The Evening Star MONDAY, AUGUST 14, 1922. JAPAN AND HER NEIGHBORS.

Evening Star, Issue 18046, 14 August 1922, Page 4

The Evening Star MONDAY, AUGUST 14, 1922. JAPAN AND HER NEIGHBORS.

It is a, humdrum, rather sordid, interest that attaches usually to meetings o£ creditors, hut a statement that was made at one held last week in Auckland might have served creditably for tho opening of a William Le Queux romance. Tho affairs of an obscure debtor were invested suddenly with an international significance; a mystery was suggested winch, the readers of novels, much more frequently than anxious creditors, are invited to explore. Tli» bankrupt was formerly owner of Kawau Island, once the homo of ibh j Ueorge Grey, at the entrance to Auckland

Harbor. Ho slated 1 that when ho owned it an offer of £IOO,OOO from a. London firm for the property was rejected by him, because he was negotiating for its sale at a still higher figure. The party with whom ho was negotiating was tho Japanese Government. Bankrupt dismissed as absurd the suggestion that tho island was wanted 1 by Japan for a naval station. Ho could , not say exactly what it was wanted for; but the negotiations took placo in war time. Japan did somo curious things in war time, along with others that were of tho highest service to her Allies. Tho first thing that strikes one about this story is that if Japan had wanted Kawau for any purpose a most rcmarkablo coursewould have been taken by her in seeking to obtain it by a method l which would have revealed tho desire of tho Japanese Government. When • one Government wants control of a property which another would bo most unlikely to cc-do to it a masked syndicate forms the natural means to employ. Its own name, in the normal course of things, would never appear ,as a negotiator, and tho private owner of Kawau would have no power to sell it to a foreign Government. Yet this bankrupt claimed to have letters from tho Japanese Government making proposals for tho purchase of ‘Kawau. The investigation of the mystery, by tho Official Assignee in the first place, to whom tho letter's ■wore ordered to ho handed 1 , and perhaps later by a higher officialdom, should! bo interesting. If its outcome is no more than anti-climax, after tho sensationalism of first allegations, no ono will bo surprised.

Tho world has many troubles four years after tho Great War, but tho “Japanese peril ” has ceased to bo ouo of them. A few years ago there was a general disposition to think tho worst of Japan. How that has been changed to something like a general disposition'to think—or at least to hope—the best of her. The mero multitude of other anxieties may have had some influence in causing this change. A greater influence was no doubt provided by the Washington Conference. How a now reason for trusting and expecting tho best from Japan has been found in the promotion of Admiral Baron Kato to bo the head of her Government. Another Baron Kato gave strong cause for distrust. It' was in his name, as Foreign Minister, that tho iniquitous “ twenty-one demands ”<4.were pressed, in war time, on China. But tho Admiral has given earnest of a different character. Ho was the leader of the Japanese delegation at the Washington Conference; of tho agreements for the limitation of .armaments and the Pacific’s peace that were arrived at there ho was a strong supporter. His accession to the chief position of power was received by American papers a few weeks ago with a satisfaction and a warmth oi welcome which might naturally suggestthat all tho differences, tho fears, and suspicions existing recently between the United States and Japan had been completely forgotten. It is a policy of retrenchment for which Admiral Kato stands. His programme provides for reduction of the army as well as of tho navy, and withdrawal 1 of the Japanese soldiers from Siberia. It is practically a coalition Government that ho leads, ana he seems to hold a strong position for fighting tho militarists, though objection has been made to him, by Conservative elements, that he is not a party man. Heither is he a Radical in domestic politics, and Radicalism has been gaining strength in Japan. He has had tho support, so far, however, of tho Seiyukai Party, which makes a large majority of Parliament, and which appears to have been converted to tho need of a moderate non-provocative policy, for tho sake alike of keeping down expenditure- at homo and improving Japan’s gelations with the world at large. Towards that last object real progress has been achieved.