Japan, America, and The Orient 



499 



but theirs? No ; most emphatically no ! 

 That is the spirit with which you cling 

 to your new possessions in the Pacific 

 and that ought to be the spirit of the 

 people who cherish honor and justice. 

 And who can better understand that 

 spirit of the Americans than the Japan- 

 ese? 



Therefore, if Japan harbored such a 

 sinister design as is attributed to her, 

 she must be prepared to plunge into a 

 war far more gigantic than the one just 

 ended, against a nation to which she 

 owes much of what she is today and to 

 whose people she owes that moral and 

 financial support so unreservedly given 

 at the most critical period in her his- 

 tory. No I The Philippines are not 

 worth the sacrifice of such a valuable 

 friendship as that of America and the 

 enormous losses in men and money 

 which such a war would necessarily 

 entail. Nor is Japan in a position to 

 carry on another costly war, except for 

 self-defense. 



Besides, the situation in the East is 

 far more complicated than people ap- 

 pear to think. During the last quarter 

 of a century the world's great events 

 have all taken place in the East. The 

 destiny of that portion of the world 

 rests now practically in the hands of 

 Japan, Great Britain, the United States, 

 Russia, Germany, and France ; and 

 China, with her large population and 

 territory, has not yet gained a position 

 in the council of powers so vitally af- 

 fecting her interests. When you closely 

 scan the delicate and complicated rela- 

 tions of the interests of the various 

 powers in the East, you will under- 

 stand how highly Japan must regard 

 good relations between Japan and 

 America for her interests as well as for 

 those of peace in the East. 



(3) THE OPEN-DOOR POLICY IX CHINA 



The increased prestige of Japan 

 turned the eyes of the world toward the 

 problem of what influence Japan will 

 wield over China. Some people go so 

 far as to assert that Japan will control 

 China, proclaim the Monroe Doctrine 



for Asia, and drive out from the East 

 all the White Devils and exterminate 

 the western influences within its bor- 

 ders. 



Without questioning either the value 

 of the principles contained in the so- 

 called Monroe Doctrine or its applica- 

 bility to the eastern situation at pres- 

 ent, I can simply say that such an idea 

 has not entered into Japanese minds 

 and such a policy has not seen even the 

 symptoms of formation. On the con- 

 trary, the policy which has been per- 

 sistently folowed by Japan in the past 

 was to put her interests in closer and 

 more harmonious touch with those of 

 the western nations. For the mainte- 

 nance of the integrity and independence 

 of China, Japan joined hands with 

 Great Britain. For securing equal op- 

 portunities in China for the commerce 

 and industry of all nations, Japan lent 

 her eager efforts to the United States 

 to make the open-door policy effect- 

 ively operative — the policy which was 

 propounded by one of the foremost 

 statesmen, diplomats, and scholars of 

 our own day and a citizen of Cleveland, 

 the Honorable John Hay. 



While yet the war was going on a 

 fresh treaty of alliance, much broader 

 in its scope than the pact which it re- 

 placed, was concluded between Japan 

 and Great Britain. One of the main 

 objects of this alliance is "the preserva- 

 tion of the common interests of all 

 powers in China by insuring the inde- 

 pendence and integrity of the Chinese 

 Empire and the principle of equal op- 

 portunity for the commerce and indus- 

 try of all nations in China." 



What proof can be stronger, what 

 argument can be more eloquent, than 

 this solemn document in convincing 

 the world that Japan has no motive to 

 close the doors of the East to the na- 

 tions of the other hemisphere? 



(4) JAPANESE INFLUENCE IN CHINA WILL 



PROVE BENEFICIAL TO THE 



WHOLE WORLD 



It is a matter of congratulation for 

 Japan as well as for all other nations 



