THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY TUESDAY, JANUARY 26, 1909. AMERICA AND JAPAN.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3101, 26 January 1909, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY TUESDAY, JANUARY 26, 1909. AMERICA AND JAPAN.

The likelihood of war between America J>nd Japan seems to be steadily growing into a certainty. The somewhat curious aspect of the racial feeling existing between the countries mentioned is that there is no weighty reason why enmity should exist. One would think that America could quite well go her own way, and that the development of Japanese national aspirations would in no way interfere with the land of the "Stars and Stripes." But America, having departed from the essence of the Munroe Doctrine, viz., that she should be an entirely self-contained country, seems to have contracted simultaneously with the departure i referred to a desire to impress "the sphere of her influence" upon for-

eign nations. The country with which America most easily comes in conflict with is Japan, and this fact is unfortunate, so far as the continuation of peace between the United States and the Land of Nippon is concerned. may have her finances in a straightened condition at the present time, but the country possesses wonderful recuperative powers as well as an ardent national spirit. Briefly, Japan is by no means disposed to brook any insult at American hands, and in view of the fact that Uncle Sam is more or less in the way of Japan the latter is fully conscious of the advantages that a successful conflict would.bring to her. The Yankees, to put the position bluntly, have suffered from "swelled head" since their war with Spain, and the idea seems to be prevalent in America that war with Japan would not only certainly end in America's favour, but that victory would be, comparatively speaking, fairly easily gained. A conflict would show how utterly mistaken such an idea is. Japan knows more of the art and stress of war than America has dreamed ot. Japan is no thirdrate power like Spain, but she is a power that has defeated mighty Russia. Yesterday's cablegrams told us that in San Francisco there is much wanton mischief-making, and that considerably more Japanese are leaving the United States than are arriving. Complications, it is said, are developing which threaten war, while the construction of gigantic battleships is proceeding apace in America. Should war eventuate Japan will almost certainly win.