SMALL BUT GREAT

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 156, 24 February 1932, Page 7

SMALL BUT GREAT

JAPAN'S PRIME MINjISTER DOES NOT COYET CHINESE TERRITORY. WOULD NOT HAVE MANCHURIA. An article in the. Literary Digest describes Japan's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, the Septuagenarian Tsuyoshi Inukai. "Mr. Inukai is a man of small stature, about 5ft in height. He has a grey moustache and beard and ppnetrating eyes, which suggest sagacity. As a matter of fact, he is a man of sagacity. "When Japan was still dominated by powerful clans that formed Governments at their free will Mr. Inukai and Mr,. Y. Ozaki were the two outstanding defenders of the Japariese Constitution, for which they earned not only admiration from Japqnese believers in parliamentary government, but also their gratitude. "Mr, Inukai is a great orator, and whenever and Wherever he speaks He attracts large audiences. "Mr. Inukai in a man of simple habits, and is lond of taking long Walks. Walking is perhaps the only exercise in which he indulges. He Is a calligrapher of great repute, aijd his handwritings are very mueh coveted by his followers. He is also a recogiiised connoisseur of both Japanese and Ghiriese "art.' Friendly with China. "His connection with China is very interesting. When Sun Yat Sen was a political refugee in Japan Mr. Inukai took great care of hira, and he forrried friendships with a number of the leaders of the Kwaumirig 'Party in China. "Wheri Mr. Inukai visited China, at the invitation of the present Chinese Goyernment to attend the funeral of Sun Yat Sen, although* Ke was* present in his private capacity, the Chinese reception of him was very cordial. This attracted the attention of . Government officials from other nations who also attended the service. Mr. Inukai was an advocate of progressive policies in Japanese politics before he joined the present Seiyukai Party. as president." Only Wants Protection. Premier Inukai's judgment on the Manchurian question appears in an interview given to the Associated Press at Tokio, in which he said in part: — "Japan covets not one inch of Manchurian territory. All we insist on in Manchuria is that China respeet our treaty rights, under which Japan has acquired vast interests approximating 1,000,000,000 dollars, and thaf theye be guarantees of the safety of the Japanese and the nearly 800,000 Koreans, who are Japanese subjects, so that they may live in peace and carry on their respective enterprises. "Why, we wouldn't take Manchuria as a gift. We'd have to look after and protect all those 30,00Q,Q00 Chinese — and feed them. Chinese Ward Lords"Now, the Chinese are peaceful pqople. They're not warriors by any means, and they really hate to fight. I know the Chinese well. . "Nor does Japan want any part of China proper. Nobody but a fool would have any such thought. Anyone who knows Chiria's long history, the characteristics of the race, the vastness of the coimtry, must realise that for Japan or any other nation totry to wrest from them any part of their territory would be ari impossible task. Their greatest weaPon Is the economic boycott, and they are also masters at passive resistance. "But one of the diflficulties in Manchuria is that many Chiriese have the belief — obsession I might call it- — that wa covet Manchuria. "It is the war lords there who have caused all this trouble. The greedy war lords are one of China's greatest drawbacks."