JAPAN'S GRIEVANCES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 271, 12 August 1919, Page 7

JAPAN'S GRIEVANCES

ENGLAND AND AMERICA BLAMED

A REGRETTABLE PRESS CAMPAIGN Public opinion in Japin is much wrought up over the failure of Great Britain and the United States to support Japan's demand to have her clause against lace discrimination inserted in the terms of the League of Nations (writes the Tokio correspondent of the London "Morning Post"). It is difficult to know whether the nation is »noro angry with the Government and it's delegates .to the Peace Conference for having failed in the a'bove attempt or with tho two creator Powers for having failed to concede Japan's request. Probably the av,ersion is about equally divided, though which will suffer the more eventually the leaders in the anti-foreign propaganda do not 1 appear to decide. To anyone familiar with Japancso history and' tradition it is clear iflat at first, at all evtnts, the immediate sufferers will be the Japanese delegates in Paris. Someone will have to become the scapegoat on whom lo avenge the national patriotic ire, but whether it will be Marquis Saionji or Baron Makino, or both, remains uncertain. Tho Press is already making suggestions that savour of tragic consequenocs should the dolegatos venture to return to this country, hints that in any other land would be' regarded as incite- . ment to crime. ■ That such statements should go unheeded in a country whero pnything suggestive of disregard of law &nd order is rigorously suppressed by authority shows how delicate the situation, is, -the Government hesitating to allow the nation to give bent to its wrath before the time. An Ominous Precedent. It will be remembered that on the return of the delegates. from the Portsmouth Peace Conference after the war with Eussia they were attacked by a mob, and Marquis Komura e&iaped''assassination only by good, luck; but the mob vented ita spleen in serious rioting and of life and property, most of the lives lost being those of policemen. Evidently, in the mind of many, this is regarded as a precedent l not unworthy of imitation if tie present dissatirfaction maintains itself until the delegates reach home.

_ The attitude of the Press and public 1- in manv ways rather illogical and consequently difficult to deal with. There is no appreciation of tho fact that racial, like social, questions cannot bo settled by legislation, 'that they are too delicate even v for formal discussion. Tho manner in which the subject is handled in the vernacular Press of Japan is unreasonable, if not absurd, from on Occidental point of view. It appears to be thought that once the clause proposed' bv Japan is inserted in tho terms of tho League of Nations'all alleged prejudice against Japanese will _ lisutvpiaa' in Amerioa and tho British Dominions. One is somotimes tempted to doubt the sincerity of such avowal?, seeing that legislation lias never had this alleged magical effect in Japan. Fifty years ago, when th'e Emperor Meiji eipreised a desiro to abolish olios distinctions in regard to the rights of citizens in Japan, it was promulgated by the Government that tho eta, or parian class, was to be placed on a plane of social equality with tho _ citizens of the. Empire. Though such is the statute, this unfortunate class is still ostracised by Japanese society, and is still loud in its outcry for abolition of the discrimination to which it is subjected. Nor can any Japanese really beli»v3 .thai by pass!up' a law placing all Koreans 011 a level with Japanese tho tUin.7 wovild. de facto, take place, Japan, like other nations, must in time come see that Taco questions cannot be adjusted by complaining or making a fuss, but by behaving so that they disappear roiurally. So long_ as the laws of none of Japan's Allies defer to race prejudice her people must not en on charging Brigland r.nd America with approving such legislation. If Asiatic labour bo taboo in tertain English-speaking sections, the difficulty is economic and local, not racial or national; and it is uma : r to hold a:i entire nation responsible, for the eccentricities of centres,;

A Sweeping Propaganda. But tho anti-foreign propaganda now going ob in the vernacular Press here is far too sweeping to bo oonlined to discussion on race discrimination. The charges brought against England and America, most of them supported very slenderly or not at nil, cover wither a wido range. Tho general trend of complaint against Great Britain is that she wants to bo Ola biggest frog in the ring and is utilising tho success of her arms in Europe ana her position at the Peace Conference to secure a place of permanent _ preeminence in dealing with the affairs of other nations, especially those of Asia. This attitude is ascribed to commercial as well as political ambitions. Britain, 'it 'is said*, did not support Japan's demands for the abolition of racial discrimination because she foared Japan might tako advantage of it to make trouble in the British colonies, and she did not favour Japan's ownership of the German islands in the South Seas because of their proximity to Australia. The remarkable thing is that the sentiments of the Japanese Press .since the opening of the' Peace Conference would justify such suspicions on the part of British statesmen, even had they no'; thought of tliem before. Some of the vernacular papers have openly stated that had Japan taken tho 6ide of Germany in'the late war she could easily have advanced on the British possessions in the Pacific, and that Heaven knows what might not have happened. Some editors now urge that because Japan has been so shabbily treated, in spite of her assistance to the Allies, sho should come out of the Peace Conference and form a counter-conference of her own, seeking to enleogue tho South American States and the neutral as as the Russian territories against_the Big Tour, as Britain, Prance, America, and Italy are now called in Japan. England is further accused of conniving at or abetting the alleged action of her officials and nationals in China, who are alleged by the Japnneso Press to be fomenting anti-Japanese propaganda. The wish is expressed that the British Minister at Peking should be replaced by one more favourable to Japan's policy in China.

America's Offences. The burden of accusation', however, falls on America. Tliero are few improprieties in the catalogue of international offences 0" which the United States is not said to lie guilty. Sho has captured the Philippines and made them American, at the,same time professing a desire to grant independence to the islands, her real purpose being to acquire a base of operations in the Par East, where sho is determined to nullify Japan's policy in China, and ultimately oust her from that country. notwithstanding «!1 the blood and money Japan b-t invested in lier enterprise P.v way of backing up this anti-Japanese policy, America is uniting with England in preventing- Japan's ownership of tho German islands near Australia, as America does not desire, to afford Japan any further bases of operations in the Pacific. While objecting to Japan's sale of arms to China, America has permitted her own merchants to supply Hunan witn large sales of ammunition, which, it w alleged, will be used to continue the civil strife in that country. The American population in China and Korea, both merchants aud missionaries, are charged with promoting anti-Japanese agitation among tho natives, though it H dirfcpult to see how they could'make, things hotter than they are i.ll this respect. America is 'further suspected of trying to muddle tho Japanese expedition to Siberia, with the hopo of displacing it and having the field all to nersolf. America is going to build a tunnel Ijctveen Alaska and Siberia, the survey being already under way; and soon she will have the two territorial linked up and ready for her supreme rule. Indeed, the Americans are a wonderful people, and if they wer;: only oapablo of doing onehalf the feats they are supposed to he capable 6t" by the Japanese Press, they would be more wonderful stiil; in fact,

guilty of miracles. America, moreover, is going to take away from Japan tho railways sho owns in Manchuria, as is proved by the suggestion of Secretary Knox some years ago that it would bo advisable to neutralise the railways of

China. Again, America has persuaded tho League of Nations to insert a oiauee guaranteeing the eccurity of tho Monroe doctrine while rejecting Japan's pro-

posal for tho elimination of race discrimination. Instead of respecting Japan's Monroe dootrino for Bast Asia, America is constantly interfering in tho affairs of China and Siberia, a thin? impossible to tolerate if Japan is to bo supremo in theso waters; and this notwithstanding the fact of America's having consented to acknowledge Japan's p-c-eminence in matters Chinese, as was agreed upon in tho Ishii-Lansing document. Threat to Good Relations. It would be impossible without occupying too much space to pursue the list of accusations further; but it is clear that the main idea of such writing is to excite animosity against the English-speak-, ing people. It may be that in this way the Press is diverted from the disaffected situation in Korea, about* which little is allowed to be published. But such a campaign cannot fail to impair the good feeling which all friends of humanity desire to see prevail between Japan and her Occidental friends. Tho public does not seem to evince any fear that such behaviour may tend to convince those prejudiced against Japan that after all they are in tho right. To preserve a calm and commanding demeanour under stress of insult or disappointment is of tho o.<wonce of worth and manhood. There is, of course, tho old lmbit of allowing the local Press to indulge in agitation to back up an official programmo and give an excuse for pressing it in negotiation, but such agitation cannot legitimately be made, nor can it be allowed to include angry invective and contemptuous sarcasm in regard to friendly nations, especially nations to whom Japan actually owes her present high place in the comity of nations.

This rort of thing does far more injury in Japan than in countries whore the public read foreign papers and are more or loss familiar with the facts and can think for themselves. The masses of Japan know only what is told them in the vernacular Press; and, this being so, they can only have the most adverse notion of British and American national character. In fact, if this sort of thing is allowed to go on no one can wonder if in time it leads to rioting and to attacks on foreigners, for 110 people are more liable to undu.n excitement and abandonment of self-control than the Japanese when subjected to extreme provocation. The Press of England and America is often accused in Japan of indulging' in anti-Japanese propaganda, but lc one has ever seen in any 'English or American newspaper such absurd statements as are advanced against Eng-lish-speaking people by the vernaculnr Press of this country. Such an exhibition would invariably bring down uipon the head of an English-speaking editor the charge that, if he were not off his head, he was at least under the influenco of some spirit mo'-e liquid than lucid.