RUSSIA AND JAPAN.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 11103, 23 October 1901, Page 6

RUSSIA AND JAPAN.

TM announcement tflat "the projected Manohurian agreement between Russia 'and China is incensing Japan" is hardly unexpected. There is a strong anti-Russian feeling in Japan, which all' the conciliatory overtures on the part of Russia have failed to weaken. The existence of such a feeling is not difficult to understand. It., is well known'that the Russian occupation of Manchuria is already an accomplished fact, and only requires to be ratified" on paper. The Manchurian railway is nearly completed', and at Kharbin, r in" the" very' heart of the country, Hussion Customs officials are already established. Russia, in fact, is in possession, and , she has -plenty of men there to hold the country. Jjajtan recognises that the longer the, tpk v is;put oS the harder it will be to prevent Russia from completely absorbing Manchuria into the Empire, reducing the nativesMo-the level of serfs, and peopling the country with armed colonists. Russia's intentions have been indicated plainly enough in both words and deeds. Japan has been warned that under.no circumstances can Russia'permit Jier to occupy Korea, while the "Novoe Vremya," a semi-official St. Petersburg journal, recently assured the Japanese that " so soon as Russia has attained her object "of acquiring -an ice-free port in Korea, "her absorption of the whole of the penin- . "sula will only be a question of time." "There is no Power oh earth," declared the same journal, "sufficiently Titanic to "deprive Russia of an inch of her terri- " tony." ' Meanwhile the Russian Press are endeavouring to convince the Japanese that Ruseia is. their true friend and natural ally, and England their most dangerous and perfidious enemy. They profess the belief that Japan "would never be so fatuously foolish" as to enter into a quarrel with the great Russian Empire. The development of the latter's frontier in the Far East ,so far from endangering Japanese interests, is asserted to be in reality as beneficial to Japan as to Russia, in that it- will open up fresh markets for Japanese trade in Eastern Asia, while the Siberian railway will give an immense impetus to Japan's export trade with Western Europe. But, although Russia has. for some time past been plainly desirous of forming an "entente cordiale" with Japan—perhaps as a first step to an alliance—her overtures have so far not been particularly- successful. The cable message we publish this morning indicates that Japan views with anything but friendly feelings the insidious advance of Russian boundaries in the Far East. The situation is a complex one. Russia cannot afford to adopt too aggressive a policy in the Ear East at present. She ha* her hands full in other directions, while nearer home she is suffering from a serious industrial crisis, and ia now threatened with another great famine. The devastation wrought in .the conquest of Manchuria, moreover, cannot be made good in a year. Realising all thie, we see why the anti-Russian Japanese are urging that now or never is the time for action, in regard to Manchuria. On the other hand, Japan's finances are also in an unsatisfactory condition. It st stated that the Govern*

meat ha* , not been able to raise the funds it requires for fully completing the enormous army afcd navy programme initiated after ths war with China, and that this has led to something in the nature of a financial crisis. It remains to be seen whether either nation will be able to profit at the present juncture by the others embarrassments, or, whether boj>h will be kept at » providential cteadlock.