Japan, America, and The Orient 



5°3 



reason why its disbandment should 

 cause any increase of immigration to 

 the United States or anywhere else. 



Japan has no hired soldiers. Every 

 Japanese, without distinction of class 

 or rank, profession or trade, rich or 

 poor, is equally under the obligation to 

 serve three years with the colors and 

 several years in the reserves and na- 

 tional guard. Therefore the Japanese 

 army is not like that of some other 

 countries, composed of men who were 

 taken from among those who had no 

 employment. On the contrary, all and 

 every one of the men who compose that 

 formidable Manchurian army had been 

 taken from actual work at home, so 

 that the effect of the sudden withdrawal 

 of hands from the field of industry is 

 actually being felt in the productive 

 power of the nation. 



Such being the case, even if the en- 

 tire number which left Japan for th^ 

 campaign returned home intact they 

 would simply have to go back to their 

 own work and not a single hand would 

 remain idle. Taking into account the 

 enormous losses suffered by our army 

 in killed, wounded, maimed for life, and 

 also those who would find new op- 

 portunities in Korea and Manchuria, 

 there is every reason to believe that 

 Japanese immigration to the United 

 States will considerably decrease. 



(7) THE FUTURE OE THE ORIENT 



The Orient, with more than half of 

 the population and more than one-third 

 of the land area of the entire world, and 

 with commerce amounting only to three 

 billions of dollars annually, which is 

 only a little over one-seventh of the 

 total trade of the world, offers an al- 

 most unlimited field for future develop- 

 ment. The foreign commerce of Japan, 

 which amounted to 58 million dollars 

 in t88o, reached 300 million dollars in 

 1903. The foreign commerce of China, 

 which amounted to 217 million dollars 

 in 1880, amounted to 355 million dollars 

 in 1903. The growth of China's com- 

 merce was slow. She has, as I said be- 



fore, 26 times the area of Japan and 8 

 times the population, and yet her for- 

 eign trade is only about equal to that of 

 Japan. Should the commerce of China 

 grow to the present rate of that of the 

 West, that is $27 per capita, it would 

 reach the colossal figure of $10,800,000,- 

 000, or about one-half of the world's 

 commerce of today. What possibilities 

 lie there in China? 



The United States, which has the 

 longest coast line on the Pacific, has 

 entered into the oriental arena of com- 

 mercial and industrial competition 

 comparatively recently, but the prize 

 she has already gained is remarkable. 

 The imports of China, Japan, and Aus- 

 tralia from all the European countries 

 combined increased by 45 million dol- 

 lars during the period of 1890-1903. 

 During the same period, the importa- 

 tions from the United States alone in- 

 creased by 49 million dollars, which is 

 actually greater than those of all 

 Europe combined. That is, the rate of 

 increase of the European importations 

 during that period was only about 22 

 per cent, while that of the United States 

 was 160 per cent. This is truly re- 

 markable. But the prospect for future 

 American trade is still greater. The 

 wonderful facilities afforded by the im- 

 proved cross-continental communica- 

 tions, the added forces of the mercantile 

 marine on the Pacific, the direct and 

 independent cable connection with the 

 Orient, the possession of the Philip- 

 pines — all combine to give a tremen- 

 dous impetus to the expansion of 

 American trade in the East. 



Our trade relations with the United 

 States have been prosperous and satis- 

 factory. In 1898 we sold to the United 

 States 23 million dollars' worth and 

 took from her about 20 million dollars' 

 worth. In 1902 we sold to you 40 mil- 

 lion dollars and took from you 24 mil- 

 lion dollars' worth. The balance of 

 trade has always been against the 

 United States, but it is rapidly gaining 

 the normal condition. In 1881, the im- 

 ports from the United States formed 



