PACIFIC PEACE

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, 28 November 1927, Page 9

PACIFIC PEACE

ASIA’S STANDPOINT JAPAN NOT AGRESSIVJC “New Zealand, japan, Australia, and the United States—the countries bordering on the Pacific Ocean—have a common interest in the maintenance of the peace of that ocean,” This was the opinion expressed by Mr. 1. Tokugawa, Japanese ConsulGeneral for New Zealand and Australia in an address at the University Hall, Auckland. He also said that friendly relations between Japan, New Zealand, and Australia were necessary for the maintenance of permament neace the Pacific. “To do that,” he said, “we must co-operate, and to co-operate wg must have full knowledge of each other.” He suggested that the western countries should learn something of Asia’s standpoint. The suggestion that Japan is a militaristic imtion-was refuted bv tha Consul-General, “We certainly fought with China and Russia,” he said, “but thesa wars were forced on us. t don't sav bv those countries themselves, but there wore other circumstances “China was coming down to Korea, and we hail to depend ourselves from the Russians. “In these wars we merely defended ourselves and it is nnthinkable that we showld ever go out to fight another country.” He explained that there was prospect of war between Japan and America. because America was Japan’s best buyer of raw silk, her greatest export.