with Commodore Perry the war lords assassinated him Tokyo at that time was so crowded with "Jo-I" or alien -haters" that no insurance companies would take the risk of underwriting policies on the lives of Americans in Japan
 This wave of alien hating, plus the strategy of the feudal barons in strengthening rival to the un- popular Shogunate, took the Japa- nese Royal Family out of virtual imprisonment and started them on the road to their present powerful hold on the Japanese people. Much of this build-up was synthetic. It would have made even Ivy Lee, publicity genius who sold the Am- erican public on John D. Rocke- feller, green with envy.
 It was under the Emperor Meiji grandfather of Hirohito, that the Royal Family enjoyed it's most im- portant reign. Meiji came into power ,16 years after the arrival of Commodore Perry, and put an end to alien-hating. By so doing, he consolidated his own people to handle Japanese foreign relations.
 It happened that some foreigners had failed to fall on their knees when the Daimio of Bizen passed on the streets of Kobe, and the Daimio's troops, armed with new