JAPAN OF TO-DAY

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 276, 16 August 1920, Page 4

JAPAN OF TO-DAY

WONDERFULLY WIDE-AWAKE COUNTRY WITH FAST-INCREASING POPULATION A TOURIST'S IMPRESSIONS "Perhaps the first thing to strike the on reaching Japan," said Mr. 1. Shatler Weston in relating observations ho had made during a recent visit to that country, "is the intense cultivation which meets the eye, wherever such cultivation is possible. That is made almost a. necessity, as only li per cent, of the land is capable of cultivation, the balance being suitable only to scrub and forest growth. By extensive irrigation schemes and heavy manuring tho holders aro able to produce two crop> a year. The rice is sown in. May and harvested in autumn, whilst iii the spring and early summer there is time to take off a crop of vegetables, or barley, or wheat. Of course that would not be possible were not the land fortified and enriched by manure, much'of which comes from the adjacent citks. A notable case is that of Kioto. Japan is self-supporting as far as her food supply is concerned, but is not at present a meat-eating country.

"The population is about 50,000,000— equal to nearly half that of the United States—all contained in a country of about the same size as New Zealand. And the population is growing. It is estimated that by natural growth it ifl increasing by over a million a year. In all the cities, towns, and villages that we visited, children were everywhere in evidence. There is no race-suicide problem in Japan. ' Every married woman deems it an honour to bear children; there aro festival days each year upon which emblems are exhibited on a pole outside each house announcing tho number of sons and daughters the family can boast of. There is a national system of education throughout the country, and it was perfectly astonishing to note the circulation of the Japaneso newspapers, which, with issues of half a 'million and over, seem to keep the whole of the people well posted in what is going on. During the holidays the pupils attending the secondary schools are taken on walking tours or excursions to national and religious monuments, and so, under the guidance of their teachers, are given a broader knowledge of the world, arid imbibe patriotism and a reverence for tradition, which build up the national spirit. The way to the university is made simple to boys of ability, and the course given is pretty complete. The medical men of Japan, for instance, are well qualified, and in the majority of instances are the product of their own universities. Foreigners residing in treaty ports will often" consult Japanese doctors father thnr. Europeans.

"Buddhism was introduced to Japan from Korea many centuries ago, and as Buddhists do not eat meat, it was from Korea that Japan learned to cultivate the various forms of vegetable foods. With the fall of flie Shoguns in _ 1868, Buddhism received a check by the introduction of Shintcism, which is now the national, religion. Shintoism is ancestral worship with patriotism and loyalty as a backbone. ' But as Shintoism grows, so does meat-eating; indeed, it is being encouraged by tho Government, which is most anxious to improve the stamina and stature of the race, and- conceives that a leaven of meat in the daily diet might have some such effect. Another recent measure to achieve the same end has been a Government decree raising the age .of marriage from 14 years to 1G or 17 years, I forget which. A Great Industry. "The fishing industry is very highly developed throughout the country, round the coasts as well as on the rivers, many of which afford splendid salmon-fishing. The fishermon for the most part live round the coast on their own,holdings in tho same manner as the crofters of Scotland. They are a very hardy and fearless people. There are about 1,400,000 people engaged in the fishing industry, and, in the absence of meat, fish i 9 ono of the staple articles of diet. On account of tho large number of men and boys employed in fishing. Japan will never lack men for her "avy, an important thing, because slie has now the third largest mercantile marine in the world, as well as the third largest Navy. 'It was simply marvellous to seo how every Tltfie stream and . river in tho country is being utilised to produce electricity. Owing, perhaps, to the system of forestry, the rainfall in Japan is fairly even, varying but little with the seasons. This enables tho streams to lie used evenly throughout the year with only & few miles of race. As tho hills aro situated near the sea coast, and consequently near the cities, the transmission lines are not long. They are constantly to be seen crossing the railway lines, which-, as a rule, run parallel to tlio ©oast. Even the smaller towns are lit with electricity, and generally wliero . there were manufacturing plants a hydroelectric supply was on hand to provide the power. In regard to _ the equality of rainfall, Japan has certain advantages over New Zealand. " Systematic Afforestation, "The Japanese are strong on afforestation. They have great tracts of country which are not suited to the cultivation of my kind of crops, which ;.ro planted with trees, which not only have a -value in timber, but help with the ramtall. In this respect Japan is an objec.-lesson to New Zealand, where land is so o.ten cleared that is not worth clearing. "There is no chance of Japan ever becoming a wool-growing country, as pass 'Ikes not flourish there. One might so* n countryside which has the appearance of pasture land at a distance but a , close inspection shows tlio growth to be a kind of dwarf bamhoo, with cio.eiy matted roots, which w suitable neither ?or Xep nor cattle. Cattle raising » difficult and the production of milk in 'l^ntquniidtiCßtomoetfteen^ ffrtifgsome Ayrshire caUle 'but they ;,T,otdo well. What cattle there were J,! w B t.,ii f o( ] in the winter. Jnpan wHt'x'f'.TtS-rrS enXgo upon export to the East, owing Tthe recent drought. Still, Japan must a wowing customer for Australian the future, and also for butter m f.wl Owing to the extensive us« of water, or perhaps to climatic combtions, I found that Japanese tviufc and vegetables were not nearly so well ila\Sas our own. This applied particularly to tho potatoes, which were small waterv. With the exception of chrysanthemums and irises, therein? not tho wealth of flowers vre get in New Zealand, but the flowering shrubs, such , q (.i ie floweriji? cherry and wistaria, made scenes of distracting beauty in the seaeon. I thought it was curious with such a practical people as the Japanese that they did not go in for the fruit-bearing cherrv. , . " Recent Financial Crisis.

"Tho recent financial crisis in Japan was duC to the tact that many people, on account 'of the enormous demand for Japanese Roods during the war, had ru6fled into manufacturing businesses _ with little knowledge to guide tliem. Owine to skilled labour not. beine always available, the output was not of on even (inaUty, and often quite inferior. Now, with the war over, tho Japanese were not finding tho same eager market for their wares, and many firms liiul boon adversely affected. Another reason for tho falling off in the demand was the Chinese boycott against Japanese goods. The net result whs that some of the new manufacturing firms and shipping companies found themselves in a position in which they wero unable to compete with the older and stronger fi»me. This meant much individual low to capitalists, and want of employment on the part of the men." A Magical Change. "Owing to feudal ties and mutual reliance, the form of Government in Japan .ud to 1868 was oligarchic, and one could,

not help being most profoundly impressed by the enormous change which lmd been engineered by the Government, from the simple life, which ignored Western ways, to the highly-complex industrial civilisation of to-day. • Such a change in half a century alone proclaims the Japanese to bo people of rare mental capacity and physical elasticity. Of discontent there was but little apparent on the surface, and those who voiced it were generally ambitious men who had not_ found an avenue for the proper utilisation of their ambitions. The people as a whole were kindly and courteous, especially in tjuj rural districts, and exceptionally intelligent. The men at tta head of big companies and corporations were of such mental calibre that they could hold their own in any part of the world. Middleclass merchants and manufacturers, who had not experienced the ln-ondeiiinfj effect of travel, had yet something to learn 01 tolerar.co and compromise. An Unpopular Nation. "Japan is undoubtedly the premier power in the East, and although she is universally unpopular—that assertion was made by a member of the Japanese Diet —the unpopularity is due to the success of her traders, as much as to some of her methods, political and commercial. An and pushing nation, like an individual, suffers from much that umo and experience will correct. Ili e British Alliance and the example of tho German collapse have already done much to effect an improvement. At tho samo time, owing to the proximity of America and tho number of students who go to America for occidental training, tho United States is more often taken as u model than I liked to see. I suppose that is because tho Americans make it easier for Japanese and Chinese students to enter universities than the English have done. France is wjkiug up to that fact, and is offering facilities to Chineso students to attend her universities. Power to Be Reckoned .With. "It takes a trip to Japan to thoroughly appreciate how strong Japan is as a nation. Everyone in the Pacific must reckon with her, and the best way to promote an understanding is to offer every facility for friendly intercourse. It is noteworthy, incidentally, that tho Japanese Government has prohibited foreigners from holding any financial interest in Japanese banking and shipping companies, and whilst thoro is authority to permit- foreigners lo acquire land in Japan, such au'hority has to bo made active by Imperial proclamation, but tiie proclamation has not yot been issued."