INTERNATIONAL MORALITY

Waikato Times, Volume 92, Issue 14258, 8 January 1920, Page 7

INTERNATIONAL MORALITY

THE JAPANESE VIEWPOINT (By EAEON SHIBUSAWA.) In the Post-Intelligence of Seattle, Washington, Baron Shibusawa recently had some highly interesting remark to make on the familiar subject entwined round the relations between America and Japan. The writer is called the Nestor of modern business in Japan. Before his retirement he was active in many enterprises. He was president of the First Bank and of the Tokyo Savings Bank, chief of the committee of the Tokyo Bankers’ Association, chairman of the Tokyo Inquiry Association. and director of the Municipal Orphanage. These enterprises indicate the scope of his interests as a publicspirited citizen and business man. He began public life in service under the Tokugawa regime in its declining days, and after travelling in Europe under a Tokugawa prince was appointed a high official of the treasury on establishment of the Imperial Government, but left the service in 1893, and entered business. From that time on lie has kept out of the public service until his retirement. Although he refused to accept office, which was repeatedly offered him, his counsel was sought and aided in determining the policy of the Government in many instances. He was chairman of the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce for many years, and did perhaps more than any other man towards the development of trade with AmericaComplete Disillusion.

At the outset, Baron Shibusa-wa states that his European visit with Prince Tokugawa in 1567-S served to forcibly demonstrate the familiar proverb, “Seeing is believing.’’ He returned home a thorough opponent of the anti-foreign policy that was so loudly urged by the short-sighted to whom were denied the knowledge which he and a handful of others, j equally fortunate, possessed. In detailing his entry into business the Baron thought he would better serve the country as a free man than as a Government official in the stupendous work of rebuilding Japan. “The step I took on that memorable occasion,” he adds, “in the teeth of all the strong remonstrances of my colleagues has, I think, been amply justified. I was associated with, and took an active part in promoting all the financial and economic enterprises judged necessary to the modern Japan, and it is now a matter patent to all the world how these enterprises have contributed immensely to the growth of national wealth and prosperity. Necessity of Co-operation. “In this world of keen compettion between nations in economic affairs a mere exchange of neighbourly sentiment and courtesy would not do,” the writer remarks. “Japan cannot do without America as regards the staple articles of exports, and at the same time, she must rely upon America for tire supply of certain materials indispensable for conducting industries, and for feeding her people.” Business ana Morality. “My motto,” adds the Baron later on in his article, ‘ ‘ that pursuits of riches should go hand in hand with justice, never left me while I was in business, ,and its idea has ever been strengthened ''since I retired from it. I consider i myself that I am a self-appointed proI pagandist of it, now that I am no j longer in active busisess, and have never failed to preach it whenever 1 happened to come across within my necessarily limited sphere, cases departing from this fundamental principle. I frequently thought whether my motto could be as equally applicable to nations as to individuals, and I have found it conclusively verified by the late terrible war. The Lesson from Germany. “Germany I had always held in respect, both on account of her wealth and science; but this same Germany, solely through lack of the sentiment of justice and public morality suffered herself to be made a helpless tool of her own inordinate arbition and greed, with the consequence that it is horrible merely to think of. For about five long years she plunged the whole world in an unheard of catastrophe, with immense loss of life and money. The Kaiser himself, who was responsible for it, is now an arch criminal in the eyes of the whole world. He has indeed furnished an Incomparable object lesson to my preaching. His, wellmerited fall points my moral and adorns my tale. My dictum is that war must disappear from the world with the march of civilisation, but it

■has too often been negatived by actual .occurrences. Indeed the history either of Europe or Asia is full of events that flatly contradict it. The late world war has terribly shaken my faith. League of Nations. While ■ welcoming the League of Nations ns an immortal scheme based on the noble idea of regulating the world’s peace, the Baron admits that at the same time it set him thinking. “As I have stated before,’’ he comments, “the sense of gain must be guided by reason. This is important even in the ordinary intercourse of individuals, and especially as regards commercial transactions, which are apt to be control led by the sense of gain, disregarding the dictate of reason and justice. Such practices wall be subversive of commercial morality and eventually to smooth relations between individuals. The same remark applies to international affairs, which are very often thrown out of order solely because there arc still statesmen who unscrupulously try to promote what they consider the interest of their own countries in defiance of the dictate of public morality. So long as such an idea is allowed to direct the conduct of national affairs real peace will be inconceivable. Therefore It must be extirpated by all means. This can be hoped for only by elevating the standard of commercial morality and international morality. I am afraid that unless this is effected a League of Nations scheme, whether by President Wijson or by any other, will not be binding; it will’be a mere scrap of paper. President Wilson must try to go to the root of the matter, and devise measures to heighten international morality. By this I do not mean that its standard is not high enough in America, but it seems to me that even the. doings of American delegates in the Peace Conference were not above criticism, let alone those of other countries. ’ ’