RUSSIA AND JAPAN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2433, 31 October 1900, Page 10

RUSSIA AND JAPAN.

INTERVIEW WITH MARQUIS ITO.

The China Mail of the 17th tilt, has the following special telegram from its Yokohama correspondent : —

j In the course of an interview, Marquis Ito I says that the curreut rumours that war is j imminent between Russia- and Japan are without foundation. They are merely the - outcome of newspaper' writing. At the present moment, an agreement exists between Russia and Japan to the effect that neither country shall encroach on Corea ; and they . must . believe that Russia is sincere in . her promise to keep the pact. The new Russian. Minister"^t Corea, before, going to take up his - appointment, went to Tokio first to v consult regarding the international agreement. Tho relations'between the two countries were most " friendly. "* i | Speaking of the war in South Africa Marquis Ito said the result will be a substantialincreass of Britain's grea'tnes?. It would create a now interest in her 7 army, and the various colonies would take up the question and develop military forces on their own account. The outcome will be that Great Britain will I have trained soldiers all over the workß*ready\ ! at a moment's notice to assist in the defence of the Empire. I The Japanese policy, he said, was not a. colonial one. The strong army and navy they were building up was intended to defend Japan and Japanese commercial interests, and not for conquest. Japan had no financial resources to encourage her to enter upon a war of aggrandisement. But the new development ' of Japanese commerce in the Far East ron- | dcred it necessary that every nation must pro- | tect its interests with a show of power. He recognised the United States of America, as a new factor in Eastern politics, and he was of opinion that if America was £jomgto have world-wide commercial interests she I must mix in foreign politics, j He welcomed the policy of the United I Slates in regard to China. Whatever might 1 be the policy of other countries, he was con- ! vinced that Japan. Great Britain, and the United States stood for the maintenance of the territorial integrity of China. Japan was. desirous that China should develop under her I own Government. There was no danger of China's swamping the world's markets with, manufactured products, because Chinese skilled labour is too far behind that of other countries, and as it developed they must re1 memb.er B that wages would appreciate and the stauctarj Sf living rise, as they had done in Japan. He thought the present reform movement sur.Ghina was revolutionary in character I and altogether insignificant, as it has no folj lowing 3# T ong the people.

The Honskonpr correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald writes:— We have had another war scare since I last wrote, and although matters have apparently quited down and been amicably arranged, folk are not wanting to predict that there will be war between the two Powers within the next three months. Our latest &care has been over the Masampho affair. The facts are briefly these : ilussia has applied to Corea for the concession of the island, but Corea.refused, as Japan had quietly been beforehand, and had bought up all the land which Russia required. * Russia, then allowed the matter to , drop" for a time, and it was not until the other day, when she got Corea under her thumb by' means of a loan, that' she again brought the subject forward. But Japan had not been idle in the interim, and the result was that,so soon as the intentions of Russia were made known, she stepped in with a protest, and Russia, not liking the look of the Japanese fleet, quietly backed 'down, and pretended to be satisfied with a concession within treaty limits, which, means nothing.