MILITARISM IN JAPAN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18321, 11 August 1921, Page 6

MILITARISM IN JAPAN

IN ABSOLUTE control. A PROFESSOR’S WARNING. (Fbom Oua Own Cobbeseondent.) SYDNEY, August 2. In appealing for a. sympathetic and helpful attitude towards China m what ho termed her extreme hour of trial, Dr J. C. Key to. an Enghsiiman who is now professor ot philosophy at Shantung University, China, and who has spent over 10 years in the East, and is now visiting Australia, made a striking indictment of Japanese militarism. Addressing the Millions Club—a. strong organisation of commercial mon-ho undated that despite all they heard to the contrary. Japan was still an autocracy snbiccted to the autocratic power of the Black Dra-'on military caste, so that Japan would never become democratic if tno ruling powers got their way. 'ihe Japanese Diet was largely camouflage, and the power ot the members was mainly that of saying “Yes’* to the decisions and desires ot tno Cabinet, which represented the Elder Statesmen The press in Japan was entirely under the domination of the Cabinet, and was as much a Government bureau as it its director wore drawing Government sa ary and his term of rule dependent on the whim of the Government. The press could not publish a single item of news that the Japanese Cabinet wished to suppress The destinies of Japan, proceeded the professor, were absolutely in the power of the Chau. Inistic party, and they were the party seeVig naval and military domination. But it'must ever be remembered that those military rulers, were situated m a country where there was neither coal nor iron and all the raw materials for warfare had to be imported The northern parts of Japan provided but little for the support of life, and even southern Japan only grew rice. All wheat had to be imported into Janan. On the other side of the Yellow Sea was China, so naturally rich that it easily provided all the necessaries of life, whilst coal and iron abounded in quantities capable of supplying the world’s needs for hundreds of thousands of years. Japan knew that without the consent of the Western Powers she never would wage a first-class war so long as she was deprived of the raw materials, but if she got the coal and iron and labour facilities of China she would be independent of the Western Powers, so the Western Powers should be exceedingly careful not to allow her, or to help her. to get her hands on a weapon such as they never had reason to fear in the past. The only people the Japanese feared and respected were the Germans, and that because of their military and economic efficiency.