STRONGER TIES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 252, 3 April 1915, Page 5

STRONGER TIES.

JAPAN AND BRITAIN.- *

COUNT OKi;MA'S VICTORY.

II&DGB3E8 THK ANfILG-JAPANESE ALLIANCE,

| Wellington, Thursday, Slrongor' lend* of the already strong ii->iHlship b*tmen Japan and Britain wiij.be tied ««. the result of the Jap* j'.ne;» general oloction, declares Mr. 31, Tsuu'iiya, the eminent .Japanese journalist, wlio' was iir Wellington up till last c.eninj!; A Timm representative who waited ifjion -Mr. 'l'nuchiva yesterday found liitli'reading With delight the brief cablegram in the pafSrsrs that the present Government- in- .J 11 part bad boon return* cd with a iwVjority of. 52 members. Ka is an ardent supporter r/i Count Oku'na, the present : I*rime llisister, who ha»* been endorse'}: by the people for a fuf* tlier term of office, Mr. Tsuchiya rave a most interest!]!!? explanation cV t<t e political situation ■ in his country--doubly iriferesting inasmuch as it is clWly connected with tho relations betweih'"! Britain-and Japan. Okuma, he sayis, ia -an 1 enthusiastic proBritisher, and hi'rCabinet fallows hi# views in this dirntibn. The result of ■ tho people's voting, therefore, is a direct endorsement of Japarl's .attitude in her Hose friendship for I ''Britain and her allies, which 'ia» been 'foremost in the minds of the Japancic'statestiie# of re- ■ cent years. Mr. Tsuchiya also says that the Government victory meffi closer ties with Russia, a resent enemy, but with whom most <*rdiftj relations have existed

KOREA AND MAN SliUltfA; "The big party question a ibefore tha at the election, on wK«h aB-itho tolking was done," said 11#.-• Tsuchiya, •'•.vaw a more local one than t'ld broad ; foreign policy, although the- tiftdr-'IW . ii ] ' deaLof effect. There was a quar-jrel-some time ago between the Govern- ; ®ent and the 'Seiyukwai,' the ir.;i-;n 011j (losing; parties over our militait'd6{Ja*timunt. The Seiyukwai wer e the dominating' numbers of t!ie House ot'Eepre* iMUtdtiwi of the Diet. Count Okuma, Itb. keep up tht prestige of thejnttitary luopartanicnt, wanted' 'to send two permanent divisions of troops to Korfa *n<f Msauiliuria. Th e Seiyukwai objected,and Count Ofcama_appealed tb the cuonttfy. Ate voui sec, t'ie elections give him an overwhelming majority;, and the Seiytf*wai will not have the power now in the House' that it had formerly,"

"A GiiUiAT OLD CIIAP." Of Gnunt Okuma, MSr. Tsuchiya speak* with - glowing pride. "He has only onO> I'-'ff.. (ono was blown off by anarchists years .agp),,, and he is seventy-eight years of "KJ;r' he says, "but lie is a wonderful old. man. —or, as you would Bay out here, gr«ut old chap.' We r .cognise him-as.tie greatest living statesman inJapjjn... He. is full of vigor, and he hasuiui object, iu. his* life—to see our people progftti»„ If you could see him in his room—seeing hundreds of people—you, too,..would, think him wonderful.

"Of course," continued Mr Tsuchiya, 'you are most interested iu his relation to Britain, X aa.u assure you that Bri-tain-has.. no. greater friend in Japan than Count Okuma. It has been the ambition..osi bis. life that 'He should fully understand. Britain's ideals and adapt them touhis. awn people. He has been deeply interested always in Britiiu's diplomatist- relations with her Kuronean neighbors,, arid he always has been bitterly hostile to. the growth of German influJeßße im tlie East. Many a speech lias lie mado,, firing tlie Japanese witH enthusiasm, against the German in-trigijvs-in* China. He saw the danger of it ~veais ago, when other statesmen were shutting their eyes to it, and it was ho wh'o, with Baron Kato, was re-sponsible-for working up to a practical state thfrffiemlship which exists between Japimnaml Britain now. His policy, as you cam, guess from what is going on now, is one of trade expansion, peace, and prosperity for Japan, and his big majority iiv the Diet shows that this i» th 0 tow, of the Japanese people. I'OOH-iPOOIUNG THE OPPOSITION.

''lt has been i'uuny," said Mr. Tanc'iiva, " to. watch his opponents in the Diet... Mainly the Opposition Party has boon eutircly favorable to the An* Alliance, but they havechaffed Okuuia. that he will let Japan, lose, kua' independence to some extent by being too closely allied to. Btituiui If you. could only hear his pooh-poohing expressions of this Opposition—it would make you laugh, and the people have always been with, hixa:in.lib. attitude!"

" "Chen the Japanese people are glad of this alliance?" "■<81«1! Yes. Because it means first: the vrushing of Germany in the Bust, and secondly, just as important, Britain's help in Japan's commercial ambitions. 1 have told you before sjiat oitr people want to increase their industries. Biitain is the great commercial nation; we want always to be ,friendly with her." 1 .Mr. Tsuchiya also gave an intewetiiig sit etch of Baron Kato, the Japanese Foreign Minister. "He is what you would say, the Prime Minister's ' righthand man.' He is much-younger'than Oktuna I think about fifty-six or Ifftv-seven years of age. We-,consider i him a young man still. He-is- a bril- ' tiajit statesman, most popular -with all the people, and also a friend of'many Britishers. Twice he haa been- Japan's Minister in J.ondon, and eaah*- time he has come back more than e*».convinced that Japan should work.with your people."