PEACE-LOVING JAPAN

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 336, 24 June 1911, Page 10

PEACE-LOVING JAPAN

[ "SUCH FOOLISH TALK." : DESIGNS ON AUSTRALASIA DISCLAIMED. Auckland, Monday. It is repeatedly put forward a* a bogey in this quarter of the Pacific that the eyes of the Japanese are growing even more hungry as they turn southwards to Australia and incidentally to New Zealand . How much truth there is to warrant this apprehension, or just what may bo the mental vision of the sons of the Rising Sun towards the people of the Occident who have spread themselves about the land of the Pacific, must of course be for the present listed in the category labelled conjectures. But it is interesting when opportunity occurs to hear the opinion on this and other matters of a Japanese fairly fresh from his own country, for which reason a pressman looked up Mr. Tetsutaro Komiyama, a gentleman from Kobe, who has been in Auckland for the past day or two. "Yes, I left Japan last October, and at that time I had no idea about Australian matters at all. Yes, quite no idea, for I am not very political," said the visitor, with an engaging and deprecatory air which may or may not have mentil reservations. Continuing, the visitor said:

WHAT INROAD? "In Japan you do not hear anything mentioned about Australia in politics at all. It is not talked about. 1 had never heard about this Japanese inroad on Australia until I arrived in Australia. The Japanese are not a people inclined to go abroad if they can help it. They like their own home. i'ou will find that in Manchuria and Kofea there are not many Japanese. That is truly a trouble with the Government, 1 think. They would like to see many more- Japanese go over there, but my countrymen like to stay at hoine; they do not go away. What use would it be for the Japanese Government to gain more territory if the Japanese people will not inhabit it? This, of course, is my private thought." But what about the thousand* 6f Japanese in Hawaii and in the islands north of Australia? asked the interviewer.

"Ah, yes, in the Hawaii some—a good many Japanese, truly—but peaceful! There have been Japanese going to Hawaii for very long—oh, very many years. How many go in the' nation? Fisher people and coolies mostly. How many of you English people leave your England and go to other lands? How many Japanese go abroad? It is foolish, it is nonsense, this talk about Japanese aggression. LITTLE THOUGHT OF AUSTRALIA. "The Japanese people do not think much about Australia at all, because they are not familiar with the conditions in Australia, the economic, the political and other conditions. That is ( why they prefer America or some other country with which they are more familiar. I do not think the restriction laws of Australia cause any great resentment among the .Ijapanese, because*it does not seem to be a very important thing to people who do not greatly travel. They do not like such laws; but you do not bear much said about tnese matters in Japan. Every man must of course speak .for himself, but I lieard more about tnem in Australia than in Yes, I noticed tha' lere are a lot of people in Australia who do not agree with the immigration restriction laws. PEACE-LOViN'O PEOWX

•'You tnink that Japan is a very warlike country, and is always looking out for new possessions, but it is not so. The China and Russia wars were fought really with the idea of consolidating the East, and to make for the permanent pence of Eastern countries, not for conquest and territory. After the RussoJapanese war it is true that Japan acquired an economic position on the mainland, and soon this led some Japanese tq look at the thousand resources of the many islands lying in the Pacific within business reach. This might quite naturally give the outsider the idea that Japan was, therefore, looking towards these islands with the thought of annexing them at some time, even far off. But in Japan there is not any idea of aggression of this kind at all. Thera is no idea of aggressiveness towards America, Australia or any other country. It is afl so foolish to talk about the inroad 01 the Japanese. They have nfl , desire to leave their country, the people of Japan . And what would be the use of aggression if the people will not leave their home to inhabit the land!"