JAPAN TODAY

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 77, 20 October 1939, Page 8

JAPAN TODAY

A HIGHLY SUSPICIOUS PEOPLE LITTLE ANTIPATHY TO BRITONS EDGECUMBE MAN'S IMPRESSIONS "Though I was in Japan, during the height of the anti-Brit-ish campaign, and though I mixed with thousands of demonstrators in Tokio, and Yokohama and made no secret of the fact that I was an Englishman, I never once heard a discourteous remark, nor did I see any action on the part of the public that I personally could take exception to." In this manner Mr George Syxne of Edgecumbe summed up the outstanding impression of his recent trip to Japan. Mr Symc who has a soft spot in his heart for the land of the Rising Sun, despite all to the contrary in the world's newspapers since the .prosecution of her undeclared war with China,, has visited it no less than four times previously, and says that the Japanese people as a whole are a charming, thoughtful race, who make every endeavour to see

that their visitors feel at home. They are however highly suspicious of all foreigners, the military caste now in power, insisting on an army of inspectors and officials whose duties seem to be limited by a fanatical zeal for keeping all tourists and visitors under the strictest surveilIcnce. Observations on the people of Japan, Avere supplemented by our informant's son, Mr W. Syme, Avho also visited the land of Cherryblossom earlier in the year. He claims that although there were thousands of military" uniforms in the street, he never once saw a wounded soldier Yet he knew that wounded men had been repatriated in a steadily groAVing stream, and was puzzled until told that the casualty men AA*ere never shown to the public,, in case the civilian morale should be undermined.

Charming Womenfolk. The Japanese, as a nation were scrupulously clean, not only about their persons but also in their homes and surroundings. The hotels AA r ere evcryAvherc spotless and the serA 7 ice Avas actually superior to anything else he had encountered during his travels. The attitude of the aA'erage Japanese man toAvards his Avomenfolk said Mr Syme, Avas one which Europeans could not comprehend. They Avere treated as inferior in every Avav to the Sons of Heaven (the males) and yet the feAV lie Avas priA r ilcged to meet, appeared to be heads aboA'e the menfolk, in charm, courtesy, and intelligence. With the spread of education lioav-

eA r er, there Avere many prominent women, Avho Avere fast becoming ali*A r e to the oppressive .and rigid rules that delegated them to be forever the unquestioning servants of the men. The general enlightenment Avas sloAvly spreading, and though it may be far distant, the day Avould come Avhen the emancipation of the Japanese women Avould be an accomplished fact.

No Territorial Designs in Pacific,

Questioned as to his belief on the subject of .Japan's territorial claims in the Pacific, Mr W. Svmc declares that it is his opinion that these are largely groundless. What Japan Avanted, and Avantcd badly was a sphere lor economic exploitation, Avhich was absolutely necessary for the protection of her established industries. She must haA r e unlimited raAA r materials if she wished to survive, and that Avas the sole reason for her conquests, in China and Manehukuou.

"'The Japs are not colonists like the Chinese," said Mr Syme. "Everywhere you go you see the Chinese, but there arc comparatively few Japanese living outside their own islands. They are great patriots, and it is that spirit which largely binds them to their own country. Even in Manchukuou, the government has the greatest difficulty in persuading the colonists from the rural areas at home to remain. To a man they pined for their native land and lost no opportunity of returning to it. There was a marked desire to cultivate the goodwill of other nations though in the eyes of the world the invasion of China, and the prosecution of a war upon defenceless civilian populations, made i: difficult to see any speedy realisation in this direction. On the otlior hand the Japanese excuse is that prior to the conquest the interior of China was overrun with bandit warlords, with orivatc armies of their own. With the institution of a proper government backed by the might of imperial Japan, peace for China would be assured, and progress for the Orient generai!y, achieved.