Evening star., 1951-09-10
Jopon's Hard Task

Although they now have q magnanimous
peace treaty and are on the road back to full
independence, the Japanese face anything but
an easy future. Indeed, in some ways, the tran
stional period ahead-the shift from van
quished and occupied status to equality In the
family Of sovereign nations-may well prove
to be the most difficult phase Of their postwar
history. At any rate, wholly apart from Com
munist trouble-making, it Is quite obvious that
they viii have to deal with economic problems
of the first magnitude, and those problems in
turn will bear Importantly upon their political
stability and their capacity to contribute to
their own and the free worlds military security
in Asia.
Since their shatterir1g defeat six years ago,
the Japanese-who still are the industrial lead
ers of ASIA by wide margin-have staged re-
markable economic comeback. But the comeback
has been artificial in many respects. In the first
place, it has been stimulated chiefly by direct
American occupation aid totaling up to 50 bill
lion before being cut off last July. In the Sec
ond place-as Of now-Japan's economy is
dependent in large measure on the fact that
since the outbreak of the Korean war, the coun-
try has been earning at the rate Of about $3.50
million year through the sale Of services and
supplies to our armed forces. When and IL
there is an end to the fighting in Korea, how
ever, this income will disappear. The mainte-
nance of our post-occupation bases and troops
will make up for it only in part.
The Japanese of course are anxious to be-
come Self-supporting, and American policy Is
based on the hope that they will succeed in
doing so at the earliest possible date But they
have certain hard realities to deal with, the
chief of them being () that their present pop
ulation of about SO million is some II million
higher than prewar and probably win continue
b. &Ian be k1en4
lost vast overseas empire-including Korea
and Manchuria-which used to be one of their
major sources Of raw materials and rich mar
ket for their finished goods; 60 that British
and other interests, including to some extent
American interests, are out to fight them as
competitors in international trade; and "a
that Japan has committed itself not to do busi-
ness with Red China during the present period
Of world tension; it has made clear that it viii
work closely with the United States and the
West as whole until such time as the Chinese
government ceases to be an aggressor menacing
freedom. u
The last fact is an especially important
one. In prewar days. almost Is per cent of
Japan'S exports went to the vast market of
China and China, in exchange supplied nearly
the same percentage Of Japan's imports, chief
ly raw materials. Clearly enough, therefore, if
the stoppage of trade between these two coun-
tries is to continue, the Japanese must establish
brand-new pattern Of world commerce to be
anywhere near self-suporting. They seem to
have only two alternatives to such course
either to live on American doles, which might
not be forthcoming, or suffer economic distress
that could throw them into political and social
tailspin Of the sort that Communists thrive on.
This is but part Of the picture, but it is
enough to illustrate the nature and scope Of
the problems facing the Japanese as they move
forward now with the task of becoming their own
masters in company with other free nations.
The Importance of that task, and the great diff
ficulties involved in it, ought not to be under
estimated. In undertaking to carry it out, japan
will need the continuing encouragement and
support Of the United States and every like
minded country intent upon stopping the Krem-
lin from winning and enslaving the whole of
Asia.