The Sun. SATURDAY, MAY 12, 1928. JAPAN’S NEED OF ELBOW-ROOM

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 352, 12 May 1928, Page 8

The Sun. SATURDAY, MAY 12, 1928. JAPAN’S NEED OF ELBOW-ROOM

IT has been well said that Japan is as thronged with problems *■ as it is with people. Though the ancient Empire consists of some 4,220 islands, the mountainous nature of the country reduces the cultivable land to about one-sixth of the whole area. Thus elbow-room is Japan’s greatest need and most pressing problem. Its population of 84,000,000 is packed—oil to the square mile—like prunes in a tray. This, compared with the distribution of the inhabitants of New Zealand and Australia, is akin to the density of an ant-hill. Here there are thirteen jiersons to the square mile, while over in Australia, the land of paradox and politics for the proletariat, the distribution is only two persons, not even man and wife, to every square mile of country. China has 97, showing that, although the vast republic holds a population of not less than 445,000,000, it at least provides room for the people to fight each other, when they are not fighting famine, and to provoke war with Japan as a sensational break in Oriental monotony. It is true that most of Japan’s jostled millions live in nineteen cities, of which one is as large as Paris, another, the capital almost twice the size of Sydney, three more each nearly as large as Melbourne, and half-a-dozen not much smaller than Auckland. Even though the riven country periodically is shaken violently by earthquakes it really does not require a seismic upheaval to spill its surplus population over into other lands. It merely happens geographically that the rich eastern lands of China are nearer than, say Australia. And close on a quarter-of-a-million Japanese are domiciled in China proper, while in Korea, opposite the Shantung peninsula, and part of the Japanese Empire since 1910, some 400,000 children of Nippon look protection to the flag that is charged with the rising sun. And where there are no Japanese people in the areas of China worth exploiting there are millions of Japanese yen. Patriotism is usually as quick to defend money as it is to fight for moral principles. There is no necessity to discuss now why the Japanese are in China at all. One might as well ask why New Zealand policemen are in Western Samoa. They are thefie and will remain as long as their nation’s interests demand their presence. It is often asked what would he the prospects of Japan if it were to become engaged in declared war with China? That is a question as difficult to answer completely as it is to explain Chinese politics. In normal circumstances the peace strength of the Japanese army, under a compulsory system of military training, is 200,000 effectives, supported by a substantial navy and an air fleet of 550 planes. Japan’s estimated war strength is 750,000 effectives. Military service in China is voluntary, and its peace strength has been estimated at a million soldiers. No one has yet tried to compute its effective war strength. But since so many of China’s population now appear to make their living by fighting- for the personal gain of the victors in military politics, it is presumable that a mighty army of Chinese could he put in the field. Most observers, however, if pressed into service, would prefer to be on the side of the Japanese, providing, like Mr. Coolidge, they did not choose to run. The heroic manner in which Japan, without whimpering, has endured disaster upon disaster, her wonderful stoicism in terrible experiences, her sagacity in aloneness (she has no alliances) and her steady thrust forward to democratic government and progress—all these virtues make her a formidable foe. And then, T.N.T. is more deadly than Chinese crackers.