RECENT JAPANESE MOVES

Chronicle (Levin), 5 March 1946, Page 4

RECENT JAPANESE MOVES

RISE TO POWER TRACED TALK TO ROTARIANS A background to recent Japanese moves in the Pacific was the interesting and- topical subject taken by Rev. A. Salmond, who was guest speaker at the Levin Rotary Club's weekly luncheon yesterday. Rev. Mr. Salmond was recently appointed to the charge of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Levin, aiuci being overseas for some time on chaplaincy work. D ealing with the subject in five progressive stages, ivir. aaimonu said that the Industrial Revolution, a historical factor of great. importance, had transformed the way of life of Europe, and in parae ular of Great Britain. At the opeping of the nineteenth century enterprising British traders seeking new markets for manufactured goods had encountered the poncy oi xif-sufficiency being adopted by Manchu-ruled China. War hau resulted and China, defeated had had to grant concessions. Five ports were forced to open to European trade, and in them the prin.ciple of entra-territoriality came mto operauon. japan, nKe 'Ciinia., was at that time pursuing a policy ,i seix-aufflciency and had been forced out of it by the Americans in 1853. The second, step Mr. Salmond deveioped was the dilfering reac.tions of China and Japan. * Military defeat was a bitter thought for the rulers of Japan, who had immediately set out to modernise their country, building an army on the German pattern and a navy on aiBritish. The new Japan had «ecume aggressive towaias Chma, and had snatched Horea from her. Thirdiy, the speaker continued, there had been the scramble for jninese N territory, with England, France and the United "Staies nervous of Russia and Japan using her geographical position to the full. The Japanese alliance with Britain iri 1902 and the defeat of Russia the .oliowmg year had increased Japanese power. . Britain • and tne United States had checked Japan's mienaea expansion, and had -nsisted on a policy of open door for trade with China. Japan had Onown signs of desirihg a monopoly of trade with. China's 400,000,000, but to obtain that she was faced with ousting the European nation - als and bringing China under her

control politically. The fourth step had been taken during and after the 1914-18 war, Mr. Salmond said. Japan had presented 21 demands on China, some of them being conceded. She had obtained a m'andate over the Marshall and Caroline groups. Japan's move into Manchuria in 1931 was an indication that she no longer cared excessively about European restraints, and in 1937 she had prepared by her moves to dominate China. The unexpected had happened in China's own reactions. The mass migrations into the interior, involving millions of Chinese, were among the most . remarkable and heroic events of 1 history. They had saved China's life and indirectly our own. The final step Japan had taken was a wild gamble, the speaker concluded. It had nearly come off, American sea and air power proving too strong for a Japan with her military might bogged in China and ' .Aer lines oi communication strung j out across the Pacific. In a sense now we were back at the stage which marked the . opening of the century, with a very different China to deal with. The future was tied up with the question of what China was like and what she was going 1 to do.