THE IMPERIALISM OF THE MIKADO

Grey River Argus, 1 August 1940, Page 10

THE IMPERIALISM OF THE MIKADO

(By Stafford Cripps in “The Tribune.”)

Stafford Cripps writes on -Japan, and notes the c ntrast between the ruthless militarism of Japans ruling class, and the peace-loving nature of the Japanese people.

Japan i s a lovely country, full colour and the indefinable charm cd flowers. Fujiyama, the snow-covereo volcano that towers above Tokyo with its perfect symmetry of form, seems to express the calm majesty oL a true civilisation. Japanese art in Jts many forms inspires the visitor with a. sense of true culture, and the simple folk of Japan are as charming and friendly as any on the face of the globe. A long string of mountainous islands stretching from a cold northern climate to the warm temperate weather- of the south, gives Japan a huge coast-line dotted with of fishermen interspersed now by great industrial towns. The conversion of Japan into one of the leading manufacturing countries of the world has been an outstanding feature of 20th century 7 world development. Huge pities like Tokyo and Osaka are now teeming hives of industry exporting the products of their cheap and ill-paid labour all over the world.

Japan's Need For Markets,

With the industrialisation of Japan have com e all sorts or economic problems, just as they came with the industrialisation of our own country. Raw materials were needed and, because Japan had an impoverished working class, markets had to be sought abroad. The Japanese capitalists to-day argue that just as Greai Britain conquered territories all over the world to gain raw material monopolies and to’ win markets for herseli, so Japan is forced to do the same. In Manchuria she has found the r;;w materials and she is seeking the markets i n China. She needs these things and the obvious place to get them Is in the undeveloped countries closest to her factories. Formosa to the soutn she has already taken from China and the Formosans who came from Amoy and Fukien on tne China coast now find themselves colonial s under Japanese imperialism

But more territories . and more population to exploit is essential. il capitalist industry is to be maintained in Japan, and so first Manchuria had to be seized and now the Sino-Japanese “incident” is being fought through. In the endless low-built streets of Tokyo, where houses must be bunt to resist earthquakes or else be periodically destroyed, the brilliant diamonds of the Japanese women with their broad sashes give an air ot gaiety and beauty which is in strange contrast to the havoc and tragedy wrought by the soldiers in the teeming shattered towns of China. A Tragedy Of Contrasts. The tragedy of Japan is its contrasts. The simple and chaiming ways of old Japan and the harsh, cruel drive of modern mass production. The enlightened and culture;! civilians and the cruel and corrupt military machine which dominates the country with its Nazi philosophy. The 'Dibjeral-mindied civilians are powerless in the grip of the militarists, and however much they may desire, as many sincerely do, to behave with decency and restraint they are forced to follow the policies or the dominant military caste. The militarists have always chosen to rule through puppets, whether m Japan itself or in conquered territories. To-day the Japanese Government, whatever its personnel, is but the puppet government of the army and navy. Many expressions of. the dcsir e to terminate the Chinese incident and to leave China free ana independent can be heard in Tokyo, but they are meaningless because those who use them have no power to implement them. If the Japanese Liberals could exercise real control over the affairs of Japan then an end could be made of the S’mo-Jay-1 anese war.

But this war ha s not turned _ our as the Japanese military promised, and signs of unrest and disquiet In the people are just beginning to show themselves. As yet it is only a sm?.l cloud on the horizon but in the course of time it will grow and cover the whole sky of Japanese politics. The People Go Short. Economic conditions, too, are nor happy in Japan. The first thing that

I noticed on reaching Japan was the general shortage of all kinds of commodities and services.

When I read in a Tokyo paper an explanation by a Minister that it was really a good thing that the rural bus services had broken down since the people were getting lazy and It would, do them good to walk, I came to the conclusion that things must be pretty bad! These shortages are not yet critical and a reorganisation of supply and distribution which is being carried out will improve matters, but sooner or later the strain will become ton great to bear. The army i s stalemated Tn China and can make no considerable advance while its lines of communication and outposts are ceaselessly attacked by Chinese gueril.las and'mobile troops which daily take their toll of lives and material.

There will be no sudden collapse of Japan unless external powers intervene, but thg slow process of exhaustion has already set in and so long as the Chinese National. Government retains its strength and unity it is inevitable that Japan will have to withdraw from China sooner or later. It may take year s but nevertheless it is, certain unless we and other powers create conditions favourable to Japan. The Japanese are now demanding as the condition of the cessation or war that China should enter into an anti-Russian pact with Japan, that the present status of Manchukuo should ble necogniseil, that Japan should have a permanent position of preference in the Chinese markets, and that Japanese troops should remain stationed in the northern parts of China and Inner Mongolia. Such conditions are fantastic ana would mean the permanent subjugation of China by Japan. The Chinese will hav e none of them because they are confident of their capacity To wear down their enemy. But there is another factor of importance that . militates, against the evacuation of China by the Japanese. The military and naval, officers have a personal vested economic interest in the continued occupation. What is referred to by the more enlightened Japanese as “The Scandal” is « strong inducement to a poorly paid officer clas s not to retire from a very profitable field of. exploitation. By graft, “squeeze” and corruption these people, are making very large sums of money, quite apart from the loot which they have taken from China. Hardly an article or person can be moved in the occupied areas without payment of something to someone Japanese. But worse than this is the wholesale encouragement of the opium and drug traffic with its terrible erfect upon th e Chinese young and old. not only causing a moral degeneration which is no doubt intended, but giving large profits to those who authorise and partake in the traffic. It was explained to me in Japan that the Japanese were anxious to have a good understanding with life people of China and it was suggested that the wicked Chiang Kai-Shen was preventing the desirable consummation of aueli a state of affairs I It is a curious way of having good relations with a people to soak them with, drugs, to extort every kind of illegal payment from them and to rape their mothers, wives and daughters This behaviour of the military, disapproved of by the decent-mindeo Japanese, cannot unfortunately bo prevented by them. It will not bo stopped till the civilians of Japan, the ’workers of Japan, take power into their hand s to control the excesses and to punish the perpetrators I am certain they would gladly uo so if they knew these things were being done, but, as in all militarist regimes, the public don’t and can't know what is happening. No Peace Until . . „ No final peace will come in the Far East until the military power is overthrown in Japan and the Japanese people can trieat with tire Chinese people; then at last there will be a basis for agreement, for both peoples are happy, simply, honest folk who demand nothing bettvi than peace and the right to control their own lives.