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The National Geographic Magazine 



tained by some section of the American 

 people as to the commercial and indus- 

 trial rivalry of Japan is more imaginary 

 than real. 



The main ground upon which rests 

 their apprehension is the fact that Ja- 

 pan has cheap labor at command. That 

 this condition should obtain an undue 

 importance in the eyes of the people of 

 America, where altogether peculiar 

 labor conditions prevail, is quite 

 natural. But before jumping to such a 

 sweeping conclusion as that Japan will 

 beat America in the commercial and in- 

 dustrial competition because she has 

 cheap labor, it would be proper to con- 

 sider the other factors which are 

 equally, if not more, essential to the 

 building up of a nation's commerce and 

 industry. 



Of course, everybody knows that the 

 essential factors of industry are labor, 

 capital, and material. Labor is only 

 one of the three, and in our days of 

 machinery its importance has become 

 comparatively insignificant. The his- 

 tory of your own industrial progress 

 has proved this fact. There was a time 

 when the same cry was raised in this 

 country as to European competition on 

 account of their cheap labor, but where 

 stand your industries now? Japan has 

 labor, but the advantages which this 

 country has in the remaining factors of 

 industry are incomparably greater. In 

 addition you have an immense advan- 

 tage over other nations in your wonder- 

 ful inventive genius. In the modern 

 system of industry, no human labor, 

 however Cheap, can compete with ma- 

 chinery. Besides, labor in Japan does 

 not remain cheap. The effect of the 

 China-Japan war was to double the 

 price of labor. The war with Russia 

 must have raised it A^ery much higher. 

 In spite of all these disadvantages, Ja- 

 pan must develop her commerce and 

 industry and she will have to compete 

 with all the world, friend or foe. It is 

 an absolute necessity for her very ex- 

 istence. But, with an unflinching de- 

 termination to push her. commerce and 



industry to the forefront, Japan will not 

 resort to "ways that are dark and tricks 

 that are vain." Her commercial war 

 will be fought just as fairly and stoutly 

 as'the real war. In China, Japan seeks 

 no unfair advantage. She seeks no 

 favor from China that is not granted to 

 the United States, England, or to the 

 entire world. She stands for the open 

 door, and, in the words of your great 

 President, a "square deal." 



Under these conditions, Japan is 

 willing to enter either into an alliance 

 or rivalry of trade with any nation. 

 Japan welcomes capital and material 

 from any country. The United States 

 is supplying materials for our impor- 

 tant industries. Why cannot she supply 

 the capital, too? There exists between 

 Japan and Great Britain a political al- 

 liance in the East; why can there not 

 be a commercial alliance between Ja- 

 pan and the United States? We are 

 willing to divide a fair share of profits, 

 wherever gained, with any people. The 

 field for the commercial and industrial 

 activity of Japan has been immensely 

 enlarged as a result of the last war, and 

 this offers a specially favorable oppor- 

 tunity for American cooperation. With 

 the cheap labor and a comparatively 

 superior knowledge of Oriental matters 

 possessed by the Japanese, combined 

 with the inexhaustible supply of Ameri- 

 can capital and materials, we can build 

 up an impregnable commercial strong- 

 hold in the East which can defy the 

 rivalry of the world. 



(6) JAPANESE IMMIGRATION TO THE 

 UNITED STATES 



It has been often asserted in news- 

 papers that when the war with Russia 

 is over and the army of 700,000 men 

 now in Manchuria is disbanded, the 

 Pacific coast will be flooded with Jap- 

 anese immigration. Such a statement 

 cannot be regarded as an expression of 

 serious opinion, because, unless that 

 enormous army of Japan had at once 

 descended from the sky just for the 

 purpose of the war, there can be no 



