JAPANESE EXCLUSION.

Hokitika Guardian, 2 August 1924, Page 1

JAPANESE EXCLUSION.

Til!'; liKAC i'lOX IN' JAI’AN

KlJl-.K (•iapaii). April do

Tiie feelines id the Japanese people have heen sn keenly hurt hy the exclusion measures passed hy tiie two Houses of Congress tinit calm comment on the dispute is hardly to he found. 'I lie editors generally aerie tiiat Japan lias keen ereviously insulted—‘‘slapped on tiie left cheek and the right. spat up-

on and trampled under foot.'' as the militarist "Yamalo” puts it. 'I he i inintry is in serious linaiicial dilliriiltii s and her only hope ol early recovery lies m improvement of trade with tiie Cnited States, tiie chief luiyer of Japan's chief export, silk. Ku'ii the feelings if h-ti’ity. vilhout any active exore- i n. is likely to damage that trade —i- alreay doing s;> in a measure. iVar r.vi tire present issue is not sttg-;-(ste.! i mu hy the most rabid jingo-I-1-. Tiie only I'irin of ret lint ion hint'd at i- an eli- rt to draw the Asiatii r..< ■ loeellicr. and possibly Ihe Afii(atiis with tlie'ii. for united rc-ktsnee

i American “1 m p eria li-ni." Ivveii Id- threat. I livievo, is iiiti'Ui'icd ns a

bogey lor the loreigucr. for tie .In-i'.nii-c iritii-s know well that their own Itiiueri'disu! is n. re haled hy ihe ( hinlimn tint ol any Western I’, over, and th.'i'. no .1 apai: ■ (hive: nan nt in Hi" near future would lie likely to adopt siieli a policy r- would really win the affection of the (Tine e people. Indeed. il is rather pitiful to see how candidly they admit that, their sudden disirc to fraternise wi'!i tiieir I'olhe.vAsiatic- is fore; I upon them liecause th y are I 'ini: driven from l lie councils ol tiie mighiv Western I'.uv.'-r.. A FI It F-bIATKIt'S Ok IN'MIX.

However, it is interestin'' to note that the idea of a hoarding-up of Japan’s resentment. against Amerien lur a future hostile i *.*thurst is shared. I,v tile exih'd Cummimist. Katay oua, »itli t' e editor of lb.- “Yorodau.” p.-r----liaps the lierie't lire-eat"r of Japan's patriotic I’ress. .Mr Katayama. writing iu th- very liberal magazine, “Kair.u" (‘■ Iteconsii ui i■on" ). savs :

■'l!;.' iup:ta lis t s in Japan will ro! cosily to'erat.' llie idea of another war. however keen tiie Imnoriaii-ts mav loin it: h;it tiie Jantiuese will nut readily l"ryet th.' i t,eat meut to wl'ieli their i nintry,lien have been subjected in America. No will the Japanese 1 inp'-o-'ois In'ook in sileme their interests in th' Far Ivtst I "in;; trampled under loot hy Am.u'i: a. In sl ort, -J:i;:a:i will net I I’.allenjii' America to war of her own accord, hut .-lie will mu hesitate to nr.rticipale in a war that may he startl'd hot ween another nation and America, for that will he her only chance for roipiittino America, for the discriminatin'' treatment ami persecution of her nationals at the hands of America. Japan seems to lie resolved not to "o to war with America over the immigration i|Ui" t ion. I’m sh.oiiil trouble arise in any part of the world and keep America's hands lolly occupied. Japan will strike in. hayonct in hand, and call America to account lor the ill-lreai-nient uf her nationals in America. Until that day ci.nms. however, there will he peace and ipliel I .'tween Japan and America.”

Tiie call t> the ealnured races has hcen sevral linns repeated during the last week or two hv the “Yormh'.ii." On.' of its latest utlerames is this:-"IJ.i.-ial conllii t is destined to come

sooner cr later, and Amerien is nnv eeiii" to precipitate il. All tin- colour i d peiplcs must lie up in anus. Na.v

even amono the I'luropean countriis there are some wl'.o are on the ijui vivo fur no op-port unity t'> deal America a hard blow. The hasty action of the A merieim Ciinitrc-s may hrinp; a most disastrous calamity upon America." In another article the “Yorod/.u"

says that a racial stigma has hcen thrust upon the Knstcrn races as a whole by America, and it asks: “Will the Asiatic race ol I .l!'!!l.l',k).lk)lt souls li.iw to stich treatment!'" The paper talks of Japan ns the lender and eliaiii- ]> ii hi uf the coloured race.’. SOI! |{()W AND A X OKI!.

However. ilii- i- iln- extreme i.l' Im Ili. . tall:. \Ve-t••rii i . ii.i.-i- -Im.iil.l k 1111 v. t ii;i t ill'' -ami' paper 1 isi < heen aiming I In■ leaders in 11 1<- apita'.mn for appro—ion apaiu-t Cliiiia. They will understand till'll llial 1 1 :<■ terror ill' a united yellow rare tlin- held hol m e tll"Ill is iII l ell i led (.Illy lor people like Mr llear-t. who like to feel their lle.-li on op. Or S. I'csiipi. a ('lia It vilti-t ie |iro!'e--or ol Tokyo Imperial I'liivcr.-ity. ha- a -itnilar appeal to the coloured rail's in ilie “Kokmnin.” while the "Yaiaato” more inildlv remarks that these races may yet he "driven” to a united stand hy [lie ho-lility of America and the Wo-t pen.'rally, hiven so mild a genera I i-a t ion i- not taken no hy the eliorns of the I’re-s. which -nip-alnio-t in uni-on on matter- on which national feeling; is pemtinely aroused. Tiie more .-erioiis eommentator- simply express -arrow and antier at the Mow to Japan's pride without suppo.-linp any form ol retaliation. A week or two ap.o it wa- hardly I relieved that, the I'nited Stales Cen-pre-s would aelually pn-s the niiti-Ju-palie-e elau-e o| the I inmiprat ion Mill. The memory of the effort toward reduction of armament- made at W'u-h----iupton and of America's very peiierouaid ' ■ the earllnpiake victims in .lapan was very fre-li. Mill now the editor- are more inclined to rake up the pricvnnees it the pi-t. Wa- not the (lotitlemnn’s AprecmciiL it-elf an injustice inllii ted on .lapan hv intimidation' I lien there wa- the decision of the American court- that a Japanese who had -erved in war with the American army was deharred hv hi- racial origin fr.mt lioinp na t urali-ed. 'I In* ixpnl-iuti of the .latiene-e Iriim their farm- in California i- (ommented on more Utterly than when it heeame a lat t ilimnph the Supreme ('• ttrt'- de-ti-iott. Indeed, the tendency in the Japane-e I're.— lias t.ceii to -| ire Amurican leeliitp- an I to reioiee in tit" proof of a de-ire for pence pivot at tin* Wa-hinpton Conference. Mm now all i-^rhanpod. Tlti- i- itr lew tilth v. Mritain wa- hhtmed hv Japanese a- the oripi mi tor .and aliti- -t the i tie apittitor ill the movement for the lorcipii control ol Chiu;! - railwav- after the | ineheiip out rape last year. Of oniu-e. all the (I rent I’owerexcept Japan were m that movement, and thi' American impels in China were po'-ihly lierccr than tit* Mriti-h m their demand lor intervention. lint the Japanese editor- overlooked America'- part in apples-ive movement, almost entirely. Now. nearly a year tiller the event, we liml anper vented ap.iiu-t America rather than Miitam for tie's and lor other Itimeriali-tic ii, tivitie- in China. The fact that a proposal to littild -is new American punheat- lor tlm Yanpt-' liiver. is. now lie In re Coitprcs- add- to the In-tile fcclinp.

MKYKMSINt; TIIK VOHI'K. A typi -al comment i- th.it the "Osaka A-alii." prokahly the prettiest paper in .la pan. and one which u:c:’-iiinuily -how- a. hennittp towartl- lihettil ideas. Henlyinp to the criticism of Mr llanihatt '- Note hy Amerieati Senators as i eiiitiiniiip a veiled threat, this paper ■■Th' trntJi i- that it i- not America, hut Japan, that i- threatened. -lapan jin- Ic.-eu cxnoscd t.i Anteriea's inti-' i,dilation for year-, and i- -till actually I "iup threatened. It t- no exapperni in to .-ay that practically till the apreen'"ut- exi-linp lictweeu the two countries in reference to the immipratiin nrohletn have heen com Ittdetl under America’s intimidation. The Oentlemoil's Apivenieut i- typical.. To the Antesietins it may ho a pent lenten's

tigreement. imt to the Japanese it is a a disagreeable agreement, in which they are treated as slaves. Not content with this agreement. America denied the Japanese the right to own land, and a large number of innocent Japanese residents Im.v? natv been deprived i f the fruits of their years ol hard work. She now goes a step Itirther and proposes to prohibit the entry (d Japanese immigrants into her country altogether. Cnn there lie a greater threat than this Not only is this a threat to the Japanese ami other coloured rates, hut it, is a thic.il to the justice and world peace. Air llaiiihara's protest was Japan’s rightful measure of self-defence against this meiiame. It is the dreadful psychology of habitual intiniidator. s that makes them deliberately misconstrue it as a tln eat to t heir own country, and try to liml hi it an excuse for another threat to Japan.''

The Ii 'w>| Iper. have large circulation-. and the articulate people—the ni 'ii of the cities, a few women and a lew country folk—are doubtless stirred a- th: editors are. Dot ro general demonstrations have been reported hitherto. At least one of the papers is :■ (.pealing for seif-restraint. As for the business nun. they frankly declare Unit Japan (annul allnrtl to i|i!ar,vl with tlv I ni'.el Stales at pre>a ut. and they express I oulidenre that A'perk an roinmercial men will he id the same mind, -o that there is no need to fear any considerable injury to the trad* between the two (auntrie-:. 'I hey resent the action of Congress, but their published eomnuods are deidedly in opposition to any retaliatory nioi-iiris. However. Japan is a nuiiitiy wh -re vague has great power. For the past few veals’ the vogue has been liioel- . hip lor America! The present dispute has reversed it. The general feeling appears to he that the American CoogrcNs lias gone -at of its wav to hum ilia I the Japura" * people. Hut sum" I'ditos, hu-iness men. and rulers of the ceuniry iliug to the belief that the action of ('ongress does not truly reprosoit the desire of the American people. The comments of the American papers, which have (Temiunccd the measure especially the N'"W York •AYorld" are widely <|imted.