The Star. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1902.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7328, 14 February 1902, Page 2

The Star. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1902.

BRITAIN AND JAPAN. The treaty between Britain and Japan which was announced in the cable messages published yesterday morning has been hailed *with satisfaction by practically the whole of the Angio-Saxon race. As the work of a Conservative Government it may receive but a grudging commendation from the Little Englanders, and doubtless it will incur the opposition of other small sections of the House of Commons. But the majority have already signified their approval of the alliance. Parliament, the Press and public opinion have joined in endorsing Lord Lansdowne's action, and in America also there is a concensus of feeling in favour of ' it. The colonies will view this result of British diplomacy with favour for two reasons. In the first .place it is felt that Britain and Japan have common interests in the East which can best be protected by a combination of the two, and, secondly, most Englishmen, be they Hom,e-grown or colonial, have an admiration and sympathy for the progressive and! courageous people who in a marvellously short period have dragged themselves out of the elough of medievalism to a high ~ place among the powerful and enlightened nations of the world. We have said that the interests of Britain and Japan in the Far East are identical, and so indeed tihey are. As the preamble to the treaty declares, both are actuated 1 solely by a desire to maintain the " status quo " and general peace, and both are desirous of maintaining the independence and territorial integrity of both China and Korea. There is probably not- another Power whose interests point in this direction. The United States no-dcubt desdres the main'tenamce of an "open door" in China, but there is nothing to show that she would compromise herself in any way to achieve her wishes. Germany and France, although the former exipressjes sympathy with the alliance, rare suspected of being opposed to any ar.rangement which will tend to weaken the schemes under which they have secured spheres of influence in different parts of the Celestial Empire, and Russia's policy aims openly at the annexation of Manchuria and the. Korea. Both these policies would conflict with British interests, and the Russifi--1 cation of the Korea would 1 have to be preceded by a war in which Japan would be fighting practically for 'her existence. The treaty may not put an end to Russia's designs on the. Korea, but it is bound to postpone them, and the longer they are postponed the more remote will be the chances of that conflict between Japan and Russia which many students maintain ■_, is inevitable.